FARM

Sheep

Lambing continues across the sheep enterprise, with the Crossbreds finishing this week. The first Poll Merino lambs were born on Wednesday morning, marking the start of the Poll Merino lambing season, which is expected to continue over the next six weeks. Mr Adams and the students have also been busy with ongoing clean-up work following the wild and windy long weekend.

Horticulture

Horticulture continues to provide a steady supply of fresh fruit and vegetables to the kitchen, supporting farm-to-table meals for students and staff.

Beef

Management of the feedlot cattle continues as normal. The recent high winds brought down numerous trees across the beef section, requiring extensive clean-up work. Several fences were also damaged and have since been repaired. Thanks to Mr Morris and Ms Davis.

Dairy

This week, blood tests were conducted on our export cattle as part of their preparation program. A group of steers will be drafted and moved to the Old School site to graze available paddocks. Several paddocks were also reseeded following a brief dry spell that reduced germination rates.

Students attended Dairy Innovation Day in  Capel yesterday with Mr Jolly, gaining valuable exposure to the dairy industry. The event featured displays and presentations from both local and international guest speakers, providing insights into current innovations/trends, and opportunities within the dairy sector.

At the dairy, several newborn calves were marked this week, giving students the opportunity to learn about the importance of this management practice.

Pigs

The pig enterprise wrapped up a successful production cycle this week, with all pigs leaving the College and averaging an impressive 104 kg liveweight.   

Attention now turns to cleaning and preparing the sheds to welcome a new group of piglets in the first week of next term.

Poultry

The chickens continue to thrive, producing an average of 144 eggs per day. Consistent production and strong health have been highlights of the season so far.

AusChem Course

This week, the AusChem course was delivered by Mick Quartermaine from Katanning TAFE over two days to the first of 4 groups of our Year 12s.

This year is certainly moving quickly, and it has been pleasing to see students continue to learn. Thank you to Mrs Raper, Mrs Coulson, and Mr Dyson for their ongoing work coordinating the VET programs.