Students’ work pays off with record price

Local agents knew a recent Pakenham sale made 403c/kg but did not think that price would be bettered at Warragul. The previous top local price was 399.2c/kg.

However the record price was held for only weeks, with last week’s BBLE vealer market reaching 410.2 c/kg.

Roger Tweedle, the school’s livestock agent representative of Alex Scott and Staff, had worked with the year 10 agriculture class.

After considering the 2015 spring calves and listening to students discuss the live weights and their average daily gain calculations, it was decided to put the two heaviest vealers into the market the following week.

Based on the previous week’s market report, students calculated possible scenarios around the top return and the average, hoping for the best for their well-cared for animals.

Past student and school captain at Warragul Regional College Giovani Nativo showed a keen interest in the school’s offering, stating this was exactly the type of product he was seeking for his new business venture using 100 per cent grass fed milk vealers, the Belgian Blue-Murray Grey cross.

Obviously others thought so too, resulting in the BBLE record for vealers being set.

“My dad and I have been doing wholesale for the past three or four years and the calves for this time of year were phenomenal,” Mr Nativo said.

“I went to the market needing one or two that were top quality for my new business and out of the 200 or 300 lots, they were the ones that really suited me.

“This year is the best lot of calves that I’ve seen come out of Regional, so they must be doing something right with their breeding program.”

Warragul Regional College agricultural studies teacher Brett Smith said the result helped students realise that the work that they do and the product they produce was not only as good as the rest of industry but at times equals and betters the rest of the industry.

The school was established as Warragul Agricultural High School in 1911 and continues to provide education in the agricultural and horticultural field.

The agricultural and horticultural program at Warragul Regional College begins in year nine with electives being offered. It continues with agricultural/horticultural subject choices offered through to VCE studies in year 12 and this year some 150 students took up these options.

Mr Smith said there was a huge opportunity for tertiary agricultural graduates.

“There is a massive shortage of agricultural tertiary graduates and guaranteed employment,” he said.

The school is one of a small number across the state providing agricultural education.

“We have a fantastic resource in the school farm “Gulwarra Heights” thanks to the generosity of the Cemetery Trust,” Mr Smith said.

“We only have a very small number of breeders, 13 Murray Grey cows, however we are still able to produce animals of very high quality, largely due to the early generosity and work put into the original stock provided to the school by the Murray Grey Society.”

Not only has the school set a record at the Baw Baw Livestock Exchange, it has also won other awards in recent times including at the poultry sections at the Royal Melbourne Show, steer trials at Lardner Park and a hook and hoof competition at Pakenham.

Mr Smith said the school’s agriculture department is highly regarded in the community and receives generous support from many local businesses.