History of Agricultural Education in Wiltshire - Lackham Countryside ...

Permanent pasture - 74 acres of permanent pasture are liable to flood or are too
steep to incorporate in the ley farming system. The remaining 50% acres are used
for beef and sheep paddocks, or grazing for the dairy herds and followers.
All of the barley is kept as livestock feed, and the wheat sold partly for seed, and
some for feed. Both early and maincrop varieties of potatoes are grown.
Grass, kale, silage and hay provide maintenance and one gallon for the dairy cows, and
maintain all followers. During the grazing season, grass provides a minimum of two
gallons of milk per cow daily, and an early start is made in the Spring with the use of
Italian Ryegrass leys. [i]
LABOUR FORCE Farm Bailiff
2 Herdsmen
1 General Farm Worker
1 Tractor Driver
1 Pig and Poultry Man [i]
EXPERIMENTS AND FIELD TRIALS
.
Many original experiments and trials have been conducted on the College
farm over the "ears in conjunction with the National Agricultural Advisorv Service and
commercial firms; members of the teaching staff and students have usually
undertaken the responsibility and work involved. Such projects are an excellent
teaching aid and develop in the student an enquiring mind, enhance his thinking
capacity and powers of operation and oft times reading. [i]
PROJECTS UNDERTAKEN 1946-70
Barn hay drying
Silage making by various methods - polythene was first introduced to
Wiltshire at Lackharn
Maize trials in 1960 and feeding trials with maize silage - first in Wiltshire
Conservation of grass by deep freeze
Irrigation of grassland and early potatoes
Trials with Charolais cattle for Ministry of Agriculture
Nitrogen application trials on grassland and cereals in conjunction with
N.A.A.S. •
County Egg Laying Trials
Sheep recording and paddock grazing
Pig recording and restrictive feeding for quality bacon for the F.M.C.
Results have been interesting and beneficial to both students and the Agricultural
Industry.[i]