Agriculture

Open to students aged 16 and over, our agriculture courses blend hands-on experience with classroom learning at our full working farm.  

Study full-time or part-time, from Level 1 to Level 3. 

Agriculture overview

Agriculture is a growing industry, and demand for skilled workers is rising. More than 600,000 people work in agricultural roles across the UK, and farm managers earn an average of £59,695.  

If you're practical, like working outdoors and want a job where every day is different, agriculture could be the career for you. 

Houghall has trained agriculture students since 1938, and you don't need a farming background to join us.  

Our Agriculture courses include:

Introduction to Farming (Land-based Studies) Level 1 – a part-time introduction 

Agriculture Level 2 – our main course, full-time, open to 16 to 18-year-olds and adult students 

Agriculture Level 3 – Advanced Technical Diploma, full-time, for progression to higher education or a specialist industry role 

T Level Livestock Production – an alternative Level 3 route for students who want a more practical learning experience

We also offer a range of agriculture-related short courses, including Competence in Tractor Driving. Call the Short Courses team on 0191 518 8291 to find out more. 

View all Agriculture courses by visiting our course finder.

What you'll study

Build your experience across crops, livestock and machinery, and leave with the skills and industry standards employers are looking for.  

Depending on your level, you'll learn: 

• livestock husbandry and welfare
• crop production and grassland management
• sustainable and regenerative farming practices
• machinery operation and maintenance
• seasonal tasks such as lambing, calving and fieldwork
• health, safety and working farm procedures
• environmental stewardship and land management
• business, employment and industry regulations 

As part of your course, you'll also get involved in: 

• regular farm duties and seasonal work
• work experience on local farms and agricultural businesses
• visits from industry specialists
• educational trips to shows, farms and agri-businesses 

Our Agriculture facilities

Set on a 476-acre estate, near Durham City, Houghall Campus offers an immersive 

learning experience that prepares students for a real farm environment. 

Our specialist agriculture facilities already include: 

• a modern agricultural centre with livestock handling systems, grain and forage storage
• an air-conditioned pig unit with a small-scale breeding operation
• a cattle unit with six large pens, home to around 150 beef cattle
• secure crop storage
• over 200 acres of arable land growing crops including winter wheat, barley, spring beans and lupins
• a sheep unit (including a new sheep shed) with a flock of over 200 sheep plus lambing season every year
• a meat processing butchery that supplies the college canteen and Durham University
• the latest agricultural machinery and dedicated workshops including tractors and seed bed preparation equipment 

And there's more to come. A major campus redevelopment brings new teaching facilities for agriculture in 2027 – creating a learning environment that matches modern industry standards. 

Our sustainable setup means we grow our own crops to feed our livestock, allowing full traceability over what they're fed. We also work closely with industry partners, including Agrii and Carrs Billington for crop and feed trials, Lloyd Ltd for agricultural machinery, and Trading Standards on food safety training. 

As well as hands-on access to our farm equipment, you can build your driving skills on our TenStar tractor simulator – a realistic experience that teaches you how to drive multiple types of vehicles before you do it for real.

Where it could lead

An agriculture qualification can lead to farm assistant, stockperson, crop technician and agricultural machinery operator roles, or you can progress to Level 3 and then university.  

Degrees include Agriculture with Animal Science, Soil Science, Agriculture with Mechanisation and more.