Centre launched to train the farmers of the future

The future of farming was under the spotlight when Bishop Burton College, near Beverley, launched its new Centre for Precision Agriculture.

The centre was opened officially by Graham Stuart, MP for Beverley and Holderness, and forms part of a £1.7m investment from the Department of Education into facilities and equipment to educate the farmers and agriculturalists of the future in new ways to deliver both environmental and economic sustainability.

The centre is also part of the Yorkshire and Humber Institute of Technology (YHIoT), an employer-led collaboration between the county’s further education colleges and the University of Hull and University of York St John which is designed to provide higher level technical and digital skills across the region.

Bishop Burton College is working to ensure the benefits of new technologies such as precision farming, robotics and automation are maximised to support sustainable farm businesses post-Brexit.

College principal and CEO, Bill Meredith, said: “This is a time of massive change for agriculture and the opening of the centre marks an important step in helping farmers to use every tool at their disposal to maintain productivity whilst at the same time meeting environmental expectations so we were delighted to be able to demonstrate some of our resources.

“The YHIoT will develop the skills required to harness the power of digital technologies and big data to meet the need to develop both sustainable and regenerative requirements for the future of arable farming.”

Stuart said: “In order to compete across the world, we need the best teaching facilities to provide the highest quality professionals in the field.

“This investment by the college and the Government shows how us coming together to support that aim.”

Guests at the launch, who included YHIoT directors, civic dignitaries and representatives from the NFU, saw some of the specialist equipment obtained for the centre.

This includes GPS field mapping and guidance systems, thermal drone technology, a seed drill and fertiliser spreader fitted with variable application technology and ISOBUS control systems.