Farm Manager

As we now enter a Spring weather pattern the temperature is heating up and crops are turning very quickly. October was quite dry with only 29 mls of rain, however adding to the year to date total of roughly 932mls. Paddocks are finally drying out and pasture growth has accelerated greatly and crops are maturing quickly.

Silage production has been in full swing beginning around the 20th October. We have taken delivery of the new Khun tedder and it has been operating very well. We did have to add some additional weights to some of the lighter tractors for a bit of balance. At this stage all equipment is functioning well and students are coming out onto the farm, to get some additional time during this peak period. We are hoping to produce 1200-1500 bales of silage. The late hay crops are developing well, however requiring extra Manganese after a nitrogen application. The warm weather recently is quite a concern and we are looking for some rain for this late season practice to be successful.

AWI shearing and wool handling trainers were onsite last week with Year 10 and 11 students given the opportunity to learn about sheep, wool handling and shearing. Given that there has been quite a lot of training in the shearing shed by Mr Roger Schulz prior to this event, students were well prepared and enjoyed the hands on training. 

Ram purchases

Recently Roger Schulz and myself purchased two Poll Dorset rams at a local sale. Paying $800 for a moderate frame sire suitable for the merino flock and $950 for a very solid and long bodied ram for the Cross-bred flock.

We have recently purchased and had delivered a Corriedale stud ram from South Australia. The stud name of Wattle Glen, owned and managed by Graham and Dianne Jenke. Graham has been breeding Corriedale sheep since 1969 and being a wool classer has a strong emphasis on wool quality and style, recently competing at Melbourne Royal Show and Ballarat Shows winning Champion Ram and Ewe.

AWI Wether Future Breeders Competition

Staff and students recently attended the AWI wether Future Breeders Competition at Narrogin Ag College. Normally held at the Royal Agricultural Show (Royal Show) in Perth, the event was moved to Narrogin. Students and sheep were judged and overall both Denmark teams were successful coming first and third. The defining features to doing well comes down to an even nutrition history affecting overall wool quality and value. Congratulations to Mr Schulz and all students who participated.

Mr Frankham-Eade and Mr DeVos have been programming and artificially inseminating the Friesian heifers last week. Students were involved in loading the guns and handling the livestock through the yards. The dairy is currently milking one hundred and fifteen cows with milk production remaining high on the quality ryegrass pastures. With the warm weather looming the grass will soon dry off and a silage ration will be introduced. 

The farm will start selling the season’s calves and lambs in the coming weeks. We will sell two hundred prime lambs directly to WAMMCO meat processors at a fixed price of $6.40/ kg carcase weight. If the lambs can average twenty-three kilograms dressed, they will return $147.00 per head.

At the same time, we will sell fifty Angus and Angus X Limousin steers. Their weights will range from 240kg through to 380kg. Recent markets have been very strong for this type of cattle and we would like to achieve between $4.00 to $4.40 c/kg live weight. For an animal weighing 350kg this could return between $1300.00 and $1500.00 a head. Very pleasing markets at the moment.

Stud Simmental calves are being weaned this week much to their disgust. They are around nine months old and are weighing in just under four hundred kilograms. They will be weaned and then immediately come into Cattle Club and be broken in, in preparation for next year’s Wagin Woolarama. Students will get to enjoy the breaking-in process from start to finish with nose rings and tattoos