A crazy amazing start to Term 2 with the Aggies delving into new and exciting topics.
Year 10 Agriculture Practices
Year 10 Ag Practices have entered the Ekka Hy-line competition and have started learning about everything to do with the egg laying industry and hen health and nutrition. This competition allows students to gain insight into the cycle of life by raising their own laying hens. The Ekka has partnered with Specialised Breeders Australia to provide schools with six eight-week-old Hy-Line Brown hens. The students will submit their three best hens to take to the Ekka, with the competition consisting of three main elements: Birds, Eggs & Project.
Year 10 Agriculture Science
Anatomy and physiology of leaves, bees, and investigations, the Grade 10 Ag Science students are well on the way to completing a very impressive entry into the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries Plant Science Competition. These aggies are now conducting research to compare beekeeping/biosecurity practices between Australia and developing countries and looking to suggest ways to improve beekeeping practices in developing countries. Finally, these Aggies are also just beginning to learn all things AgTech and will be announcing the Launch Pad-dock Program just before this newsletter goes out! Keep posted for more.
Year 11 Agriculture Practices
Year 11 Agriculture practices are learning the art of building and planting out wicker beds in preparation to assist the University of Queensland’s research project that is linked with Green Valley. This project aims to take the first steps towards a de-risked supply chain by developing a mobile seed bank that simplifies Warrigal greens cultivation with robust crop establishment for potential food sources for remote indigenous communities.
They have also been learning how to operate the hydroponics for indoor lettuce production and during the term, they will be setting up an investigation into either the hydroponic nutrients or a comparative study between growing medium (water vs soil), depending on their own research enquiry.
Year 11 Agriculture Science
The 11 Science Aggies are delving into the bigger picture of agriculture and tackling the role agriculture plays in Greenhouse Gas emissions and how it can also be a key carbon sink for the world. They are learning all about the nutrient cycles, in particular carbon and nitrogen, and linking solutions for Global warming to these natural processes.
Year 12 Agriculture Practices
Need some fences strained? The Y12 Ag Prac students have become proficient at straining stock fences using wire strainers and maintaining the property fences. They will be planning, pricing, and constructing a section of fencing on the farm to hone their fencing skills during this term.
Year 12 Agriculture Science
Finally, our most senior Ag Scientists are becoming Agribusiness professionals and setting up farm business enterprises and calculating gross margins, and predicting development budgets until they attain a profit. It has certainly demonstrated to the students the potential, both positive and negative, of farming as a business along with the many risks.
Jade King, Head of Agricultural Science