Farm Manager

As we enter June and the winter chill is upon us, I wonder where half the year has gone already. The Farm has been busy as usual with calving and lambing adding to the daily responsibilities. The beef cattle have finished calving with very good results and minimal losses. 

Cattle

The cows have been synchronised for breeding and have been inseminated using a variety of quality bulls.  At the outset we used an Angus bull called Moe over the maiden heifers. This bull has a very low birthweight and fast growth rate and is well suited to these young cattle. Following this we inseminated twenty-five second calving cows to another Angus sire from the Coonamble Stud in Bremer Bay. This Bull Q209 has a low birthweight, exceptional growth and especially high milk figures. We would sincerely like to thank the Pratt Family of Ballawinna Angus for their kind donation of the semen for this insemination. 

We then selected thirty of the largest and strongest cows from the commercial herd and inseminated them with a Black Limousin Sire called Marydale Hammertime. This is a large, long heavily muscled Limousin bull, which over these mature cows will produce some very well muscled progeny. The semen from this sire was donated by Mr Kevin Beal from Shannalea Limousin and we would like to thank him for this donation.

A Canadian bull called Guerro was used over the stud Simmental herd with one round of AI, then our Stud Bull was put in to join the remaining cows. 

Sheep & Wool

Mr Schulz has been very busy during the recent lambing season. Pregnancy rates were very high and there are lambs everywhere. With minimal losses and very few difficult births it has been a successful term. Even throughout the very wet and cold conditions livestock losses were minimal. This was not only surprising, given the conditions with almost 80 mls of rain and cold, but very pleasing.  Mr Schulz will begin lamb marking while the lambs are still small and easier for the students to lift into the cradle. 

Selected students will be participating in the Certificate III in Wool Handling course later in the term. TAFE trainers will visit the College and put the trainees through an intensive session on the industry. 

We recently acquired an old traditional rectangular wool table much to Mr Schulz’s delight. It had been in a farmers shed for twenty years and we were fortunate to have it donated by a past student. The rusty frame was sanded back by students and coated with linseed oil restoring it back to near original condition. I am sure this old table will appreciate the touch and smell of the fleeces as they roll over the grating once again.

Dairy

Mr Frankam-Eades and Mr Marney have been very busy co-ordinating the smooth operation of the dairy and its herd. Multiple strip grazing systems are rotating the Milkers onto the best green feed we can offer, with additional supplement of silage to maintain high production. The calves are gradually being weaned into the paddocks while the calf shed is cleaned and prepared for the next batch due in August. 

I would however make note that the dairy and its system is not without its challenges, both physical and electrical. I would like to commend both Dairy Training Officers for overcoming these challenges; putting the enterprise and the students training first, to achieve the highest possible level of operations.

Equine

Mr Jones and students have recently erected three steel horse shelters in the equine paddocks. Made from RHS, patio tubing and Colourbond sheeting, they will provide shade and shelter for the Student’s animals. The students have been involved in the manufacturing and construction of the shelters from raw materials. The frames were constructed in the workshop area and then moved to their locations for erection. It was good to see students engaged in the process and enjoying the end results. 

Horticulture

Production in the Horticulture area has been busy with all the winter vegetables being planted and harvested recently. The tomato harvest has been huge with produce supplying the kitchen and local shops.

The avocado grove is looking fantastic with trees growing quickly and grove maintenance such as mowing and spraying up to date. There is a lot of fruit developing, but they are not expected to really produce for another year. Fruit will be harvested and supplied to the kitchen for smashed avo breakfasts and the surplus sold to local and Perth based markets.

Farm

Progress has been made with the Harris Block Development which is situated across the highway from the College. Six hundred metres of trenching has been completed, laying water pipes to a 25,000 litre tank, which will feed several water troughs. Students completed the pipe laying and fittings to the tank. A solar powered pump has been positioned on the dam wall and is being used to pump water to the tank. 

A gravel road has also been constructed over some very wet ground and new culverts installed. Approximately one hectare of area has been deep ripped and mounded in preparation for planting a wide variety of native trees.

As we approach the half way mark of 2021 I am very pleased with the progress of ongoing projects and the involvement of students gaining valuable experience in these areas.

AI Training