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Arable Farm Apprentice
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Hands-on apprenticeship on a West Suffolk arable farm
Learn to grow combinable crops from drilling to harvest, operating machinery, crop establishment, spraying support and grain handling, while gaining a nationally recognised qualification.
CD Farming Limited
CD Farming Limited is a combinable crops arable contracting business in West Suffolk. Working as part of the farm team and reporting to the farm foreman, the apprentice will help with the day-to-day farming operations across the whole cropping year, learning every stage of producing combinable crops (cereals, oilseeds and pulses). The role is practical and outdoors, with tasks changing through the seasons.
Key duties include:
- Assisting with crop establishment, cultivations and drilling
- Supporting crop health, nutrition and spray operations
- Operating and helping to maintain tractors, trailers and farm machinery
- Assisting at harvest and with grain handling and storage
- Maintaining health, safety and biosecurity
- Keeping basic daily records
Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.
Course contents:
- Identify hazards and risks in the workplace, prepare risk assessments and demonstrate high level of health and safety awareness at all times.
- Maintain the correct hygiene and bio-security procedures for the site, in accordance with relevant legal requirements
- Check that animal welfare needs related to their environment and housing are maintained, including manure management, ensuring the suitability of indoor and outdoor environment and bedding up of animals
- Assist with safe restraint, moving and handling of livestock.
- Legally operate a farm vehicle and each attachment according to health and safety requirements. For example, tractors and ATVs along with other vehicles integral to the business.
- Demonstrate good environmental practice in the workplace, in accordance with environmental assessment plans and associated legal requirements
- Assist with post-harvest activities to meet crop and forage specifications, in a safe and environmentally acceptable way
- Carry out maintenance of farm infrastructure (including housing for livestock, boundaries and electric or non-electric fences), machinery and equipment, as instructed
- Complete manual and electronic records in accordance with legislation and the business processes.
- Monitor and maintain health & welfare of livestock and assist with treatments when appropriate.
- Monitor the quantity and quality of grass and forage crops and report findings to appropriate person.
- Provide feed and water to livestock as instructed and report any issues to appropriate person
- Assist with caring for livestock during the reproductive cycle, from service to weaning. For example, identify signs of heat.
- Produce products for sale from the business (for example, milking, shearing, lambing, harvesting)
- Assist with the preparation of the ground, including identification of soil condition through soil sampling and preparing crop for planting
- Load, unload and complete paperwork for transportation of resources manually and using loading equipment, according to instruction
- Monitor the growth and development of crops in line with customer specification, as instructed
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Training schedule:
- General Farm Worker Standard
- English and Maths (if required) Level 2
- Award in Emergency First Aid at Work
- Principles of Safe Handling and Application of Pesticides Guidance
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Desirable qualifications:
- GCSE in:
- English or Equivalent (grade A-C or 9-4)
- Maths or Equivalent (grade A-C or 9-4)
Share if you have other relevant qualifications and industry experience. The apprenticeship can be adjusted to reflect what you already know.
Other requirements:
As an arable contracting business, work takes place across a number of farms and estates in the Bury St Edmunds, Newmarket and Haverhill area. These are rural locations with limited public transport, so applicants will be expected to ensure they can reliably reach the sites when required; a full UK driving licence and own transport would be an advantage. The work is physical and outdoors, with longer hours and some weekend or early-start working at peak times such as drilling, spraying windows and harvesting.
CD Farming Limited
(established 2019) is an arable and environmental contracting business based near Newmarket. It farms around 3,400 hectares of combinable crops (cereals, oilseeds and pulses) in the Bury St Edmunds, Newmarket and Haverhill area, with a strong focus on soil health, modern machinery and technology, and environmental schemes such as SFI and Countryside Stewardship.
Your earnings can increase over time with an apprenticeship. Find out about potential future pay.
CD Farming invests in continual professional development for all its team. On successful completion there is the potential for a permanent, full-time position, with progression to the Crop Technician (Level 3) arable standard and development towards a skilled machinery operator and, in time, supervisory or management roles.
The contact for this apprenticeship is:
SUFFOLK NEW COLLEGE
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