Longerenong College Farm

introduction | the cropping program | the livestock programs | management and financials

Introduction

The Longerenong College farm comprises 1070 hectares of land at the campus as well as a 150 hectare grazing lease at nearby Darlot Swamp. The farm is a mix of enterprises with about 600 to 750 hectares sown to crops each year and the rest used for grazing for our sheep and cattle. The grazing enterprises have traditionally been supported by 75 hectares of flood irrigation however this was last watered in 2001. Plantations, dams and tracks also account for a significant area of the property.

Although the farm has a commercial focus, its main purpose is to support the agricultural and land management teaching programs. This means that the farm is not typical for the region because of the variety of enterprises we need to have to complement our teaching activities and enable us to provide students with a broad experience of enterprises common in the region.

Recent priorities for the farm have been to develop the prime lamb and cropping enterprises and maintaining the beef cattle enterprise. We still have a small flock of merino sheep for wool production teaching however, we have replaced most of the self-replacing merino flock with sheep used for prime lamb production.

The current make up of the farm enterprises has lead us to develop livestock feedlots. These have been set up on a small scale and will continue to be developed.

In the longer term we aim to maintain a high percentage of cropping, and to further develop our conservation farming systems of minimum or no tillage and stubble retention.

The Cropping Program

In our cropping program we aim to grow a balance of cereals, pulses and oilseeds in sustainable rotation. Each year soil samples are taken in early autumn and analysed for nutrient status, disease and stored moisture. The information from these reports is used by the Farm Manager in consultation with our agronomist to prepare a cropping plan for the season ahead. A general cropping rotation is:

Chemical Fallow/Vetch/Pasture (may run for a number of seasons)
Canola
Wheat
Lentils/Barley
Barley/Lentils
Field peas/beans/chickpeas
Wheat/Barley

Our cropping systems should take advantage of precision agriculture techniques where appropriate and will use new varieties and species wherever possible. We have a quality assurance program in place to ensure that we use only high quality inputs.

We will also continue to work with research and extension bodies such as Department of Primary Industries, Incitec Pivot, Birchip Cropping Group and the University of Melbourne to develop and maintain research sites on the farm.

The Livestock Programs

In general, our livestock programs aim to:

Use contemporary nutrition and breeding systems that incorporate performance measurement.
Benchmark productivity of sheep and cattle against industry standards for production and price.
Adhere to animal ethics and husbandry standards that are at or above industry standards.
Finish animals in the feedlot where appropriate. Good quality water from the Wimmera-Mallee Pipeline will support this activity.

Sheep

Sheep are an integral part of the teaching program and are still a significant enterprise on many cropping farms. Gross margins over the last five years have shown that prime lambs are consistently more profitable than wool sheep so our main sheep flock is now one that produces prime lambs. We now also have the opportunity to use the feedlots to better finish our lambs to obtain the highest prices possible.

For teaching purposes, we still maintain a small flock of merino ewes to enable students to learn about fine-wool sheep and aspects of the wool industry.

A wide range of husbandry practices are conducted such as breeding plans, lambing, marking, parasite control and shearing. Design and construction of infrastructure is also undertaken by the students.

Cattle

The beef cattle enterprise is relatively small, with a herd of about 35 breeding cows, but is a very important part of the teaching program.

Cattle are not common in this region but our cattle enterprise gives students the opportunity to work with and handle large animals. Preparing steers to show at the Royal Melbourne and Royal Adelaide shows is a practical activity undertaken by groups of students each year. This activity is a highlight for many students and gives the College excellent exposure to the beef industry and farming in general.

Management and Financial

Long term, strategic planning and policy making is done by the Farm Advisory Committee comprising farmers, industry people and College staff. Operational management is undertaken by the Farm Manager reporting to the College Principal. As is the case with most farms, the Farm Manager is able to consult with agronomists and other industry experts for advice on operational issues. This is seen as integral for the successful operation of the farm.

Because the farm plays such a big role in our teaching programs and has commitments to the other bodies conducting research on the land it can be tricky to manage. The overall aim is to maximise profitability while still meeting all our other obligations. To achieve this we need to ensure:

That farm staff are well trained.
That appropriate occupational health and safety practices are in place for both farm and teaching activities.
That farm produce is marketed using state-of-art price risk management strategies.
That farm records are computerised using contemporary software to allow both financial analysis and paddock records.
That the overall farm plan promotes sustainability and aesthetics appropriate to an institute of learning.