Home Farm
If you're lucky enough to get the chance to study on our beautiful Brackenhurst Campus you'll find it, literally, a breath of fresh air! And not only is it home to our School of Animal, Rural and Environmental Sciences (ARES) - it's also a 200-hectare estate working farm.
Facility tours
Precision farming systems
We have a machinery pool with advanced tractors, fitted with self-steering equipment to develop your machinery knowledge and general use of modern systems. Our equipment has the latest technology for crop establishment and nutrition.
Advanced sensors are used to develop your skills in agronomy, soil management and how to apply advanced surveillance techniques.
Roundhouse
Our specialist cattle roundhouse houses a herd of award-winning Lincoln Red Cattle and it can be used for animal observations and to develop your handling skills of larger breeds.
Cropping and grassland areas
Our crop rotation is designed to maximise wheat by using a range of break crops – oilseeds, lucerne, legumes, grass and conservation crops. Our permanent pasture areas are also used for our flying flock of Rouge cross Beltex sheep.
Vertical Farming Unit
This Vertical Farming Unit is a modern-day approach to agricultural practises. The Unit is used for staff and student research projects and examines new methods to produce sustainably sourced food.
Poultry Research Unit
Our Poultry Unit encompasses a dedicated suite of buildings including a 48-pen bird room, sampling and analytical laboratories, a feed manufacture room and secure feed storage areas; with the office of the unit manager at its centre.
Glasshouse complex
The suite of glasshouses and polytunnels at our Brackenhurst Campus are a superb facility that allow you to grow and study a huge range of crop types. The glasshouse complex is built to a Venlo design and incorporates the latest features for production horticulture.
Glasshouse
The glasshouse complex measures 20m x 36m x 4m high, it is divided into six self contained bays with a four metre wide corridor. The environment of each bay is capable of being individually controlled to meet the specific requirements of the crop or research project.
Some of the active research includes assessing the effects of reducing peat in growing media and undertaking growth trials on a range of plants; this could include assessing different horticultural light sources, e.g. LED technology or the use of biostimulants on crop yield and performance.
Polytunnels
Our Brackenhurst Campus also includes an array of polytunnels for the production of plants. The polytunnels measure 21.5m x 45.5m x 2.3m high and provide protected cropping environments for hardy nursery plants and teaching areas for practical skills training for students.
Both the glasshouses and the polytunnels serve as practical teaching areas for students, as well as being a useful facility for research projects.