Agricultural News
Exciting Developments on the School Farm
Our school farm has been buzzing with activity and joy over the past week as we celebrate several new arrivals and ongoing projects!
New Arrivals in the Maternity Ward
We’re thrilled to announce the birth of a new calf, the son of MCC Ebony, named "Vader" by our students. This marks the beginning of a busy period as we expect three more cows to calve in the coming days. In the world of our ovine residents, it’s been a remarkable week:
● MCC Bliss welcomed triplet girls: Brittany, Jeanette, and Elanor.
● MCC Cutlet brought triplet boys into the fold: Alvin, Simon, and Theodore.
● MCC Valentine, MCC Polly, MCC Molly, and MCC Daphne each had twins.
Our Year 12 students are eagerly awaiting the naming rights for the twins yet to be named, with names to be announced shortly.
Egg-citing Times Ahead
Our three school incubators are working overtime with 24 eggs each from Plymouth Rock, Sussex, and mixed breeds. We anticipate the hatchlings will make their debut in Week 9 or 10. These chicks will be available for purchase at the end of Term 4—stay tuned for more details.
Student Engagement and Learning
The excitement doesn’t stop there. Our students are looking forward to handling the lambs once they reach 10 days old. Stage 5 students will start working with them in the coming weeks, including tasks like tail ringing, testes management, and NLIS ear tagging. In Week 6, the MCC Cattle Judging team took part in AgQuip, assisting the Santa Gertrudis Breeders Australia Association (SGBAA) with their promotional cattle display and BBQ. This annual event was a great opportunity for students to learn and network with cattle breeders. As a token of appreciation, SGBAA generously donated $1000 to support our school farm. Year 11 Agriculture students also visited AgQuip, exploring stands of various agricultural technology companies. This experience will be invaluable as they delve into their upcoming HSC unit on "Farming for the 21st Century". Plant Production and Garden Projects Stage 5 Agriculture students have been busy learning about plant production. They’ve had hands-on experience growing rose plants from cuttings using hormone gel. By the end of the year, each student will take home a thriving rose plant—perfect for a festive gift.
Mr. Drew’s Stage 4 (Yr 8) class has taken charge of the garden beds for Term 3 and 4. They’ve researched suitable plants for this time of year, designed planting layouts, and will oversee the care of their garden beds. Any produce grown will be theirs to take home at the end of the year,offering a rewarding conclusion to their hard work. We’re proud of our students’ engagement with the farm and their dedication to learning. Stay tuned for more updates on our thriving school farm and the wonderful contributions from our students.
Kylie Bailey
Agriculture Teacher