Poo power introduced to Wiltshire College's teaching farm
'They stand up, they poo'
The cows in the robotic dairy area know when they need to be milked and walk themselves into the automated milking bays.It is so high-tech that robots travel around the floor, sweeping up all the slurry."They [the cows] produce a lot of poo. Every time they stand up, they poo. It gets scraped all day long into channels," explained Mr Steans. It is a smelly business, but he said the new digester takes some of the odour away.
The system, which involves heavily adapted shipping containers, has been installed by Bath firm BioFactory and uses microorganisms to convert the waste into methane, which is then used to make the power."The digester is heated up to a temperature of over 40 degrees, and it works like a cow's stomach. If you pump it in too quickly, it dies. The process is slow build-up." Mr Steans said.
'Great investment'
He said it has an added benefit of making the slurry better for muck spreading, as a lot of harmful bacteria is removed while retaining nutrients.With the slurry free and a "relatively small" payback time, he sees this as a "great investment"."I've been canvassing at the college for years to invest in this," he added.
The digester is also helping the college farm's sustainability, something that Mr Steans said now has to be a "major part" of teaching and farming."Most farmers now will assess the carbon footprint of their farm, then aim to reduce it with a huge amount of different methods. There's a lot of technical things we need to do," he said. On Thursday, the BBC's Farmwatch project will be hearing more from farmers across the country, online and on local radio.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Auto Car
28 minutes ago
- Auto Car
JLR opens new energy farm that is the size of 36 football pitches!
Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has opened a solar farm the size of 36 football pitches at its Gaydon headquarters as part of efforts to increase its energy independence. The 26-hectare, 18MW site can generate enough electricity to power a third of the British firm's base. The site is home to JLR's design, engineering and R&D teams. It is part of a move from JLR to source at least 30% of its global energy use from on-site renewables, while also reducing its reliance on grid energy – and therefore fluctuating energy costs – and improving its environmental impact. A similar project is being completed at its Wolverhampton Electric Propulsion Manufacturing Centre. There, one of the UK's largest rooftop arrays, featuring more than 18,000 panels, will open in the coming months. This will be able to generate around 9500 MWh of energy each year, meeting 40% of the site's needs. Next year, the marque will install 10MW of solar car ports at its Merseyside site. These include canopies and solar walkways – structures like these are quite common in hotter countries, such as Spain. They will mostly provide energy for EV charging. JLR's chief sustainability officer Andrea Debbane said the steps were 'important'. She added: 'They directly reduce our global operational emissions and help move us closer to our net zero goal, whilst delivering tangible value today and for the long-term.'
Auto Car
28 minutes ago
- Auto Car
Vauxhall reveals 789bhp Corsa – it's faster than a Bugatti Chiron
The brand's 'Vizor' fascia has also been redesigned. While current models feature a gloss black panel, on the concept it's transparent with daytime-running lights behind. The griffin motif now also lights up. Adams said this is an element that Vauxhall is exploring for production: 'We've got a clear philosophy, but you want to find fresh new ways to refresh it, revive it, but that is still anchored in good core DNA. So we're not throwing everything away every time we want to refresh it. And that's just an example where we're exploring.' While the interior is a stripped-out affair, it still houses potential production elements, said Adams. The bucket seats, for example, are split in two, with the backrest hung from the roll-cage and the seat attached to the floor. This makes 'one of the heaviest parts of the car much lighter' than in today's EVs – 'a fundamental rethink'. In an effort to reduce the driver's mental load, the concept doesn't contain any screens. Only a handful of physical buttons are present for key functions. Future of GSE In July, Vauxhall relaunched the GSE sub-brand as a badge for performance-honed EVs with the 276bhp Mokka GSE. This Corsa concept, however, moves the dial even further and shows where Vauxhall wants to take GSE, said Adams. It gets 789bhp and 590lb ft of torque from a dual-motor powertrain, weighs just 1170kg and is claimed to hit 62mph in 2.0sec – faster than a Bugatti Chiron. Top speed is capped at 199mph. These figures are hypothetical, however, given that the car can be driven only in the Gran Turismo video game. However, Adams argued that the figures are 'realistic' and could 'in theory' make it to a production model, saying: 'If you were going to get a max but be on the realistic end of max, then they are believable figures.'
The Independent
28 minutes ago
- The Independent
Boys and girls should be taught about periods together in school, academics say
Girls and boys should be taught about periods in mixed-sex groups in school to improve their understanding of menstruation, researchers have said. A study by University College London (UCL) academics has suggested that pupils in schools are being given insufficient information around periods. For many pupils they are given just two lessons about periods in their whole school career – one in primary and one in secondary, researchers have said. They have called for lessons on menstruation in schools to be much 'more comprehensive'. Since September 2020, relationships and sex education has been compulsory in secondary schools in England, while relationships education has been compulsory in primary schools. Professor Joyce Harper, from UCL Institute for Women's Health, said: 'Educating pupils about periods may now be compulsory in schools in England and Wales, but we know that for many of them that still only amounts to two lessons in their entire school career.' The researchers suggested that periods should be taught among mixed-sex groups, as well as single-sex groups, which some schools do not currently do. Prof Harper said: 'Our focus groups were also of the view that boys need to be part of that education. 'It was agreed that classes should not be segregated by gender, believing mixed sessions are crucial for boys' education. 'Although some saw value in single-sex classes to allow students to speak more freely, they still felt mixed sessions were essential to improve overall understanding. 'They suggested this could help boys understand and support their friends and future partners through menopause.' Overall, 55 women took part in the study divided into two groups based on age (18 to 25 and 26 to 40) and five focus groups were conducted for each group. They were recruited via social media, and many of the women were educated before the topic on menstruation became mandatory in English schools. The academics said menstruation is 'highly stigmatised' and a 'lack of education' about difficult periods restricts individuals from seeking help. Co-author Caroline Musulin, from UCL Institute for Women's Health, said: 'Many women endure menstrual problems longer than they should due to the inability to speak openly about uncertainties, fears of being dismissed by healthcare professionals, the view that it's 'just' a painful period or feelings of shame. 'Stigma, secrecy, and the expectation to 'cope' with painful periods contribute to the systemic dismissal of menstrual discomfort.' The latest statutory Government guidance on relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) in schools says pupils should be taught about menstruation in primary and secondary school. The guidance, which was published last month, says pupils should learn the facts about the menstrual cycle, including physical and emotional changes, by the end of primary school to help them understand what to expect. By the end of secondary school, pupils should learn about menstrual and gynaecological health – including period problems such as premenstrual syndrome, heavy menstrual bleeding, endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome – as well as menopause, the guidance adds. The latest Department for Education (DfE) guidance says: 'RSE lessons should ensure that both boys and girls have opportunities to practise respectful communication and understand experiences which are different from their own, including menstruation and menopause.' Schools in England will have to follow the statutory RSHE guidance from September 2026. Sarah Hannafin, head of policy for school leaders' union NAHT, said: 'Teaching about periods is a vital part of health education for all pupils. 'Although many schools may separate classes to create a safe space for discussions on topics like this, mixed-sex groups should also be planned as it is vital that pupils understand others' experiences. 'Schools need freely available high-quality resources to support them to do this. 'Education about periods needs more than a single lesson but the curriculum in both primary and secondary schools is overcrowded and the new RSHE guidance has added a lot of new content without any additional time being created.' Pepe Di'Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: 'We fully support the need for boys and girls to be taught about menstruation in a comprehensive manner which goes beyond biological facts and covers the wider effects on wellbeing. 'It is essential to be able to discuss this topic openly without misinformation or embarrassment. 'While it is covered in the RSHE curriculum we would welcome consideration of how teaching of this topic might be strengthened.' A DfE spokesperson said: 'Understanding menstruation is an important part of growing up, which is why we have brought in a new relationships, sex and health education curriculum to take effect next year, with clear guidance that pupils should be taught about both physical and emotional changes, as well as topics from endometriosis to heavy menstrual bleeding. 'As part of our plan for change, we're providing teachers with new resources to help them run great lessons on these issues, tackle stigma head-on and support every child to achieve and thrive.'
