Why Farming Matters

Why Farming Matters

Energy for the future

Refers to page 14 in the booklet Read more...

This activity asks pupils to choose some statements and start to make their own decisions about bioenergy. Energy production is very topical but what do pupils know about renewable energy? Read more...

To explore renewables further, you might like to visit the Renewable World website . Read more...

Pupils can also investigate green energy via the FACE Exploring sheets Green Growth 1 and Green Growth 2. Can we have economic growth and preserve the earth’s resources at the same time? Read more...

Habitats and food chains

Refers to page 12 in the booklet

This activity considers the environment and which animals, other than farm animals, might live in the countryside. Read more...

You might like to consider taking the children on a farm visit. Read more...

To find a farm near you, visit Countryside Classroom. Farming & Countryside Education (FACE) can help you prepare for a farm visit. Contact your Regional Education Co-ordinator. Read more...

Teachers' information:

The value of hedgerows for wildlife Read more...

Using the videos

Refers to page 10 in the booklet Read more...

The Why Farming Matters resource includes a growing number of videos about different farming sectors. These are brief and informative introductions to farming. There are accompanying activities which encourage further viewing of the videos to help pupils to think about what farming involves. Read more...

Here are some suggested questions and topics for discussion: (the numbers indicate the location within the video) Read more...

Beef

00:00-00:20 What is the farmer producing? Read more...

00:22-00:35 What do the cows feed on in winter Read more...

00:38-00:58 What are the differences between dairy cows and beef cows? Read more...

01:15-01:36 Why do the cows have numbered ear tags? Read more...

01:38-02:03 What is cow muck used for? Read more...

02:05-02:26 What does the farmer think about his job and why? Read more...

Chicken

00:00-00:19 Where can we buy chicken meat? Read more...

00:33-00:48 What is the lifespan of a chicken? Read more...

01:22-02.12 In what ways do farmers make sure the chickens are well cared for? Read more...

02.12-02:28 What happens to the chicken poo and why? Read more...

Pupils can discuss the needs of the chickens compared to their own needs. Read more...

How often do the pupils eat chicken? They can check packaging to find out its origin. Read more...

Crops

00:00-00:18 What does the arable farmer grow and what products are the result of these crops? Read more...

00:19-00:47 When does the farmer's year begin and what are the important times of year for the crops? Read more...

(Look at A year on the farm poster too) Read more...

00:52-01:47 How does a combine harvester work? Read more...

01:49-02:16 What features does the farmer have on the farm to help wildlife? Read more...

Do the pupils have a school garden? What crops are they able to grow? How can they encourage wildlife in the school grounds? Read more...

Dairy

00:14-00:27 What must happen for a cow to produce milk? Read more...

00:27-00:37 How much milk does a cow produce? Read more...

00:40-00:58 What happens in the milking parlour? Read more...

01:14-01:29 Where does the milk go after leaving the farm and why? Read more...

02:29-02:39 What is milk used to make? Read more...

Can the pupils research the health benefits of milk? Read more...

Carry out a survey to find out how much milk the class consumes in a day/week/year. Remember to include all the products that contain milk! Read more...

Farm Tour

00:00-00:12 Which part of the country does Henry live in? Read more...

00:33-00:51 What is barley used to make? Read more...

00:56-01:15 What does Henry mean by “farming for the wildlife”? Read more...

01:23-01:39 What is the yellow crop called and what is it used for? Read more...

01:44-01:56 What is silage? Read more...

01:58-02:11 Which meats do Henry’s cattle become? Read more...

02:19-02:43 How many loaves of bread could be made from the wheat in Henry’s field? Read more...

Harvest

00:10-00:21 How many foods did you spot that are harvested? Read more...

00:22-00:29 What colour do all peppers start off as? Read more...

00:38-00:47 Which vegetable grown in the UK could go to the moon and back 2.5 times? Read more...

00:51-01:01 Which machine collects the cereal crops from the field? Read more...

01:02-01:12 Which foods are made from wheat and barley? Read more...

01:15-01:21 When does the British cereal harvest begin? Read more...

01:27-01:32 What is important about harvest to the farmer? Read more...

Sheep

00.08-00.18 Why do farmers keep sheep? Read more...

00:18-00:29 Which meat cuts does the farmer describe? Read more...

00:34-00:38 What can sheep’s wool be used for? Read more...

00:35-00:44 Why are sheep sheared? Read more...

00:46-01:01 Why does the farmer have a collie dog and what does the dog do? Read more...

01:04- 01:23 What does the farmer like about his job? Read more...

Strawberries

00:00-00:22 How long does it take for a strawberry to grow? Read more...

00:34-00:43 What part do bees play? Read more...

00:44-01:10 Why does the farmer use polytunnels? Read more...

01:14-01:31 What is irrigation and why is it needed? Read more...

01:31-01:47 How soon are strawberries sent to the shops? Read more...

Why do pupils think the strawberries are grown in raised troughs? Read more...

Have they ever been strawberry picking? Read more...

How do the children like to eat strawberries? Can they find any strawberry recipes? Read more...

Sugar beet

00:07-00:11 What is meant by a root crop? Read more...

00:17-00:30 Which part of the plant holds the sugar? Read more...

00:47-00:51 What happens to the seed to create sugar? Read more...

00:52-00:54 What are the ideal weather conditions for growing sugar beet? Read more...

01:04-01:19 What is the greatest change in the harvesting of sugar beet? Read more...

01:20-01:53 How does the machine harvest the sugar beet? Read more...

01:54-01:58 How many bags of sugar does the UK produce every year? Read more...

01:59-02:07 What part of the country grows most sugar beet? Read more...

02:09-02:18 How does the farmer describe farming today? Read more...

Visit the following link to find out about the Wissington factory, the largest sugar beet factory in the world. Read more...

http://www.britishsugarlearningzone.com/how-our-factory-operates/# Read more...

Downloads:

Using the picture cards

Teachers will find a wide variety of ways to use the picture cards according to their pupils' ages, abilities and specific interests. There are some hints and tips for teachers below. Read more...

Refers to page 7 in the booklet Read more...

Using picture set 1: Farming landscapes Read more...

Children will use age appropriate vocabulary so younger pupils may opt for simple adjectives such as green and pretty whereas older children might select spacious and attractive
Try to introduce new vocabulary such as pasture, arable, managed, varied, verdant
Some examples might include dry stone walls, buildings/shelters, tracks, hedges, crops, solar panels, wildflower margins
Hedges, dry stone walls, tree belts, fences

If children have not experienced a country walk or they need their imaginations stimulating, there are many videos available on the internet e.g. Read more...

Better still, of course, if you can arrange to take them on a walk in a rural or semi-rural environment! Read more...

Refers to page 8 of the booklet Read more...

Using picture set two: Sheep farming Read more...

Use the poster 'A Year on the farm' and identify the activities that take place during the sheep farmer's year.
Download the poster here. Read more...

Using picture set three: Crop farming Read more...

How might climate change affect what is grown and where? Read more...

Teachers’ information - examples of weblinks on climate change and crops: Read more...

How climate change is a threat to food supplies Read more...

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/apr/13/climate-change-threat-food-supplies

Climate change Exploring Fact sheet - learn more about changes in our climate and how these might impact on what we grow
Read more...

NFU believes agriculture is vulnerable to climate change but there are opportunities too. Read more...

Resource in WFM

A test resource Read more...

About Us

NFU

The National Farmers' Union represents the farmers and growers of England and Wales. Its central objective is to promote successful and socially responsible agriculture and horticulture. Visit www.nfuonline.com Read more...

FACElogo small

Farming and Countryside Education (FACE) is a registered charity working with its members and partners to promote visits to farms, and to provide easy access to a wide range of high quality educational resources and activities to complement both school-based studies and outdoor visits. Read more...

FACE believes that all children should have access to the countryside, regardless of where they live, their cultural group or their economic background. They need to be prepared as leaders and consumers of a future in which more than nine billion people will need to be fed. Visit www.face-online.org.uk Read more...

Countryside Classroom brings together the work of organisations and individuals who are committed to ensuring that children learn about and experience food, farming and the natural environment. Read more...

Countryside Classroom is a free-to-access online portal that pulls together high quality resources to use in the classroom, places to visit with a class and people to ask for expert advice and support from across the UK, covering topics of food, farming and the natural environment. Visit: www.countrysideclassroom.org.uk Read more...

Welcome to Why Farming Matters

Welcome to Why Farming Matters, a teaching resource containing a wealth of activity ideas for Key Stage 2 classes. Teachers can select individual activities or deliver them all as part of a topic on food and farming. Read more...

On this website, you can download the Why Farming Matters e-book. The previous edition was 5-star recommended by the TES Resource Team for the 2014 National Curriculum, and has now been totally revised and updated with new food and farming content for 2015. Read more...

You can order hard copies of the English version here. Read more...

For each of the activities in Why Farming Matters, this site provides supplementary resources and guidance. Pick an activity from the e-book, and then choose the corresponding section from the left hand menu of the site to find downloads, links and helpful suggestions. Read more...

Why Farming Matters is a collaborative project by Farming & Countryside Education (FACE) and the National Farmers' Union (NFU). Read more...

If you have found new ways to use the activities in your classroom, let us know by contacting This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. so that we can share them with other teachers on this site. Read more...

We hope you enjoy using Why Farming Matters. Read more...

WFM booklet

welsh cover

English Language Version

Order free hard copies here.

As of November 2016, in partnership with NFU Cymru we are really pleased to offer a Welsh language version of the popular Why Farming matters pack for download, alongside the other digital resources on this site. Read more...

O fis Tachwedd 2016 ymlaen, mewn partneriaeth ag NFU Cymru, rydym yn falch iawn i gynnig fersiwn yn yr iaith Gymraeg o’r pecyn poblogaidd Pam Fod Ffermio’n Bwysig i’w lawr-lwytho, ochr yn ochr â ’r adnoddau digidol ar y wefan hon. Read more...

Activity	English	Maths	Science	Art and Design	Geography
Getting started	✓	✓			✓
Drama, drought and deluge	✓		✓		✓
Postcards from vegetables	✓
Fruity diaries	✓		✓	✓
Habitats and food chains			✓	✓
Hedge/pond for sale	✓		✓
Water use					✓
Energy for the future	✓		✓
Produce in the flag		✓	✓	✓
Farming diary	✓
Country collage				✓
What would you grow?	✓			✓
Where does our food come from?	✓	✓			✓
Have we always eaten the same food?	✓	✓			✓
Who provides our food?	✓	✓			✓
Farming maths	✓	✓			✓

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