Mobs on
Maybenup at the moment (9th January 2012)
Apart from
the herd bulls set stocked in one paddock, there are five mobs:
1. The mixed age pregnant cows;
2. The 2010 born bull calves (the 2012 sale team and keeper bulls);
3. The 2010 born pregnant heifers;
4. Some 2011 born heifers and steers;
5. The 2011 born bull calves (from which will come the 2013 sale team!)
The
Cow Mob
The cows are usually expected to live on the smell of an oily rag, although we give them minerals as they move through their allocated paddocks, having done all we can during the spring to build a good body of dry feed for the summer. We aim to leave enough litter on the ground after the cows move on to protect the soil surface and to improve water infiltration with the first rain.
Extramural
Farm Experience for Murdoch University Veterinary and Animal Science
Students
| In late 2007,
farming friends already in the scheme, suggested we might like to
participate in the Extramural Farm Experience programme run by Murdoch
University for their Veterinary and Animal Science students. We enjoy sharing what we do, so signed up for one student for one week during June 2008, when we are calving. For Student 1, a city girl, it was quite an experience! The bull calf she gave his first bottle feed to (his Mum had a prolapse and died) until we fostered him onto a cow that had lost her calf, made the bull sale team for our 2010 bull sale. Student 1 returned two years later for a week long prac at the Kojonup Vet Hospital and we were delighted to host her for those few days. We very much enjoyed the experience so signed up for two students in June 2009, for a week at a time with a week inbetween. Student 2, (an Animal Science student) proved to have lots of cattle experience but enjoyed learning about judging cattle from Jim so much so that when she attended (part sponsored by Ardcairnie Angus as we enjoy and value encouraging young cattle people) the Cattle Assessment School run by the WA Angus Committee and Harvey Agricultural College, she topped the competition! With our second planned-for-a-week student that month came another student for a two week stay – our choice and we enjoyed having Students 3 and 4 together for a week and helping with the calving runs. Then Student 4 stayed on, with the highlight of her visit being able to do a post mortem on a bull with a broken leg that had to be put down. Then Student 5 arrived for two weeks in December with semen testing, freeze branding and other preparations for the bull sale. We had some very interesting discussions (as we do with all the students) on mulesing and related animal welfare issues. |
Student 6 in January 2010 with the cows |
|
January 2010 brought Student 6 - the fifth of our
planned-two-students-for-2009 – in time to help with working out how to
feed sprouted lupins, semen re-testing, feeding mobs and stuffing
envelopes with the bull sale catalogue! All part of the variety
of Farm Pracs! (And the envelope stuffing day was one of the very
hot ones!) We choose to offer full board to the students (and Murdoch contributes dollars towards that) but that is a choice for the host farms So far we have had two who choose to eat nothing from the seas, one vegan and one vegetarian! That keeps Pam challenged in the kitchen which she quite enjoys - finding new recipes via googling vegan recipes - makes life easier! Student number 7 came for 2 weeks in June 2010 (calving time) - she was from South Australia and we were delighted to see her part of the Murdoch team who won the 2010 Intercollegiate Meat Judging Contest. Then we hosted a 4th year student while she did vet hospital experience for a week in Kojonup - number 8. Student number 9 was with us for the second half of June 2011 and as she had a grassland degree and had worked in mine rehabilitation before enrolling in Vet School, there was lots of chat about pastures as well as animals! Student number 10 (the partner of student 5 who is so far the only male student we have hosted) is already booked for two weeks in June and we have offered another week in early December when we do the semen testing. Interestingly, three students have been Canadians, choosing for a variety of reasons to study at Murdoch. The Veterinary qualification from Murdoch has a very good reputation world-wide. We continue to be impressed with the calibre of the students we have hosted. If you are interested in finding out more about the Murdoch Extramural Farm Experience Scheme, please click here for more information; the contact person at Murdoch University is Claire McNaughton, phone (08) 9360 2653, fax (08) 9310 7495 or email C.McNaughton@murdoch.edu.au. |
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