Mount Lilydale Mercy College Young Farmers club displays its skills

STUDENTS at Mt Lilydale Mercy College have been honing their animal husbandry and agriculture skills through their Young Farmers club.

Animal champions: Students from Mt Lilydale Mercy College Young Farmers club have won awards for their Boer goats.

FOR the past few years the students at Mt Lilydale Mercy College have been honing their animal husbandry and agriculture skills through their Young Farmers club.

They are now keen to become involved with farmers and suppliers with their first exhibit at the Wandin-Silvan Field Days.

They will share their skills and knowledge with the public as they demonstrate fencing products and traditional tools.

On the Saturday, younger members will conduct an animal show open to children.

Some of the awards will include the most unusual, smallest and best of type for all different animals.

Judges are physiology lecturer and associate head of school at Deakin University Jan West and veterinarian Eloise Deen, from Wandin Veterinary Clinic.

Meeting at the school farm, the students from years 7-12 access a range of activities in the mixed orchard, vineyard, winery, poultry pens, vegetable gardens, plastic house and goat paddocks.

Centred around the school’s small flock of Boer goats, the students learn different aspects of caring for animals. Students also have the option of further learning with agriculture offered as a subject from years 9-12.

Some of the Young Farmers’ achievements this year have included a bronze medal at the Eltham Wine Show for their 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon; first places in the Royal Melbourne and Lilydale shows for the Boer goats; novice handler award at the Stud Beef Victoria cattle handlers’ camp in Bendigo; champion junior handler (goats) at the Royal Melbourne show, Lilydale show and runner-up at Seymour show.

In addition, students have been on camps to University of Melbourne Dookie and RIST Agricultural training centre in Hamilton, and visited wineries, sheep properties, orchards and berry farms.

They are keen now to get involved with local farmers and suppliers with their first exhibit at the field days.

They will share their skills and knowledge with the public as they demonstrate fencing products and traditional tools.

On the Saturday, younger members of the club will conduct an animal show open to children under 18.

Some of the awards will include the most unusual, smallest and best of type for all different animals.

Judges are physiology lecturer and associate head of school at Deakin University, Dr Jan West and veterinarian Dr Eloise Deen from Wandin Veterinary Clinic.