Sir Thomas Macdonald Visits Farm School

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31190, 14 October 1966, Page 20

Sir Thomas Macdonald Visits Farm School

(Special Crspdt. N.Z.P.A.) CARLISLE (Cumberland), October 11. “I’ll be right,” said New Zealand’s High Commissioner, Sir Thomas Macdonald, when he reclined gumboots during a soggy tour of England’s oldest farm school—Newton Rigg—near Penrith, today. The visit to the 70-year-old school was the main engagement of Sir Thomas and Lady Macdonald on the second day of their official week’s stay in the Border region. Later they were driven to Dumfries, on the Scottish side of the Border, where they will spend the night. The town, much to the Macdonalds’ delight, has a strong association with the famous Scottish poet, Robert Burns. They are both long time admirers of Burns. Newton Rigg has run continuous farm courses since 1896. The instruction is essentially practical, and is designed to provide further education in agriculture and poultry husbandry to those people who, in the main, will

be returning to farm work and farm management.

There is residential accommodation for 52 men and 15 women students for a full year’s course .Most of these students are in the 18-20 age group. The extensive tour of which Sir Thomas and Lady Macdonald were taken, including seeing farm machinery, the school’s Friesian and Shorthorn dairy herds, a small pedigree flock of Suffolk ewes and rams, and high quality pigs. A diversion was created during the unloading of a waggon of farm potatoes, when the matron informed everyone that the students ate 2J tons a fortnight.

Sir Thomas Macdonald showed particular interest in the methods used for housing dairy cattle during the winter. The farm, which is of 600 acres, is a paying proposition. There was a net profit of over £5OOO in the 1964-65 year, and last year this figure almost doubled.