Community
19 June, 2024
Students embrace dairy initiative
TIMBOON P-12 School’s year seven science classes have been hosting two special visitors.
Timboon Agriculture Project (TAP) co-ordinator Andrea Vallance said the students had been looking after two calves as part of TAP.
She said the decision was made to take up the opportunity to demonstrate what calf rearing technology could look like during busy calving seasons on some regional farms.
“Simone Renyard, a Cows Create Careers dairy advocate, hosted our field trip to Meon Valley where they milk 600 cows and rear 150 heifer calves per year,” Mrs Vallance said.
“After being fed quality colostrum, as tested with a refractometer, the calves are initially taught to drink milk in separate training pens where their health and milk intake can be carefully monitored.
“Students learnt that pine chip bedding is used to keep calves warm and dry, and it is then used in the farm’s compost to be spread on the paddocks.”
She said Mrs Renyard uses technology to see which calves were not drinking to provide an “extra set of eyes” to monitor the calves.
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