1MG FlippingBooks
The Sky’s the Limit for Agriculture Students
Staff writers
Yanco Agricultural High School, home of the philanthropist and pastoralist Sir Samuel McCaughey, is a co-educational, fully residential high school, specialising in agriculture. The school, which celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2022, has a key role in attracting and retaining regional and rural students, particularly young women, to the agriculture industry.
Most students would complain about their teachers droning on, but for students at Yanco Agricultural High School, teachers bringing out the school drone is the highlight of the day.
Yanco Agricultural High School is just 10km from Leeton, the rice capital of Australia. The selective, government and coeducational boarding school hosts 300 students from around the country on 280ha of land. Students at the school can take subjects including equestrian studies, animal management and primary industries, and the school also boasts working sheep and cattle studs and a world class equestrian arena.
Yet it’s Yanco’s integration of modern technology in its agriculture program that really sets the school apart.
Students learn to use an autonomous drone to monitor crops and pasture. A sensor is attached to the drone which maps the health of plants and allows students to create management plans for the area. The drone has also been used for farm planning and to monitor livestock.
“We expect drones to become a vital aspect of farming,” says Agriculture teacher Stuart McVittie. “We want students exploring the opportunities of drone technology – it’s about getting kids engaged in learning.”
For some students, drones are already a familiar sight on their family properties back home. That’s why Yanco’s new course on drone safety (to be introduced in 2019) is so important. The course will introduce Year Ten students to the laws surrounding drone use in Australia and educate them in the safe operation of the equipment. The school expects students will pass on this knowledge to family and friends.
Head of Agriculture at the school, Luke Collins, says the technology is a logical response to a dwindling farming workforce, as drones can greatly reduce the manual labour needed to check far-flung paddocks, water sources and stock. He’s keen to prepare pupils for a future based on innovations that improve farm efficiency.
“We’re ensuring students are exposed to these kinds of technology, so hopefully they will adopt it more readily when they’re out on their own properties.”
NEWS
Prodoz, a Proudly Australian and family-owned agribusiness, based in Melbourne, is strengthening its positions as national/international leader in advanced crop – science solutions through a growing portfolio of global innovation partners and a distribution footprint supported by all major distributors - includes Nutrien Ag, Elders, Lindsay Rural and Independent Rural stores.
Australia’s climate is tougher than ever. Heat spikes, dry periods, salinity, waterlogging and sudden frost events are becoming an everyday part of farmers lives.
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
Find out why the first summer drench can be so important in protecting your flock’s health, plus what to look for in your summer drench of choice.
A NSW-based innovator has developed a patent-pending, front-mounted firefighting and utility system for tractors, giving farmers instant, in-cab-controlled fire suppression, water and fuel on hand, and safer solo operations.
Barko Security is bringing drone technology to agriculture while building on a decade of security and a lifetime of agricultural know-how.
