Cereals is one of the major arable industry shows around the country and was this year also the setting for a superb first place competition success by Writtle College Agricultural students.
Velcourt, farm management service and business consultancy, ran a competition for six College teams to manage a crop of wheat through the critical Spring period, giving teams a plot of land to manage earlier on this year.
The Writtle team was made up of third year Agricultural students - Rachel Bush, Dan Wormell, James Wombwell and Rory Kissock.
During the Cereals show the teams and their plot were judged on their choice of treatment inputs (fertiliser, herbicides etc) and technical knowledge, their rationale for their choices via written submission, and the gross margin (predicted) for their resultant yield minus inputs.
Caroline Flanagan, Head of the School of Sustainable Environments, attended the show on the day and said about the student team success: “I saw the plots and listened to the judges' comments and this victory was thoroughly deserved - well done everyone.”
This was an extremely prestigious competition involving teams from the Royal Agricultural College, Harper Adams, Lincoln University, Askham Bryan and Hartpury College.
This year, Cereals was held at Chrishall Grange in Royston Cambridgeshire on Wednesday 9 and Thursday 10 June.
Pictured: Caroline Flanagan, Head of School of Sustainable Environments, Rory Kissock, Rachel Bush and Dan Wormell