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The College of Landbased studies develops nutrient recycling processes and education methods

Organisation: The College of Landbased studies in Tuorla

Time: 10/1/2013 – 8/31/2017

 

Description:

The College of Landbased studies in Tuorla organises education for comprehensive school and high school graduates and adult education. Educational programs include agriculture, horticulture and natural and environmental sciences. A large portion of the education comprises practical exercises carried out on the Tuorla school farm. The school farm has 143 hectares of field, 423 hectares of forest, a calver cowshed, a sow piggery and 2500 m2 of greenhouses. The College wants to be a forerunner in teaching and implementing nutrient recycling

Commitment consists of:
Practical issues

• We focus on how nutrients are utilised in the school farm´s fields and take better into account recycled nutrients in comparison to purchasing mineral fertilisers
– Recycled nutrients that are used in the school farm come from the college´s own biogas factory. The raw material that is used in the biogas factory consists of manure from the calver cowshed and the sow piggery and material from the greenhouses and water system
– We focus on increasing the school farm´s nutrient recycling concerning manure and wegetable waste
– We increase the usage of recycled fertilisers coming from the school farm and surrounding farms and decrease the amount of mineral fertilisers by 20 % by the end of year 2016
– We aim at improving the crop´s capability to utilize nutrients from mineral and recycled fertilisers by developing farming techniques, water management and by increasing soil´s growth condition
• We publish yearly the school farm´s nutrient balance on our web pages. The report specifies amounts of recycled nutrients, bought mineral nutrients and nutrients that have left the school farm in sold products. In addition to this we publish the amount of nutrients removed from the Baltic Sea by fishing in the College of fisheries and environment
• We improve our manure warehouse facilities by building a new unit according to the latest requirements. This increases our possibilities to use recycled nutrients and minimizes the risk of nutrients leaching to surface and ground waters.
• We act as a model school farm considering nutrient recycling
– We arrange nutrient recycling tours in the school farm for various interest groups
– We arrange nutrient recycling events together with BSAG
– We are willing to try new techniques in order to enhance crop`s nutrient utilization
– We are willing to build co-operation concerning nutrient recycling with another foreign college in the Baltic Sea catchment area

Educational elements
• We give all students education regarding the concept of nutrient recycling and improve their skills in implementing it.
• We include farm´s own nutrient recycling methods as a topic into our educational program.

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