Farm

Weekend Farm Roster

Snippets from around the Farm Enterprises

Over the last couple of weeks we have seen a lot of rain fall on to our crops! Year 11’s have returned from their adventurous North West Tour and have been working hard on Farm.

Butcher shop 

Students have been busy learning how to process various carcasses into scrumptious meat cuts for our kitchen and also smoking lovely bacon and curing succulent hams. Students are learning how to use the scanner to input stock into excel spreadsheets for accurate stocktaking and menu planning for kitchen staff.

Pigs

The piggery is in full production mode producing large litters for sale to Linley Valley. 72 sold in the last fortnight and an additional 5 went through our Butchershop. Students are gaining a wealth of knowledge to supply meat for market expectations. Certificate III in Pork students are working hard on finishing their theory work and completing the practical components with most of the selected gilts farrowing.

Cattle

Cattle AI has finished with the last couple coming on heat this week and being inseminated for what we hope is the last time. Students have completed Low Stock  Stress Handling courses and are now able to use this knowledge and skill when moving cattle. Cattle students have been working hard to complete new fences allowing more grazing areas for cows during gestation.

Sheep

Sheep marking has now been completed and students have gained some very valuable knowledge and skills to take away with them in future employment. We recently sold 63 wethers to Muchea and fetched a nice return. 10 wethers went to our Butcher shop. Students have been busy in the shearing shed upskilling their knowledge in readiness for sheep and wool judging competitions coming up in the next 6 weeks.

Workshop

Students are busy completing a number of projects for around the College including a pig bud box for the butcher shop, strainer posts for fencing projects and auger revamps in preparation for our replacement silos and harvest. Year 12’s have been busy finishing off the Operate Vehicles unit by securing loads for transport. Various trips have been made to Perth with scrap metal that the students have been diligently collecting from around the College.

General

Students have been working on the roads ensuring that they are safe and accessible to vehicles for livestock and crop inspections along with fixing the PTO on slasher to ensure it is operational to help maintain the increased weed growth around the college. Trials have begun with the placement of moth traps throughout the college in conjunction with DERD.

Grains

So far already in August we have received 42mm rainfall compared to that in August 2020 where we received an overall total of 28mm. Due to the amount of rainfall we haven’t been able to enter the paddocks, but with a few warm days coming up students will be participating in the spraying program learning valuable skills to go towards their competencies. Our Agronomist, Zac recently came and did a crop inspection with a group of Certificate III students to assist them in completing the required knowledge for their competencies.