Coleg Gwent agriculture students have been learning about one of the busiest times in the farming calendar – the arrival of new-born lambs.
The group from Coleg Gwent’s Usk Campus visited Nick and Caroline Turner on their farm in Raglan to learn more about sheep farming, and even got the chance to turn midwives themselves.
With 250 ewes and 500 lambs expected, there was certainly plenty of opportunity for the future farmers to learn.
“It was a great opportunity to use our skills in a real-life situation, checking for the correct positions, signs and whether or not the lambs could suckle once delivered,” said student Melina Holland.
Lecturer Dave Probert said: “Students are developing a wide range of skills and learning about the whole cycle of sheep farming, from lambing and the grazing system to selecting animals for meat.”
To complete the picture, students recently learnt about breeding and also visited an abattoir to learn about the process of meat grading.
Usk Campus has also been busy welcoming 180 new lambs born to the Campus farm’s flock of 100 sheep.
From 30 April-3 May, students will be helping to organise Coleg Gwent’s annual Countryside Experience week; a four day event which sees hundreds of local primary school children visit Usk Campus farm to learn about the countryside.
