Agriculture

All students have an insight into agriculture and senior students are able to work towards a Certificate 2 in Agriculture.

Brewery Hill is the school’s farm property. It comprises 180 hectares of cropping and grazing country. Enterprises on this property include Merinos, prime lambs and some cattle. The school farm at the Agricultural block manages some laying hens, meat birds, steers and a range of other visitors including pigs and dairy calves. The main focus for the year is the preparation of animals for the Royal Adelaide Show.

Burra Community School has become an agriculture focused school, and the local community is getting behind agriculture education in Burra. Princess Royal Station are proud to support the Agricultural Program at Burra Community School in a variety of ways. These young students are the future of agriculture in Australia, and we believe the program is a vital to learning and gaining experience in the vast industry of agriculture.

The school teaches agriculture from R-12, with Certificate II in Agriculture delivered in years 10 and 11. With a balance of practical assessment and theory tasks, this program gives students the opportunity to gain industry knowledge with the use of real-life data from the Princess Royal feedlot.

Middle school classes help Princess Royal Station with silage production, during which students learn how silage is produced and stored for the use in the feedlot. A lot of fun is had working out at the silage pits, with tyre stacking competitions and making animals out of tyres.

Our agriculture program gives students the opportunity to have direct input into the running of the school farm (cropping, grazing and sheep), with help from local farmers and industry experts. Students get to help with shearing, where they learn about wool quality and handling, and they even have the opportunity to have a go on a hand piece if they wish.

Burra Community School takes part in the Adelaide Show each year with steers, Merino Wethers, and  Goats. Students work with the show team each year, getting hands-on experience with animal husbandry, animal nutrition and overall show animal training. Students work with the animals from when they arrive at the school unbroken, right up until the show in September. It has proven to be a very successful program, with students growing in confidence each time they work with their animals. The students learn a lot about the animal they are working with, and how to monitor weight gain and nutritional requirements.

Although the cost of purchasing and feeding the animals for an average 150 days is expensive, The Royal Adelaide Show offers a priceless opportunity for local students to become more involved in agriculture. To that end, Princess Royal and the local community are happy to contribute towards this and other events to ensure our students are able to keep participating in The Royal Adelaide Show.

We are also happy to see the Princess Royal Study Assistance Scholarship up and running, which will be awarded to a student who wishes to continue their education in agriculture.