Rural students turn to science to tackle the big issues of agriculture

FARMERS of the nation can be reassured. When it comes to solving the future issues of agriculture with science, the East Loddon P-12 College students are on to it.

Hands-on: Teacher Sarah Pilkington, with students (from left) Ned Cartwright, Oliver Lister and Jessica Demeo, at East Loddon P-12 College, near Dingee, where classes look at innovative ways to use science to solve farm problems. Picture: Dale Webster

FARMERS of the nation can be reassured. When it comes to solving the future issues of agriculture with science, the East Loddon P-12 College students are on to it.

From a B-double boat to move sheep across a river without a bridge, to a solar-powered plane for crop spraying, the central Victorian school has it covered.

Science teacher Sarah Pilkington said linking science to agriculture was a good way to engage students who had a more “hands-on” style of learning and liked being outside.

“Most of our kids are off dairy, sheep or cropping farms so they are trying to create inventions that will help make their own farm businesses more sustainable in the future,” she said.

“Linking that in with something they are passionate about the engagement goes up and when they are engaged they are learning a lot more as well.”

The East Loddon P-12 is uniquely situated as schools go in Victoria, with all students bussed in from farms and communities.

Dingee (population 324) is about 8km away, but the school sits in what Ms Pilkington said they liked to consider “in the middle of a paddock”.

She said the setting was a constant source of inspiration for teachers and the sustainability projects — organised as part of Science Week, which culminates this Friday with a science fair at the school judged by local farmers Bill Twigg and Prue Milgate — had brought out the best in the students.

“It’s always interesting at the start when you introduce the challenge,” she said.

“There are five or 10 minutes when they are scratching their heads but you just give them a little bit of a nudge and all a sudden this big light bulb goes off and they’re straight into it.”