Farm walk and talk proved worthwhile

Agri-Aware lived up to its mission statement on Friday 11 March at Kildalton Agricultural College, Piltown, with a very enjoyable and educational farm walk and talk. I attended the event with my passionate agricultural science class in preparation for our Leaving Certificate in June.

The Irish agri-food educational body organised an informative event which enlightened, inspired and enriched the minds of students throughout Ireland. Although a day was spent at the expense of our other Leaving Certificate classes and subjects, it proved worthwhile for all in attendance.

Thrilled

After a bus journey that lasted an hour and a half, my classmates and I were thrilled to arrive at our destination. The first stand we visited dealt with soil science and soil compaction. Colm Kelly led the talk. The use of soil samples made the whole experience much more visual and practical. We learnt about how to reduce soil compaction and the importance of tramlines when sowing crops.

With the monogastric and ruminant digestive tracts in full view, we each got a valuable (and literal) insight into how the digestive system works

The grass management talk was very interactive, with students participating in a quick-fire quiz with Peter Lawrence. Our school performed exceptionally well and we were glad to do our teacher, Dr Suzanne Eivers, and our school, Colaiste Bhríde Carnew, proud.

The animal nutrition talk followed. With the monogastric and ruminant digestive tracts in full view, we each got a valuable (and literal) insight into how the digestive system works. We also recapped over the significant role each stomach chamber plays in the digestive process.

The opportunity to reinforce our class-learnt knowledge was evident when we could see the diagrams we are so used to seeing in our books with our own eyes (the honeycomb appearance of the reticulum chamber, for example). The reticular valve was a key feature of this talk and it helped our understanding of the “scratch factor” which we commonly have to answer questions about.

Lambing skills

The talk on skills performed during the lambing season brought a sense of home to the event for many of us. Winter wheat was the key focus during the crop talk. Machinery used during this demonstration brought a look of obsession to many of my “fear the Deere” classmates.

Equine, meat processing and dairy talks featured throughout the day, but the talk on conformation of cattle seemed to really bring out our competitive sides. John O’Connor was the man in command as we each made our best attempts to identify breeds and guess the weights of certain steers ready for slaughter.

As the day’s end drew near, a social media competition which involved students posting photos to their twitter accounts with the hashtag “FarmWalk” also came to its end. I was the lucky winner who claimed the Dubarry voucher, but meeting the Agri-Aware team and CEO proved even more precious. Dr Vanessa Woods, was a delight to meet and thank for the great day that was enjoyed by so many.

As our bus engine sounded for home, we each filled in our feedback sheets on a very positive and thankful note.