Urban school children get taste of farming life at UK’s largest arable event

12 June 2024

A group of children listening to a talk at Cereals

NFU Education has taken 60 secondary school students to the UK's largest arable farming event, continuing its commitment to promote diversity and inclusivity within the agricultural industry.

The group visited Cereals today in Hertfordshire to gain valuable insights into the latest advancements in farming and explore the exciting opportunities within STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) careers.

NFU Farmers for Schools Ambassadors took the students on a ‘scavenger hunt’ of the site to explore the latest advancements in the world of arable farming as well as hands on STEM workshops led by Rothamsted Research, Omya and the NFU Education team.

NFU Vice President Rachel Hallos said: “The vast majority of pupils who attend urban schools have never been on a farm and don’t know much about agriculture. Inviting students to the Cereals event is a fantastic way of opening up our exciting industry to young people from non-farming backgrounds and shine a spotlight on what we do, day in – day out, to provide food for the nation and our work in caring for the environment.

“I believe in making farming fun and interesting for youngsters so as they get older, they can start to appreciate what the countryside and rural areas can offer. It’s incredibly exciting to again bring a group of students to Cereals to showcase the amazing range of STEM careers available within our industry and hopefully inspire the next generation.”

More information

  1. Cereals 2024 took place Tuesday 11th June to Wednesday 12th June 2023 at Bygrave Woods, Newnham Farm, Hertfordshire.
  2. Cereals is the UK’s technical event for the arable industry. Organised by Comexposium, the organisers of SIMA, Cereals benefits from the knowledge and expertise of a global agricultural event organiser, with a knowledgeable and dedicated UK event team. Over 18,000 farmers, agronomists, and other industry professionals visit Cereals each year to discover the latest arable innovations, hear from key opinion leaders, and find the best arable products and services to help grow their businesses.
  3. For images please contact the NFU Press Office.