Day 7-Harper Adams University-Student Perspectives
Day 7- Harper Adams University and Afternoon in Iron Bridge Gorge
At Harper Adams today we had an opportunity to tour the grounds and the units. The first thing I noticed were the sheep in the front lawn. I thought to myself, wow I sure would love to go to a school that had sheep to welcome you! Harper Adams is a very old university that is settled within the countryside of Newport Shropshire, England. The school was opened in 1901 that had a total of 6 students. Needless to say it had grown rapidly since then in size and technology. We first had a brief introduction from one of the staff Mitch Crooks. We then, toured the dairy unit which housed around 300 milking Holstein cows. I have been to the unit back at NC State but this one is off the bat much larger an seems to be much more advanced than ours. They offer a carousel milking parlor that has been on the grounds since 2005. They also have a lot of research going on at this time. One was that the researchers added peas to the cows ration. They are able to detect just how much the cows are eating and how often based on a tracker around their neck that opens the feed bins. They are also working on an anklet made for the cows that they call accelerators. They are able to check to see the movement of the cow, if it is lame, if in estrus or if it is calving. It is amazing to thing how far advanced in technology they are compared to us. I was sad that we didn't go In to look at the sheep that they had at the units but I know that we were pressed for time! I am a little biased of sheep, I will not lie, they have my heart. The sheep that they had on the farm were a Suffolk cross bred with a welsh breed of sheep from the highlands. They do this because it gives them a ewe that is big and stout that is high in milk production. That night we went and had a lovely dinner with some of the staff and students from Harper Adams University. We then went to Hang out with the students and learned many fun games that we can bring back to the states! One involved going I a circled and everyone saying tractor, trailer, combine, bailor, rotator, cultivator, muck spreader, plow, digger, big rig. It was so much fun and definitely one that I will have to take back to the states! It was even better that we all had an interest in agriculture! At least we found that in common! They were so welcoming hospitable I did not want to leave! I am absolutely looking at studying abroad for a semester at Harper Adams or at least have an internships somewhere in England! Overall a day that I will never forget!! I love this country and the people!
At Harper Adams today we had an opportunity to tour the grounds and the units. The first thing I noticed were the sheep in the front lawn. I thought to myself, wow I sure would love to go to a school that had sheep to welcome you! Harper Adams is a very old university that is settled within the countryside of Newport Shropshire, England. The school was opened in 1901 that had a total of 6 students. Needless to say it had grown rapidly since then in size and technology. We first had a brief introduction from one of the staff Mitch Crooks. We then, toured the dairy unit which housed around 300 milking Holstein cows. I have been to the unit back at NC State but this one is off the bat much larger an seems to be much more advanced than ours. They offer a carousel milking parlor that has been on the grounds since 2005. They also have a lot of research going on at this time. One was that the researchers added peas to the cows ration. They are able to detect just how much the cows are eating and how often based on a tracker around their neck that opens the feed bins. They are also working on an anklet made for the cows that they call accelerators. They are able to check to see the movement of the cow, if it is lame, if in estrus or if it is calving. It is amazing to thing how far advanced in technology they are compared to us. I was sad that we didn't go In to look at the sheep that they had at the units but I know that we were pressed for time! I am a little biased of sheep, I will not lie, they have my heart. The sheep that they had on the farm were a Suffolk cross bred with a welsh breed of sheep from the highlands. They do this because it gives them a ewe that is big and stout that is high in milk production. That night we went and had a lovely dinner with some of the staff and students from Harper Adams University. We then went to Hang out with the students and learned many fun games that we can bring back to the states! One involved going I a circled and everyone saying tractor, trailer, combine, bailor, rotator, cultivator, muck spreader, plow, digger, big rig. It was so much fun and definitely one that I will have to take back to the states! It was even better that we all had an interest in agriculture! At least we found that in common! They were so welcoming hospitable I did not want to leave! I am absolutely looking at studying abroad for a semester at Harper Adams or at least have an internships somewhere in England! Overall a day that I will never forget!! I love this country and the people!
-Alexandra Martin
Beginning bright and early in the morning, we loaded the bus at 8:30. It was the day to experience life as a student at Harper Adams University. When we arrived, I was surprised by the fact that there were sheep right outside of the doors of the buildings and the animal units were just a brief walk away. The first thought I had was I wish I could spend a whole semester in this beautiful country.
The first unit that we toured was the dairy unit. Right when I walked up, I noticed how they had more technology in the barns than we do at NCSU. Some of these advancements include feeding bins that read the ear tag of the cow and record how much they eat and what their behaviors are while they eat. Another interesting tactic they use to record their cows are called accelerators. These are anklets on the cows that report back to the farmer on the behaviors of the cow. Some of these behaviors include when they are in heat, if they are going into labor, or they can even predict lameness. Personally, I believe we should look to the UK and see how they have advanced and what the benefits are from those advancements.
We visited several other units such as the poultry unit and the entomology unit. The poultry unit was the first full dedicated unit to research in the world and holding over 70,000 birds. It was awesome to stand there and think that I am in a place where poultry research started. As for the entomology department, they are small yet growing and really passionate about what they are doing. This particular unit is the only one in the UK that has their own separate building so they are excited as to what the future holds for them.
As for the later part of the tour, we adventured off to the engineering department. This was the moment when I knew the students at Harper Adams University excelled at what they do. One student built a robot that can go over the land and take clear pictures due to the swivel technique he discovered. When we asked how long it took him, he just said "Only about two weeks". My mouth just dropped in astonishment. This students know what they excel at and push forward to better themselves.
Later that night, we returned to the university to have a formal dinner in which we would interact with some students from the Student Union. I was quite nervous at first, but when they came and sat down, the common interests of agriculture that we have made us all connect very quickly. I got to hear about their lives and how growing up on a farm is different in the UK than it is in the US. There were many laughs involved as we exchanged things native to each country and how strange it sounded the others. Lastly, it was time to go out and engage with the other students of Harper Adams University. It was quite the experience of a lifetime to dive into their culture for a couple hours and enjoy every aspect of it!
The first unit that we toured was the dairy unit. Right when I walked up, I noticed how they had more technology in the barns than we do at NCSU. Some of these advancements include feeding bins that read the ear tag of the cow and record how much they eat and what their behaviors are while they eat. Another interesting tactic they use to record their cows are called accelerators. These are anklets on the cows that report back to the farmer on the behaviors of the cow. Some of these behaviors include when they are in heat, if they are going into labor, or they can even predict lameness. Personally, I believe we should look to the UK and see how they have advanced and what the benefits are from those advancements.
We visited several other units such as the poultry unit and the entomology unit. The poultry unit was the first full dedicated unit to research in the world and holding over 70,000 birds. It was awesome to stand there and think that I am in a place where poultry research started. As for the entomology department, they are small yet growing and really passionate about what they are doing. This particular unit is the only one in the UK that has their own separate building so they are excited as to what the future holds for them.
As for the later part of the tour, we adventured off to the engineering department. This was the moment when I knew the students at Harper Adams University excelled at what they do. One student built a robot that can go over the land and take clear pictures due to the swivel technique he discovered. When we asked how long it took him, he just said "Only about two weeks". My mouth just dropped in astonishment. This students know what they excel at and push forward to better themselves.
Later that night, we returned to the university to have a formal dinner in which we would interact with some students from the Student Union. I was quite nervous at first, but when they came and sat down, the common interests of agriculture that we have made us all connect very quickly. I got to hear about their lives and how growing up on a farm is different in the UK than it is in the US. There were many laughs involved as we exchanged things native to each country and how strange it sounded the others. Lastly, it was time to go out and engage with the other students of Harper Adams University. It was quite the experience of a lifetime to dive into their culture for a couple hours and enjoy every aspect of it!
-Emma Cadenhead
Harper Adams University is a school for Agriculture in England. It is really small when compared to NC State. One thing that Harper Adams has in common with NCSU is that the people are passionate about Agriculture. The university is in the middle of nowhere. The land that the university is on was once a field that was left by man who loved agriculture. Despite the school's small size it has a good sized student body [population] that wants to improve agriculture.
When we toured the school we were shown several different programs that the students could be enrolled in. We first wen to the dairy barn. Seeing dairy cows and dairy operations is always interesting to me since we don't have many dairy farms where I'm from. After touring, the dairy operation, we went to see where they were doing crop research, which is my field. It was interesting to see how they conducted research in such a cold and wet and windy environment. Then we talked to an entomologist who talked to us about IPM. I am currently taking IPM at State so a lot of the stuff he talked about I could comprehend pretty well. After the tour we left and came back for dinner. After we ate dinner we got a chance to hang out with the students. We all had a great time at Harper Adams that night.
-Spencer Howard
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