Bishop Burton College marked the start of its Pedigree Hereford breeding programme by inviting Hereford experts and breeders, John and Tom Kemp from the Hereford Beef Society, to find out about the College's plans for its herd and to check on its progress.
Forming the nucleus of the initial breeding stock, the six heifers and bull have embarked upon an ambitious breeding programme that will offer students first-hand experience of the breeding process of pedigree cattle. It is anticipated that the first pedigree calves will arrive in the Spring, and the herd will be 40-strong by the end of 2015.
On the progress of the programme, Jeanette Dawson OBE, Principal and Chief Executive of Bishop Burton College said: “The investment made in the new breed was significant for the College as it's the first time we've had a pedigree herd on campus. The herd has settled in to College life well and they are already offering a wealth of teaching and learning experiences for our students."
“At the end of the academic year, our students will have had first-hand experience of the pedigree cattle breeding process, will have a much deeper knowledge of the dietary requirements of a range of cattle breeds, and more importantly, they will know how to grow a profitable herd from suckler cows.”
As well as offering a range of new teaching practices, the herd will also provide home-reared British Beef for the College’s commercial partnership with Dunbia, which supplies British Beef to retailers including ASDA, Sainsbury’s and the Co-operative. On observing the herd, Mr Stan Ayrton, (job title) at Dunbia said:
"The herd is progressing very well and the environment that the cattle is housed in are first-class. We are looking forward to working with the College and its students as the herd grows, and will be looking forward to working in partnership to create a profitable British reared, high-yield beef herd."
Mrs. Dawson added: “Our farm is second-to-none and we’re proud that as well as providing a hands-on educational environment for students, our farm is also run commercially. In today’s economy, it has never been more important than to teach students how to run a viable farm business.”
Bishop Burton College is a Centre of Vocational Excellence in Agriculture. As well as the 370-strong herd of cattle, students also benefit from having access to more than 280 hectares of farmland, a 500-strong flock of sheep and a drift of 250 pigs.
