Agriculture is UK's fastest growing subject – and a smart career choice

Students are flocking to study agriculture - and the student farmer of the year says he's not surprised

• Why farming is the fastest growing university subject - in pictures

Agriculture is now the fastest growing subject at UK universities, with a 4.6% increase in student numbers last year, according to the environment minister Elizabeth Truss. There are now more than 19,000 people studying it and related subjects.

As a farming graduate, this sudden growth doesn't surprise me. I studied at Harper Adams University (HAU), which specialises in agri-food and rural studies. In 2013-14, 96% of students who graduated from HAU and its associated colleges were employed or in education six months after completing their course.