The Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia is working in conjunction with WA College of Agriculture Denmark to provide students with broadacre farming experience.
The department’s Mount Barker Research Station cropping program is used to support Year 12 students with the delivery of skills to meet Plant Production Systems curriculum requirements.
The department’s AgLinkEd project officer Tom Plaisted said this was the fifth year the station had played an essential role in providing a venue for practical components.
“As part of this program students conduct soil sampling, map paddocks, undertake insect and disease inspections, measure growth rates and take seed samples at harvest time to determine protein and feed value,” Mr Plaisted said.
“Mt Barker station manager Ross Ramm involves the students in fertiliser and other crop management decisions and provides advice on the use and calibration of machinery.”
Denmark plant production teacher Daniel Gibbins said it was invaluable to be able to access facilities and the expertise of department staff.
“The ability for us to have access to a practical learning environment on a ‘real broadacre farm’ has greatly increased students understanding of what is involved in broadacre cropping,” Mr Gibbins said.
“This relationship gives students access to a resource they would not normally have at the college and means students develop a far greater understanding of the key concepts within our Plant Production syllabus.”
The department’s AgLinkEd unit also works closely with the college on other initiatives including primary school awareness days and delivering professional development to help build industry capacity.
Mr Plaisted said the successful collaboration with Denmark’s WA College of Agriculture was just one example of how the department was working to support the success of the agricultural industry.
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