Every October, children from across the Trust pull on their wellies and visit Ennis Barton Farm, just outside Fraddon, to  learn about life on a busy, working dairy farm; caring for livestock, learning about what plants are grown as feed and experiencing first-hand the process of milking and milk production. 

Andrew and Claire Brewer are pasture-based dairy farmers and farm 1,000 acres at Ennis Barton. Andrew owns 500 Jersey cross cows and also lets out some land for the production of potatoes and cabbages.  The farm is part of the Farm Net Zero project, a community of farmers in Cornwall taking action to address climate change and protect soil health. In 2024 Andrew won 'Carbon Farmer of the Year'.

This year, 90 children represented 16 Aspire academies.  First stop was the ever popular Calf Barn where there was much excitement, meeting and bonding with the 11 week old calves. The pupils were able to feed the animals from their hands, stroke them and watch them suckle from special teats attached to a drum of milk. Claire talked about how a cow's digestion works (all four stomachs!) and the fact they only have a bottom set of teeth with a hard top palate as they're herbivores.

In the enormous milking parlour there was the opportunity to stick your finger in the nozzle to test the degree of 'suck' that a cow feels on its udder when being milked. (No fingers were lost during this experiment).  There was some impressive counting skills on display too as a majority of schools scored 100% in the ‘count the milking equipment’ competition.

Outside in the yard, the female cows proved curious as to all the noise and a few of the children were brave enough to give a few noses a stroke through the bars. Further down the lane Claire talked about the specially grown crops in the fields that provide nutritious cow feed, and the sustainable practices the farm employs.

One of the days highlights is always getting to picnic in the open air and have a run around the enormous crop field and this year we were blessed with glorious sunshine. As always, a huge thank you to Andrew, Claire and their farming colleagues for sharing their time and knowledge and to Mark Harding of Indian Queens Primary School for organising.

Farming is literally the lifeblood of Cornwall, and it’s essential that our children not only understand and appreciate where their food comes from but understand the opportunities available to them as adults.  An enthusiastic and ambitious young workforce wanting to stay in the Duchy and find employment in the many hundreds of (mainly) livestock farms here in the west can only be beneficial to this county’s economic future.

Andrew and Claire would welcome schools contacting them directly to arrange a visit.  Their address is Ennis Barton, Fraddon, St Columb, Cornwall, TR9 6EY.  Telephone: 01726 860228.