

See also: 5 ways to use social media to get a farm job
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We pride ourselves on our farms being run on a commercial basis and Farming Simulator certainly helps students grasp that the bottom line has to add up.” “But there is a strong entrepreneurial vein running through the game it’s all about making money.

“They also make money from sheep out of selling wool, which any farmer will tell them isn’t very true to real life. “On the game they make pots of money out of silage and chickens have zero maintenance and no costs involved – a far cry from real life. There are a few farming home truths that Bill and his team have had to debunk from students that join having only had experience of Farming Simulator. “Of course, it’s introduced a level of competitiveness which has brought a bit of fun to the topic,” says Bill. This scores them on things like the length of arc and speed of weld.
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See also: Careers: How to get a job as a farm manager The college also has a welding simulator to get students up to a basic level before being let loose with real metal and gas. “Of course, there is no substitute for the real thing, but simulators are a really useful piece of kit in bringing all students up to a basic level, developing motor skills and hand-eye-co-ordination, before they are let loose behind the wheel of a real vehicle. “It provides an immersive experience without the students using any diesel or coming to any harm,” explains Bill. The colleges, Bishop Burton in East Yorkshire and Riseholme in Lincolnshire, have invested in a £25,000 multi-functional simulator students can use to practice everything from tractor driving to combine operating. “They take it very seriously and if it introduces a new generation to farming – which it undoubtedly has – it’s got to be a good thing.”

“It’s absolutely amazing the amount of detail some of them go into,” says Bill. It’s not just the reaction of the machinery manufacturers that has changed over the past decade.Īgricultural colleges have had to take the influence of the game seriously and keep up with simulator technology in their bid to attract and retain students.īill Meredith, acting chief executive and principal of Bishop Burton and Riseholme colleges, has heard students from non-farming backgrounds talking at length about their Farming Simulator holding in interviews. 2008 was the year the original Farming Simulator game launched.9 versions of the game released for computers, games consoles and mobile devices.8m copies sold worldwide across all versions and game console platforms.
