Quinn with calf and certificate

On Monday 3rd February, rural education charity the Royal Highland Education Trust (RHET) were delighted to host a farm visit and cheese making workshop for the winner of the recent ‘Design a Dairy Cow’ Competition. 

After sifting the submissions, the lucky winner was selected and it was Quinn from Quarter Primary School!  As a result of her creative skills, every pupil from Quarter Primary visited Shotlinn dairy farm in the morning to find out more about how milk is produced.  As an added bonus to our design winner Quinn, she was lucky enough to name a new set of diary calf twins which she called Willow and Daisy.

Following their packed morning of learning on the farm with the Mackies, it was back to the classroom to find out more about how milk can be processed into cheese. All the pupils got involved and there was even the opportunity to try a wide range of different cheeses and complete some taste testing sheets.

The competition is part of a wide range of activities RHET are delivering through our ‘All Things Dairy’ programme.  All Things Dairy is a RHET initiative which is running for the 24/25 academic year to raise awareness and understanding of the Scottish dairy industry in young people and teachers.  The competition called for some artistic design work to draw a dairy cow mascot to help share the dairy story with other young people across Scotland. 

Katrina Barclay RHET EO said ‘RHET are delighted to be working with farmers and the wider industry to be promoting dairy this academic year.  Engaging schools and young people with food and farming though a wide variety of experiences makes for long lasting memories and a better understanding of where food comes from and the people involved.’

RHET will be using Quinns winning entry on resources produced for teachers to access for free.

Kris Paterson from RHET Clyde commented ‘Massive thanks to Shotlinn Farm for hosting this farm visit and enabling Quarter Primary school pupils to experience first hand where milk comes and answering the array of questions the pupils put forward’

Thanks to the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) for supporting our All Things Diary project

Quarter Primary School on Shotlinn farm with the dairy calves named by Quinn and the Mackies

Quinn with AHDB dairy board, her teacher, the Mackies and the twin calves she named Willow and Daisy