School: Tyrrell College (VIC)
Partner: AWB Grainflow (Cargill) Sea Lake
Title of Project: Dynamic Agriculture
Tyrrell College is located in Sea Lake, a small rural town that is reliant upon the agricultural industry for its survival. Sea Lake and the surrounding district rely heavily upon the grains industry, and the majority of its residents are involved in some aspect of dryland agriculture. The College is a P-12 government school of 180 students, twenty-four teachers and six educational support staff. The school attracts students from six small towns, who generally travel by bus from outlying farming areas, some of them 50km away. Despite the challenges of being an isolated rural school, Tyrrell College prides itself on being able to provide all members of its community with the opportunity to succeed.
Concern about decreasing student engagement levels across the curriculum, disengagement and keeping students at school, prompted the need for an alternative program. A VET/VCAL agriculture based learning program was identified as a means of re-engaging students and providing all students, especially females from non-farming backgrounds, with authentic learning experiences. The College approached agricultural businesses and farmers for help in providing the expertise, the skills and the resources that were required and were already out there in the local farming community. The agricultural program was developed to provide practical hands on experience for students and is now an integral part of the school curriculum.
GrainFlow, Sea Lake, is a grain storage centre that focuses on the efficient and cost effective receipt, storage and outturn of large quantities of bulk cereals and employs a team of experienced grain marketers. GrainFlow shares their storage and marketing expertise with the school and has provided 80 hectares of land for the agricultural students to utilise for the practical aspects of the cropping program on a commercial scale. AGRIvision provides the students with advice about careful planning and budgeting to enhance profitability in the short term without compromising long term sustainability. They are agronomic consultants specialising in Mallee Farming Systems, supporting students with agronomic knowledge and resources during the season.
This program continues to expand and evolve to meet student needs. The partnership provides the students with practical experience, interaction with local experts in the dryland agricultural industry and the opportunity to gain agronomic knowledge and skills and utilise them in a real-life situation. Students in Years 10 to 12 can choose to participate in the dryland agricultural cropping program on GrainFlow land and GrainFlow advises students on opportunities for marketing and storing their grain. Students gain knowledge and skills via direct experiences with relevant technologies and interaction with industry leaders.
The students, with assistance from AGRIvision and Grainflow have established a cropping program on 80 hectares. They are gaining experience with broadacre agriculture in the Mallee. AGRIvision in conjunction with Incitec Pivot Fertilisers assists the students to conduct and analyse soil tests, prior to seeding, measuring soil water content, nitrogen levels and soil borne diseases. They monitor their crops for weeds and insects post sowing and continue to do so throughout the season. At harvest time, the students participate in harvesting their grain from their trials and take samples to Grainflow who teach them how to grade their grain. Local farmers provide seed, chemicals, technology and heavy machinery, such as tractors, seeders and spray units, to assist the students.
The partnership has engaged students who previously had poor attendance and low motivation, as well as those students who are interested in the agricultural industry. Students involved in the program are motivated to learn, gaining employable job skills, achieving relevant qualifications, have improved personal development and communication skills and are being exposed to different career options, many of which are available in the local area. The partnership is investing in the future of the students in this remote part of Victoria and, the business partners, the school and the whole community have taken on the responsibility of educating the students at Tyrrell College.
