AGRICULTURAL students are working alongside experts on a project to assess the potential of drone technology in farming.

In a new partnership, students at Bishop Burton College, near Beverley, are working on research projects and field trials for ASDA and its key meat suppliers - Dunbia, Cranswick Country Foods, and the ABP Group.

The initiative is believed to be the first of its kind and will create significant academic opportunities and career prospects for the students whose research will aim to improve sustainability within the meat production industry.

Jeanette Dawson, principal and chief executive, said: “This is an exciting time for the college and its Centre for Agricultural Innovation. The future success of the meat industry lies in research and development and where better to sow those seeds than in the future generations – young students that can help to shape the way in which we farm in the future.

“I’m particularly proud that, in our 60th year, our first-rate facilities have been chosen to host this unique initiative, which will not only see students contributing to significant research and development projects, but will also pave the way for them to secure promising careers in the agri-food industry.”

The collaboration forms part of ASDA’s Farming for a Better Future initiative, which aims to support five areas of the agricultural sector; education, environment, efficiency, sustainability and quality.

Jim Viggars, fresh senior buying manager at ASDA, said: “This partnership will see students contributing positively to the future of the agri-food industry even before they begin their careers. By introducing trial work at the college, measuring its success and sharing knowledge across the farmers link network, the College and its students will play a pivotal role in helping to develop a more resilient, profitable and comprehensive food production system.”

Students will have exclusive access to leading experts, and will work closely with industry specialists. The first projects include:

o agricultural drone project – supported by ABP, students will work alongside experts to understand the applications and benefits of using drones in an agricultural environment

o understanding the nutritional needs of cattle – student teams will work alongside ABP experts to explore the role of cattle nutrition on meat yields and its production costs

o maximising forage through better grassland management – ABP will fund research into grassland management and soil testing to improve the efficiency of beef production through a more sustainable and cost-effective cattle nutrition – homegrown grass and forage

o understanding sow behaviour – a CCTV-driven project supported by Cranswick Country Foods that will see the College monitor its piglets from birth to better understand how to improve mortality rates

o improving the profitability and efficiency of lambing – a three to five year project driven by Dunbia to maximise the lambing performance of the College flock. The students will be given first-hand experience of the live to dead cycle and will play an integral role in developing profitable breeding practices.

Students will also benefit from graduate roles at the partner organisations upon graduation - ABP Foods is committed to recruiting at least one graduate from the college each year for the next five years and ASDA will offer up to three graduate placements a year within its international procurement and logistics company, IPL.

The College will also benefit from extra investment in its resources and facilities, including its lambing facilities, making it one of the best equipped agricultural campus' in the country.