Image caption The primary school children made calculated decisions when purchasing their cattle

Pupils at a primary school in County Fermanagh have been finding out if there is any money to be made in farming.

The primary seven classes at Enniskillen Integrated Primary School clubbed together their own pocket money and went to the local mart to purchase four cattle.

However they have learnt a key lesson - farming is never predictable.

They were helped by their teacher Stuart Erskine who comes from a farming background.

He explained they were in a unique position having access to a small field next to the school.

"I said to the principal one day would she be up for the P7s buying some calves for a farming project and she was very willing," he said.

He took a small group of pupils to Enniskillen mart and gave them instructions on how to go about buying a calf.

Prudent and thrifty

With a casual wave of the hand they caught the eye of the auctioneer and placed their bids until the hammer fell to secure the deal.

One of the bidders, Dylan, thought he had got a good price.

He said he was told to spend "maybe about £400, at most £500, but I got one for £290".

Another pupil, Caolan, comes from a farming family so was a bit of an expert.

Image caption Principal Adele Kerr gets a welcome kiss from Buttercup on arriving at the school

"I bought a Belgian blue heifer and it cost £500. We might make a profit but we're not sure yet," he said.

Conor, who like most of the pupils was on his first visit to the mart, described the experience as "smelly".

"Then I got the cows to suck my fingers and their tongues were very rough."

With a bit of extra money provided by the school, the pupils brought back four calves.

Cautious calculations

Most farmers refer to their animals by the individual tag numbers on their ears, however the pupils quickly decided to name their cattle Buttercup, Oreo, Tina and Pablo.

The pupils have helped to feed them in the field every day.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The kids who won't be cowed

Mr Erskine said the aim of the project was not just to learn about agriculture but to take learning outdoors.

"Some of the kids are coming from a more urban background will never get to experience something like this," he explained.

"And then you also have the other side of that, where the kids are coming from a rural background and then they're able to feed in the knowledge that they have."

Mathematics projects have included measuring the perimeter of the field to find out how much electric fencing they would need.

They have also debated the ethics of slaughtering animals for their meat.

"It's been a good experience, I found it fun and enjoyable… seeing them get bigger," Lorcan said.

"I'm very excited about what profit we'll make at the mart."

Image caption The pupils have learned a lot about what to look for when purchasing cattle from their teacher Mr Erskine

Having grown attached to the animals, some of his classmates will be sad to see them go.

However, plans to sell them and count their profit before the end of term were scuppered just a few days before they were due to go back to the mart.

The calves were part of Mr Erskine's home herd, which has just been shut down for bovine tuberculosis testing, a situation which he describes as "every farmer's nightmare".

So as the pupils begin their summer holidays, the cattle will also be enjoying new pastures.

"They're coming home with me over the summer and they will be sold at the end of the summer hopefully, if we get open," Mr Erskine said.

"Then the kids will get their profits for the calves if there are any," before adding with a smile: "But everybody know there's no money in farming."