Merrist Wood College at Worplesdon has received £194,000 from the Government’s Strategic Development Fund that is helping colleges in Surrey and Hampshire update equipment and training in relation to new green technologies.

The college’s new agriculture and arboriculture equipment includes:

Cattle crush

A cattle crush – used to safely restrain cattle for various husbandry procedures such as vet checks, tagging, foot trimming, and branding.

A hay grain steamer – steaming hay instead of soaking it can have benefits as nutrients are retained in the hay.

Plus, soil analysers, vertical planting systems, a sheep scanner as well as field mapping drones.

Sheep scanner.

This equipment mirrors the technological developments seen within the industry and tool up students with the necessary skills to help the industry become more sustainable. 

The college says the grant has also enabled it to invest in an electric tractor as well as a “state-of-the-art” composter, “which aligns perfectly with the college’s sustainability key driver and will play an important part in training the next generation of land-based employees”.

Operated by the group Activate Learning, Merrist Wood College is also collaborating with Sparsholt College near Winchester and will be providing land-based short courses in arboriculture, conservation land management, sustainable resource management, sustainable agricultural systems and sustainability for farming.  

These courses will be self-directed learning, delivered through the Innovation South Virtual Campus, online platform.

The college adds that the courses have been designed to provide the latest land-based green-tech skills to support the up-skilling and re-skilling of local people, help local people secure high-skilled jobs and meet the needs of the local land-based labour market and drive stronger, employer collaboration to enhance long term innovation and enterprise.