These new precision farming courses provide an excellent opportunity to develop the skills needed for modern precision farming techniques, helping to ensure that you meet the needs of employers in the future. You can choose from two pathways within your Level 3 programme: Precision Agriculture with Livestock or Precision Agriculture with Mechanisation.

Mechanisation

On the Mechanisation pathway your studies will focus on the agricultural machinery side, including precision farming techniques to include yield mapping, variable rate application, soil sampling and scanning, drone mapping, guidance systems, robotics and telematics. You will learn about land- based power units and workshop practice to include machinery servicing, plus you will study further topics such as repairing compression-ignition (diesel) engines, spark ignition (petrol) engines, mechanical power transmission systems, cultivation, planting, application and harvesting machinery.

Livestock

Your studies will focus on agricultural livestock, including precision and modern livestock farming techniques. You will develop skills and understanding on modern grassland management techniques, breed analysis, livestock benchmarking, electronic identification, water and nutrition analysis, estimated breeding values, modern livestock performance recording, genetic improvements, genomics, crop science and production using mapping, soil sampling and scanning, guidance systems, drone use and variable rate application.