Farm Manager

Wet wet wet, that’s what the farm is at the moment. With over three hundred millimetres of rain for June so far and a yearly total of five hundred and fifty nine, not to mention cold southerly winds paddocks are soaked and pasture growth has stopped. We can’t complain, the farm had a wonderful Autumn with warm growing conditions during April and May. The lambing and calving went off without much trouble and now the cold conditions have arrived, the offspring are old enough to withstand the weather. All lambs have been marked and tailed with students enjoying the hands-on work, even in some very unpleasant rainy conditions. As I said, pasture growth has stopped and waterlogging can affect some low lying pastures. Some of the East Block has suffered mild erosion from paddock run-off but in good news the Airport South paddock where the “Gully” was filled in is still intact. The contour banks did burst but tragedy was averted by staff over the weekend repairing the wall during the torrential downpour. Three hundred millimetres of rain has certainly tested the design of the water catchment and displacement installed recently.

Harris Block Project

It is fantastic to see the progress made on the Harris Block this term. Staff and students have worked well to complete the subdivision fencing throughout the block. A central laneway has been constructed and four paddocks completed using a ring-lock wire netting and plain wire electric fence construction. The commercial Angus cattle are grazing the Harris block this winter and by having the fencing structure in place, a rotational grazing system is being used. This means that the cattle are restricted into smaller sections of the paddock using portable electric fences. The cattle graze the foliage off to its desired length and are then moved to the next section. The theory is that by the time the livestock have worked their way through the rotation, the first paddock in which they grazed has grown back and is ready to eat again. This usually takes about four weeks, however, in the cooler conditions, things slow down considerably. Bring on some sunshine.

Lamb Marking

Great work from staff and students to complete the annual task of marking lambs. High lambing percentages mean more lambs and more lambs mean more Sunday roasts. Students get to experience all marking procedures around the marking cradle which include, catching, castration, ear mark and ear tagging, vaccination, scabby mouth scratch and of course the cradle highlight, tailing. Well done to all that participated and gained valuable industry experience.

Worksafe visit

We recently had the pleasure of an unscheduled Worksafe worksite inspection. Safety inspectors arrived on site and looked at the facilities identifying areas of safety and possible improvements. While this can seem daunting to most worksites, we welcome the external eyes to identify hazards that we, as residents, sometimes don’t see. Specific items that were identified in the workshop were the condition of first aid kits, lifting chains, rigging straps and hazard signage. Consequently, we have had the chains inspected and replaced the straps. First aid kits have all been serviced and upgraded. 

Around the farm the usual things like grain silos are always a risk and new signage and some climbing guarding has been installed. The Cole auger has had new safety decals attached and PTO covers all checked and, if needed, were replaced. Trip and fall hazards have been upgraded with safety rails installed to the vehicle loading ramp. 

In summary, we are comfortable with the worksite visit and recommendations received.

We wish all students a safe and enjoyable holiday and look forward to next term to get back into the work across the farm.

Kevin Marshall

Farm Manager

WACOA - Denmark