Farm Visits

A visit to Home Farm will give children a stimulating experience of a modern working farm and a memorable day outside in the stunning countryside.  Visit content varies depending on the season, and learning outcomes will focus on the age of the visiting group. 

Whatever the season, a trip to Home Farm always involves a tour of the dairy, cowsheds and calf-barn where children have close but safe access to cows, learn how cows are fed, housed and milked, taste fresh, organic (pasteurised) milk, make butter from cream and discover the processes involved in 'from grass to glass. 

During lambing season, children experience first-hand this iconic part of the farming calendar whilst visiting the farm's various breeds of ewes and newborn lambs. The themes explored depend on the age group taking part and can be tailored according to topics studied in school.   

Study of the cereal crops grown at Home Farm provides a perfect opportunity to talk about the origins of food, food production, soil fertility, crop rotation, supply chain and animal and human nutrition.  The importance of biodiversity - both above and below ground - is explained, children grind wheat grains into flour and investigations into soil health and composition can be carried out.  Machinery used and technologies adopted in modern farming can be explored, and the effect of climate on agriculture investigated.  

An example of workshops relating to Home Farm and food production is provided below.  For further information about the Trust's curriculum-linked workshops for specific year groups, please contact get@goodwood.com. 

Early Years Foundation Stage

Clever Cows

From the viewing gallery at Home Farm dairy, discover how and where we milk our dairy cows, learning the stages involved in 'from grass to glass', using questions and pictures as an aid.  Discuss what you had for breakfast and consider the range of foods that can be made from milk.  Make butter from cream, observing the change in colour and texture, then taste the butter on a cracker served with a glass of organic Goodwood milk.  Tour the cattle-yard, spending time with the calves, learning what they eat and how we take care of them. 

KS1

Crops are plants too!

After learning which crops are grown at Home Farm, identify jobs involved in growing crops, including ploughing, sowing and harvest.  Think about what time of year these take place, and why.  Discover what organic farming means and think about the benefits for nature.  Through sight, smell, touch and feel, investigate wheat, oat and barley seeds, learning the different parts of these cereal crops.  Find out what the different parts of the plant can be used for, learn the basic needs of plants and role-play a plant's lifecycle.  Grind grain to make flour then plant a seed in a paper potter to take home. 

KS2

Investigating Animals: Cows 

From the viewing gallery at Home Farm, discover the basic processes that take place in a cow's digestive system.  Explore how technology can benefit modern-day dairy farming; consider the range of foods that can be made from milk, make butter from cream then sample the butter on a cracker served with organic, Goodwood (pasteurised) milk. Tour the milking parlour, milk-processing unit and cattle yard, spending time in the calf barn with the opportunity to discover more about animal welfare, the lifecycle of cows and animal husbandry. 

KS3 and above 

We regularly host visits from secondary age students who come to Home Farm to see a working farm first-hand.  Workshops include sustainable food systems, the investigation into crops and crop rotation, the impact of climate change on agriculture, farm diversification and inputs and outputs in farming. The merits of organic versus intensive agriculture can be argued - with a better understanding of the realities - and the economics of farming and farming practices, including regenerative agriculture, explored. 

For full-day visits, a short post-lunch activity encourages students to consider where the food in their lunchbox comes from, food packaging, food miles and environmentally friendly ways to dispose of rubbish and leftovers.