Watch: Harper Adams supports Shout About Farming campaign

An ongoing YouTube series promoting agriculture has visited Harper Adams to talk to our lecturers and students. 

The Shout About Farming series, the brainchild of Platts Agriculture Ltd, aims to spotlight the significant impact of UK farming on the economy, raise awareness about the agricultural industry, and foster increased engagement and interest in farming. 

The series has already talked to Richard Barnaby from Lely Atlantic, Andrew Jones, President of the Holstein UK Society, and Dairy Farmer and influencer Lucy Pye. 

In the episode filmed at Harper Adams, the series focuses on Professor of Animal Science Liam Sinclair, Principal Lecturer in Agronomy Louisa Dines, and final year BSc (Hons) Agriculture with Crop Science student – and social media influencer – Eleanor Gilbert. 

Talking about the advantages for teaching the Harper Adams University Future Farm presents, Liam states: “One of the big advantages that we have here is that it’s a rural campus, and students have access to all of the commercial farm activities so when they need to be involved and see particular activities – whether that is related to crops, related to spraying, or related to animal handling or administering different substances, then that’s easily accessible. 

“It only takes a matter of a few minutes for students to come out and be able to have practical experience e- and that practical experience is important then to underpin what they are being taught in the classes so they can see what is being put into practice.” 

Talking about why it’s vital to build public understanding of agriculture, Louisa adds: “I think it’s really important to develop more understanding and more appreciation among consumers of where food is coming from to balance the story around agriculture, because the press isn’t always favourable, so it’s good for agriculture to have an opportunity to showcase developments in sustainability, the way that the land is being managed, the way that animals are looked after – and to provide some of that balance, really.” 

Speaking about her first visit to Harper Adams as a prospective student, Eleanor says: “When I came to visit as a student looking at Harper, It just felt like a community and a great place to be – abd they always had very good practical learning experiences – you know, they’ve got the full dairy here, the beef, the pigs and the sheep – and also arable learning. 

“I also think that Harper Adams holds a lot of credence in the industry – and people that have been here and studied at Harper know it’s no mean feat.” 

In case you missed it...??

We are honoured to have been part of the ongoing #ShoutAboutFarming series with @PlattsBedding, raising awareness about the agricultural industry ??

Hear from Professor Liam Sinclair, Louisa Dines, and Eleanor Gilbert: https://t.co/0dAFOBBX2X

— Harper Adams University (@HarperAdamsUni) April 9, 2024