Land-based Skills: Countryside Courses & Activities
Land-based skills days encompassing varied aspects of the countryside to accommodate newcomers to farming, school learners; youth and community groups and school holiday activities.
Acquire practical knowledge and understanding in: farm animal welfare, stock handling; relevant legislation; cereal and grassland management; machinery handling and environmental management.
Choose activities to create your own countryside experience: sausage making, burger-making, bread-making, corn dollies, fishing, gundog training, animal care (goats, chickens, calves, dogs), festive flowers, farm walks, willow weaving, winter & summer planters, bushcraft, and more…
Scroll down for examples of day courses/activities.
Land-based Skills
Courses providing practical knowledge and understanding to people working within or, new to the land-based sector. Day courses: cattle foot-trimming; sheep foot-trimming; tractor driving; ploughing; telescopic handler; ATV (quad-bike) training; sheep shearing; calf disbudding; and more.
Information and guidance incorporating practical skills for newcomers to the countryside wishing to produce their own food and keep livestock. Courses entail: requirements of farm animals - welfare (regular stock tasks); legislation (records, passports, movement papers, etc); handling farm animals and cost-effective handling systems; grassland & crop management; tractor driving & machinery operation. Courses can be tailored to meet individuals needs.
Farm Tours
A guided tour of a working farm explaining “food from field to table”. From school groups to community groups, the tour incorporates welfare and food production and can be linked to the National Curriculum, Duke of Edinburgh Awards, Scouts/Guides Badges and focus on your particular interests.
Schools
Has your school embraced 'The Extra Mile Project' offering alternative learning experiences to school learners? We provide popular and engaging educational activities for school students who do not necessarily thrive in a traditional school setting and can develop this into career opportunities in land-based industries. Funding via this project can assist with transport costs and, with effective planning can ensure a diverse activity filled day on the farm.
Visits available throughout Staffordshire to a variety of farming enterprises e.g. dairy, beef, sheep, cereal, etc.Rugby&Guns 028
Example day:
09.30 Arrive Introductions - Tour of farm. Walk & talk: farm practice; land-use; identification of trees/plants; farm animals - various ages, management, purpose
Noon Picnic lunch or B-B-Q from quality reared on-farm produce
12.45 Bread-making session/sausage making/corn dollies
14.45 Depart
Conservation
A structured day to raise peoples awareness and understanding of the countryside around them.
Activities may include:
- Mini-beast hunts, nature trails, incorporating wild plant identification, habitats, life cycles
- Building habitat shelters
- Guided walks or orienteering following the countryside code
- Bushcraft: campfire building, using natural materials to build camp, natural food collecting, preparing and cooking
- Introduction to coarse fishing
- Introduction to gundog training
- Introduction to air rifle target shooting
- Introduction to clay target shooting
- Festive decorations: ID & colect foliage and create table decoration; door wreaths; etc.
A range of accredited shooting assessments available:
- BASC Safeshot is a related industry award recognising a basic level of shotgun knowledge and safe use/handling.
- Lantra Awards Firearms Courses offer Level 1-3 tuition to National Occupational Standards (NOS). See Firearms Training Lantra Awards page.
Example day: Bushcraft
09.30 Introductions and country walk to camp area identifying plants and trees on way explain the countryside code. Collect fire wood. Build shelter & campfire. Cook food
Noon Picnic lunch or campfire produce
12.45 Living off 'wild food' - plants and animals. Identify available foods in area. Explain methods of collecting food- relate to legislation and countryside code.
14.00 Make camp safe and leave as found Return to meeting point.
14.45 Depart
Contact Ann 07980284549
Walks or visits may be arranged in your area. Contact us for further details to arrange a visit to suit your requirements.