Report from Catherine Lloyd, Director of Land based Studies

Report from Catherine Lloyd, Director of Land based Studies

Looking back over 2019/2020 it has been unlike any other due to the ongoing global pandemic and its impact on us all. The college closed to students in March 2020 and moved to an online learning mode of delivery for the remainder of the academic year. Staff worked hard to adapt to this new mode of delivery and the students were able to successfully complete their qualifications. We were able to keep the students up to date with what was happening at Shuttleworth by uploading photos and videos as we moved through the spring and summer.

Although there were no students onsite work had to continue to look after the animals on the zoological centre, the horses at Mount Pleasant and the cattle at Kingshill. The staff teams did a fantastic job keeping everything going throughout. Despite the pandemic it has been a good summer on the farm and this year’s harvest yielded well. We were particularly pleased with the wheat as we had grown a new variety which performed well. The Red Poll herd continues to grow. This year we had 23 Red Poll calves and currently the herd stands at 63 with 26 calves expected this year. The images show one of our calves, Shuttleworth Kitkat, just born, at 5 weeks old and at 6 months old. Our livestock lecturer and level 6 students are working on a project carbon foot printing the herd with the aim to establish a carbon neutral plan. Shuttleworth Kitkat just born Kingshill farm is participating in the mid-tier countryside stewardship scheme. So far we have planted 1,785m of hedging, established buffer strips, planted areas of nectar flower mix and legume and herb rich swards and put in a number of beetle banks. Flower rich margins have been established alongside of all new hedges planted and this year flowered well. The impact of the work so far is a reported increase in wildlife on the farm for example grey partridges, pheasants, lap wings, corn buntings and skylarks. This is due to the increase in habitat and food, as there are more insects, bugs etc. living in the flower rich margins for them to feed on and also ground cover for nesting. In addition to the

Shuttleworth Kitkat at 5 weeks stewardship work we have looked at practices on the

farm to improve the soil, for example growing legume crops to improve soil structure and quality. This year we have purchased a weather and environment monitor station and we look forward to using this to develop our understanding regarding conditions on the farm. The zoological centre is complete with all the animals now settled into their new accommodation. We have created large exotic mammal pens for our coatis and lemurs. The biome continues to mature and develop and

this year the banana tree actually had fruit. Six months old and looking very well. Shuttleworth Kitkat

The Shuttleworth Biome Many of our other activities have been put on hold so there are no study tours or visits to report on. However the staff and students have been participating in a number of virtual events as conferences and meetings move online. This ensures students are still able to have input from a range of external speakers to enhance their courses.

The Amphibian Zone at Shuttleworth The college has worked hard over the summer to prepare the campus so we are able to provide a supportive and safe environment during this Covid-19 pandemic. We are fortunate at Shuttleworth to have a large amount of open space and this term we are focusing on as much outdoor activity and tuition as possible. Student recruitment has been good and we continue to provide a high quality student experience for those studying with us.

Catherine Lloyd