Agriculture & Horticulture

Week 5 was a big week for excursions. The Year 9 Sense of Humus class visited Alcheringa Biodynamic Dairy Farm at Nathalia where they learnt about the some of the practices of Biodynamics and how this contributes to soil health and the health of the pastures, animals and ultimately, humans. They conducted some soil tests, observed pasture species, saw heavily pregnant cows, calves and the diary. Importantly, strict biosecurity measures were in place both at the school bus loop and on farm to prevent the spread of diseases such as Foot and Mouth.

The Year 11 VCE Ag Hort class spent a day on two different farms, developing the practical skills with sheep and cattle. At Yentrac Poll Dorset and Southdown Stud, owner Rob McCartney and his daughter, Kate, taught the students about conformation in meat breeds and how to judge a line-up of rams. Students learnt how to place a halter on a ram, lead it and stand it up correctly for the judge. Kate then put on a BBQ lunch for the students before we headed down the road to Mick Tuhan’s Riversleigh Illawarra Stud. Here, the students learnt about the desirable traits and conformation of a dairy cow, in particular the Illawarra breed. They all learnt how to lead Joan, one of the matriarchs of the show team, before bottle feeding the calves and vaccinating a cow!

Charlotte Drinnan

Ag & Horticulture