Students grow with their lamb studies

Year 9 and 10 students at the school studied the growth of lambs in a trial last year after Cowra's Jo Treasure sourced lambs for the school from two local farms.

Ms Treasure is again sourcing lambs for the school this year after securing 16 last year with Cowra High Ag Studies teacher Clint Cole confirming the school will be doing a lamb growth trial again this year.

Eight of last year's lambs were donated by her father Brett and eight from another farmer, Ross Graham and his family

Last year's program involved the students developing a green ration for the lambs and then feeding them every day.

At the end of the trial the lambs were purchased by Cowra's Breakout River Meats.

"Quite a few local businesses donated a lot of things," Ms Treasure said.

Other generous donors included Peter Boyd of Boyd Metalworks which donated a sheep feeder, to the value of around $2,000; Alex Webster (local Young farmer) who donated over a tonne of grain in Bulka Bags, which he also supplied himself; Ray Wallace, of Cowra Seed and Grain, who cracked the Lupins which Alex donated, for free; Lachlan Fertilisers Cowra which donated additives and buffers.

Coprice reached out to offer their support and the Watt family donated a set of scales to the High School to measure the lambs' growth.

Covid-19 interrupted many of the planned farm visits and seminars.

Local wool broker, Wayne Beecher, offered to join students on one of their farm visits to discuss wool processing in a hands-on setting.

Bill Cummins of Breakout River Meats was to join the students in class and share his wealth of knowledge on buying, processing and marketing lamb.

And Mr Cole met with Damien Stephensen to video a fat score demonstration for students to watch later in class.

Ms Treasure said she prompted to source the lambs to ensure the students had the opportunity to study animal husbandry as well as crop growth during their course.

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"As I'd been involved in a bit of community advocacy in the past I was confident I had the resources to organise (the lambs)."

Both parties donated under the assumption they wouldn't get any return from the donation but Bill Cummins at Cowra Breakout Meats paid for the lambs to be processed in Cowra.

"They ended up getting paid for the lambs but they donated thinking they wouldn't get anything back."

With lambs selling for anything over $170 a head it "was quite a substantial donation".

The lambs were donated to Cowra High at the weaning stage of their growth between 12 and 16 weeks old in June last year.

"A big part of it, was that country kids even if they're not from a farming background, end up being spokespeople for ag when they move off into cities and go to uni," Ms Treasure said.

"I thought it was important to equip those kids with some realistic knowledge.

"Even if after doing the project they grow attached to the lambs and feel like becoming a vegetarian I thought that would even be fine if they made an informed decision.

"I did it to equip them with some realistic knowledge, first hand experience," Ms Treasure said.

Mr Cole said the school expected to do something similar with lambs from May this year.

"We'll be looking basically at rations and how that turns in to performance for the animals and relating it back to why farmers choose certain rations," Mr Cole said.

Mr Cole said the the Year 9 and 10 students get a lot out of the program.

"Some are going on to Years 11 and 12 that are more university orientated and others might be going into primary industries or leaving at the end of Year 10 so the hands on and basic animal husbandry is really beneficial," Mr Cole said.

With the program likely to proceed again this year Ms Treasure said there was also potential to run a small scholarship to a child showing personal commitment to the project.

"I'm hoping to make it a regular thing," Ms Treasure said.

"The coming year holds infinite potential for this little project, including a competition between neighbouring schools and a small scholarship for students who have shown presence and commitment to their studies throughout the trial.

"While kids and teachers in the public schooling system continue to be under resourced, understaffed and generally left behind, these kinds of initiatives matter now, more than ever - and they don't cost a thing, she said.

Ms Treasure is a strong advocate for the agricultural sector and sits on the NSW Young Farmer Council. She is also an alumni of the National Farmers' Federation 2030 Leaders program.

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