Harper Adams University bought land in Shropshire which brings the estate farmed by the university to a total of over 1,500 acres (607ha). The university is one of a small number in the UK able to accommodate a wide variety of farm enterprises, ranging from dairy and poultry production to arable and horticultural research, to support a national and international intake of agri-food undergraduate and postgraduate students.

Real-world farming environment

The availability of the land immediately adjacent to the university’s current estate provided the opportunity to extend the use of its outdoor laboratory, while continuing to provide a real-world farming environment in support of its academic work, according to the university.

Commenting on the purchase, the university’s vice-chancellor Dr David Llewellyn said: "We had a rare opportunity to buy a substantial block of land immediately adjacent to the university’s estate and this matched ideally the strategy we had established for the development of our farm operations."

Harper Adams farm manager Scott Kirby added: "The purchase of such a significant block of land by Harper Adams not only represents a strategic move to secure one of the university’s most important resources, but is also a clear demonstration that Harper Adams is committed to the future of its own farm enterprises and the industry as a whole."

"Ownership of the new land also allows us to take a long-term approach to the way we farm. We can concentrate on sustainable farming methods, such as building soil organic matter levels and establishing conservation initiatives, which can sometimes take many years.

"We have been farming here for nearly 117 years and that sense of history makes you acutely aware that we have a responsibility to ensure that there remains a viable farm for all those who come after us."