Mrs Champion has been teaching the students all about water for science and Mrs Peart has been teaching the students all about goods and services through the HSIE unit Who will buy? . Mrs Booth has mashed them together to create a project using Sim-on-a-Stick, our virtual world on a USB . Grade 1 and 2 are using concrete materials to create a sequence of 3D models. All students have to focus on water and sustainable practices in agriculture. They have recreated the water cycle and are now connecting that to farming. They specifically are looking at the role water plays in the running of their chosen farm. Farms being created are dairy, blueberry and macadamia plantations.
A number of our students come from farming backgrounds and last Friday we visited Jorjah and Danica’s family dairy. Their mum, Michele, was our host and highlighted all the areas where water is used, how it is used and what sustainable practices they implement to conserve and reuse water on their property. It was a fantastic morning and we all learnt so much. Here is just some of the information:
- 10L of water = 1L of milk
- Cows give approximately 25L of milk per day
- 292-450 cows are milked 2x every day
- Milking starts at 5am and finishes at 8am approx
- 22,000L of recycled water is used everyday to wash down the dairy after milking
- This water is then used to irrigate and fertilise the paddocks as it is rich in nutrients
- Trees have been planted along natural water courses to stabilise the banks and reduce erosion
- Jersey cows have creamier milk than a Friesian
- The cows have sprinklers to stand under during the hotter humid months
- The cows produce more milk in winter when it isn’t so hot
- When a cow is 2yrs old it is ready to be a dairy cow
- A cow is classed as a Friesian if it has 4 white legs
- Mrs Booth’s mother is a Friesian ( she was born in Friesland, the Netherlands, but only has two white legs)
A big thank you to Michele and the Bake family for making us feel so welcome and sharing their expertise and knowledge. It was a wonderful morning 🙂
Mrs Cavanagh, Rom and Mrs Booth