Lancing College is one of the few schools with a working farm on its estate, and is possibly unique in teaching conservation. Jon Hutcheon, Farm Manager, is a successful farmer in his own right, with extensive experience of country pursuits. Lancing College Farm is set on 70 acres of the 500 acre Lancing estate in the South Downs National Park. Visitors on Open Farm Sunday can feed pigs and poultry, handle rabbits and guinea pigs, see chickens, chicks in incubators, sheep, lambs, ducks, geese, quail, rabbits, goats, alpacas and llamas.
There will be barbecues of the farm’s produce, including burgers, sausages and salads; and produce from other local growers will also be on sale. Each section of the farm is well signed, with information boards, so visitors can wander freely. There will be a free factsheet for young children to take away, and animal feed at 20p per bag.
Lancing College Farm gives students at the College a unique opportunity to take subjects such as Biology, Geography and Business Studies out of the classroom, and offers real ‘hands-on’ experience of a working farm. Students can broaden their interests within agriculture, ecology and veterinary science and learn about food sourcing, animal care and sustainability.
They are also taught about wild life, their habitats and conservation as well as the importance of recycling. Paths, animal bedding and farm buildings have been created from disused materials from the College, including shredded paper, pallets and wood scraps. Students help with shearing, hatching, hand-felling and cutting, charcoal burning, hedge-laying and coppicing. They learn about crop rotation, as peas, wheat and oats are grown on the wider estate.
As well as supplementing students’ studies, the farm presents exciting opportunities beyond the school curriculum, as Jon Hutcheon uses curricula offered by agricultural colleges.
About 50 lambs are born on Lancing College Farm every year. They grow strong from milk produced by grass rather than artificial food. The fleece from the alpacas, llamas and sheep on the farm is donated to various spinning guilds and clubs in exchange for wool for Lancing College to use.
Sustainability and conservation are key to Jon Hutcheon’s farm management. In a recent study, 43 species of plant life were found on a square metre untreated with chemicals on the Lancing College estate. This compares with 3 species found on a square metre of the same type of soil which has been treated. Through the conservation of the Lancing estate, many species of wildlife are returning and flourishing.
Lancing College’s Open Farm Sunday is a highly popular annual event in the local calendar: 11am – 3pm
A very special farm, linked to education and promoting rural activity, in a Designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
- Meet the farm manager, Jon Hutcheon
- Tour the farm
- Feed the animals
- Learn about rearing livestock, grazing and farming practice, forestry work and conservation activity
- Discover more about what is done on the farm by listening to short talks
- Enjoy a meal of the produce at the Farm Barbecue – or buy produce to take home
- Watch demonstrations by a local blacksmith, woodcarver, spinner and bee keeper
- Relax in the peace and beauty of this downland setting
- A representative of the South Downs National Park Authority will be on hand to answer questions
No advance booking is necessary, just turn up on the day.
