The number of agriculture students passing through CAFRE Greenmount remains strong, with 195 graduating at a ceremony held last Thursday 30 June.
In total, 35 students achieved a BSc Hons in Agricultural Technology awarded by Queen’s University Belfast, with 18 graduating in a new degree in Sustainable Agriculture validated by the University of Ulster.
This group of students had completed bridging studies allowing them to move into the final year of the new programme.
A further 32 entered the first year of this new degree.
Across other programmes, 18 students were awarded a foundation degree in Agriculture and Technology, with 35 graduating with a Level 3 work-based diploma in poultry production and 11 with a level 4 diploma in agricultural business management.
A total of 43 students achieved a Level 3 diploma in agriculture, with a further 35 receiving a Level 2 diploma.
Graduates were congratulated by guest speaker, Ulster Farmers’ Union president, David Brown.
He highlighted the many opportunities that lie ahead, but also some of the immediate challenges, especially around costs on farms.
He warned that only half of these costs have so far been passed on, and with a six month time lag, “consumers will see worse this autumn”.