Innovation and technology were at the heart of the recent overnight Agriculture and Horticulture (AgHort) camp in Gippsland.
The jam-packed itinerary was enjoyed by 30 students enrolled in 3 and 4 AgHort studies.
Students witnessed a range of cutting-edge initiatives being trialled and researched within the AgHort sector.
Highlights included:
- Visiting a robotic dairy at Lely Centre Gippsland. Students learnt about the benefits of this technology for animal welfare, profits and worker wellbeing.
- Hearing about the sustainability and efficiency of growing plants in glass hothouses at Flavorite Warragul. This isthe largest indoor climate-controlled tomato and cucumber producer in the Southern Hemisphere.
- Learning about methods of reducing methane emissions in cattle via feed supplements at Ellinbank Smart Farm Gippsland, anAgriculture Victoria Research Farm.
- Conducting animal health checks at Riverstone Miniature Goats.
- Witnessing a herringbone dairy milking shed and automatic drafting of cattle with GPS collars at Cosby Dairy.
- Visiting wholesale nursery, Ball Australia, and seeing firsthand how vegetable and flower seedlings grow within environmentally controlled glasshouses. Students also learnt about their automated production facility.
‘The innovation was mind blowing. It was incredible to see how the sector is innovatively responding to the impacts of climate change and also creating greater efficiencies,’ explained AgHort teacher, Sarah Dennis.
‘Students benefited from this immersive experience. They left the camp with a deeper understanding of the growing importance of technology in AgHort and a range of management practices.’
Virtual School Victoria has been offering AgHort as a VCE subject since 2021.
