University of Reading Farms

Reading, England

When we were planning the trip to the United Kingdom, I knew we wanted to try to connect with another agricultural university. While planning the trip, I did some research and realized that the closest agricultural university to London was the University of Reading. The University of Reading hosts over 27,000 students on a campus about 1 1/2 hours west of London via automobile.

The University farms are located outside of the town of Reading, away from the main campus. Getting there economically meant that I had to break down and learn to drive on the left side of the road. I want to take this time to apologize to Andrew, Julia, Kesley, Sarah, and my then-pregnant wife, Adrienne, for subjecting you to that experience. After a couple of hit curbs, a couple of comments, and a pointed remark back to all of them about what I was doing, the driving improved, but thanks to traffic, poor printed directions, and no cell phone, we unfortunately arrived a little late at the farm.

The staff, faculty, and graduate students who met with us were extremely gracious. I was very glad that the students and I had the chance to visit the University of Reading dairy unit and the crops unit. Everyone explained their research, and some of it was quite interesting. For example, I was surprised to learn that many farmers in the United Kingdom do not practice crop rotation. Where I live in North Carolina, if you fail to rotate crops from different plant families, you would face intense disease and insect pressure in the field. Common crop rotations in North Carolina include at least a major crop, a crop that provides overwinter coverage, and a legume. Many large-acreage farmers plant corn, soybeans, and wheat. Other farmers might substitute a different legume, such as peanuts, a different main crop, such as sweetpotatoes or tobacco, or a different overwinter crop, such as barley or rapeseed/Canola. In Britain, a common rotation is wheat, wheat, wheat, wheat, and maybe rapeseed/Canola. Something else we have learned is that Holstein cows have become so productive that British dairies are consolidating, as are dairies here in the United States. Milk and milk products provide an affordable and versatile protein source, but consumer demands, including a desire for plant-based proteins and the rising prevalence of lactose intolerance, have put a dent in milk and milk product consumption.

It was a gorgeous day, and I appreciate the University of Reading faculty, staff, and graduate students’ willingness to open their campus farm to some curious American tourists. I applied the lessons from my farm visit and try to provide an educational and entertaining tour whenever someone tours our university farm. I also appreciated my first official visit to a foreign university and look forward to seeking these partnerships in the future.