Farm

It is hard to believe it week 4 already!  Everyone is very busy especially our Year 12 students to get their Certificates completed.  

The Skid steer Loader Course went really well, and everyone enjoyed playing in the different machines while they were learning. 

On Farm we are just applying the final Fungicides on all the Canola and Barley crops, while still looking at the sky praying the rain will continue. 

A productive first half of Term 3 in the piggery. The year 12s making the most of their time getting practical observations in feeding, handling and cleaning signed off. The Cert III Pork students have pregnancy scanned their gilts they selected as young porkers in Term 1 and found they are all successfully in pig (pregnant). The pigs are doing very well this winter with good growth, health and fertility with lots of big strong piglets being born.

Over the last month students have selected 7 new purebred Large White and Landrace gilts and one new Duroc Boar, who the students have named Ralph Lauren. There is a busy few weeks' ahead as the year 12s begin to complete their Cert II and III in Ag and Pork. 

Daniel de Beer

Farm Manager

Low Stress Stock Handling Course

On 1- 3 August 2023, nine year 12 students participated in a Low Stress Stock Handling (stockmanship) course run by Steve Burke at the College and also the Kylagh Feedlot in Tammin. 

Students completed all the theory attached to the course on Day 1, as well as having a “play around” with the College heifers.  Steve Burke has attended the College for the past few years, guiding the students on a path to confident stockmanship.  All students were keen to be involved and had a great time as they “blobbed up” in the paddock and learnt to move as one team.

After arriving at Kylagh on Day 2, the students were soon amazed by the amount of work that goes into running such a successful operation.  The animal welfare standards at the feedlot are second to none and they turn out the most sought-after beef in the state.  The 7,000+ head of cattle, comprised mainly of Wagyu and Wagyu cross, were in great shape and seemed keen to investigate the yellow people!

A massive thank you to Ivan Rogers for allowing us to once again work in the feedlot while they went about their daily operations.  Also, a big thank you to Nick, Sophie, Kate and Sarah for all the information and advice they supplied to the students throughout their visit.

The students were given the opportunity to work with animals that hadn’t been handled much previously. Initialising natural movement back into the animals and careful handling was the goal for day one.  Acclimation was the key word.  It is safe to say the students did an awesome job and the cattle moved freely and calmly to the exercise pen and back by the end of the day.

Day 3 was bitterly cold (a top of 6 degrees all day!) but the students were out there again working at acclimating the young cattle.  An opportunity arose for them to help push up and weigh a pen of cattle.  This soon turned into three pens!  The new-found confidence working with cattle shone through in this situation of high-pressure areas/situations for the cattle.

Thank you to Steve Burke for running this course once again at the College.  Your knowledge, enthusiasm, encouragement, and humour always make it such a huge success.  The students will no doubt be talking about the three days for some time to come. 

Kylie Iles

Cattle and Poultry Technical Officer