Exeter college photography students have been out and about testing their skills on practical assignments as part of their work on the Foundation Degree Photography course which runs for two years.

Part of the practical assignment included visits to two dairy farms in the county (kindly assisted by the NFU press office and local contacts) to compare the difference between Robotic Farming (24 hour milking) and the old fashioned way using the milk parlour system from more than half a century ago.

The first farm visited by students Tim Hollings, Emily Crocker and Jade Clements was Buttermoor Farm close to the outskirts of Tiverton. Buttermoor Farm is run as a family business by Steve Radford, supported by his wife and son team controlling a herd of more than 200 fresian cows that are milked 24/7! As milk production is constant it proved a fascinating insight into milk production on a very large scale!

The second visit was the Manor Farm at Kennerley near Tiverton, visited by students Tim Hollings, Emily Crocker and Jade Clements. Manor Farm is a traditional Devon dairy farm run by Ian Pincombe along with his wife and son as a family business. They tend a herd of around 70 fresians, run on a smaller scale and this gave a good comparison to the first location, Buttermoor Farm. The students who visited Manor Farm were Tim Hollings, Emily Crocker and Jade Clements.

Another Part of the “practical assignment” included a visit to the Donkey Sanctuary in East Devon where a team of four students (Jade Clements, Nick Mathews, Katie Smith and James Kempster) were given an opportunity to photograph the work of the Sanctuary and covered a number of aspects including the daily schedule of groom Steph Mcmanus, the Donkey assisted therapy and a tour of the donkey hospital.

Nicola Russell, PR Assistant at the Donkey Sanctuary said: “It was a pleasure to welcome the Exeter College students and to help them with their photography project. We wish them every success with their photography careers!”