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Farrer taps into growing appeal of ag careers
Staff writers
In recent years, the agricultural industry has evolved to offer a diverse range of employment opportunities, with careers in technology, science, robotics and marketing – to name just a few – attracting a growing number of young people. Reflecting this changing landscape, Farrer Memorial Agricultural High School in Tamworth offers a comprehensive, technological and experiential learning environment in an agricultural setting.
Established in 1939, Farrer has a long and distinguished record of producing leaders in the agricultural industry. It is the only public, all-boys agricultural high school in Australia and draws boarding students from rural and remote areas across NSW.
While education is Farrer’s core business, it also oversees two farming properties that are managed as near as practical to a commercial operation. Extending over 500ha combined, Farrer’s farm operations cover several enterprises including dairy cows, beef and sheep studs, seasonal cropping programs, a wool flock, a piggery, an egg-laying shed and a horticulture centre.
“Our learning always has a practical component – obviously that’s not available at every school,” says Principal Clint Gallagher. “Our school is very lucky in that we have specialist teachers in areas such as sheep meat production and beef production, so our students can experience unique courses.”
Of particular note is the Primary Industries Beef course, a specialty course for Years 11 and 12 in beef production that is very hands-on in every facet of the industry, from animal husbandry and genetics to marketing and sales. On the school’s Angus cattle stud, students vaccinate, tag, weigh and feed the animals, and then run the bull sale each year. It is experiential learning such as this that uniquely prepares Farrer students for further study and the workforce.
“Our success rate in terms of converting students into industry jobs or university study is pretty much 100 per cent every year,” says Principal Gallagher. “That’s one of our biggest selling points to prospective students.”
Key to this success rate is the involvement of cutting-edge science and technology in the learning experience. Emerging technology is a focus at Farrer, where students learn about new developments such as DNA blood cards, artificial insemination, drones, remote control devices and GPS-controlled irrigation systems. Training students to use this technology is a crucial and expensive endeavour that is made possible by Farrer’s partnerships with research institutions and commercial companies.
Via a partnership with the University of New England’s SMART Farm, Farrer students learn how to use mapping software and soil tests, and can then apply this knowledge to address nutrient deficiencies and change fertiliser application. Companies such as Clipex and Meril supply the school with the latest in agricultural equipment, and students further benefit from work experience and placements with local stock and station agents and auctioneers.
For Farrer, this level of practical engagement and experiential learning is not only key to preparing students for agricultural careers, but also ensuring they see agriculture as a viable, exciting career path.
“Traditionally, the only time agriculture ever received media exposure was when there was a drought,” says Principal Gallagher.
“Now there are more and more stories on breakthroughs in technology and increases in production and prices, which are great because if you want to attract young people into an industry, they need to hear positive news stories.”
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Trace minerals are required for optimal growth, reproduction, and immunity. Optimising trace mineral status relying solely on oral supplements across a herd may fail because of variation in individual intake and reduced absorption due to antagonism of other ration components and minerals. The use of injectable trace mineral supplements has been associated with positive reproductive outcomes including improved conception rate, increased odds of pregnancy and greater final in calf rate. A study conducted on 2,168 dairy cows, administered injectable trace minerals, four weeks prior to calving and again four weeks prior to the start of mating showed treated animals had a 3.3 per cent greater final in-calf rate, and a reduced time from start of mating to conception, compared to control animals 1 . The Importance of B12 Dr Carl Eden, Technical Services Veterinarian with Boehringer Ingelheim says “Vitamin B12 is sometimes referred to as a ‘super vitamin’ because it is only required in very small amounts but vital to many essential metabolic pathways. However, demand for B12 can vary considerably during the year and we see serum levels of B12 fall at critical times, such as the first few months after calving.” Vitamin B12 contains cobalt, so deficiency in cobalt can lead to deficiency in vitamin B12 because ruminants get most of their B12 as a byproduct of ruminal fermentation where the bacteria in their rumen assemble B12 from cobalt for use by the cow. Sub-optimal trace mineral and vitamin B12 status at calving, mating, and drying off has been shown to negatively impact growth, reproduction, and immunity. Using a trace mineral injectable containing vitamin B12 can improve trace mineral and vitamin B12 status at these critical times. Marks-Min with Vitamin B12 – The Evidence In the largest trace element study to date, Marks-Min Injectable Trace Mineral with Vitamin B12 demonstrated remarkable results when compared to a reference trace mineral injection. “Given the differences between Marks-Min and other products on the market, we wanted to generate a compelling data set to demonstrate how effective it was compared to the pioneer product. We entrusted this work to a third-party research company” says Dr Eden. “We chose farms that were at the top of their game from a reproductive perspective. We made sure that the farms had no evidence of trace element or vitamin B12 deficiencies or excess.” Across all outcomes of interest, Marks-Min demonstrated clear non-inferiority when compared to the reference product. Outcomes measured included submission, pregnancy and conception rates, and six week in-calf rate. Marks-Min demonstrated it is highly suited as an alternative treatment to the reference product. Reference: 1. Hawkins, D., and B. V. S. Franklin. New Zealand Dairy Veterinarians Newsletter 24 (2007): 12-16 Company website: livestockfirst.com.au Company email address: CustomerCare.Australia@boehringer-ingelheim.com Company video: https://vimeo.com/1138807630?fl=pl&fe=cm
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