INTRODUCING UNITY’S 2025 AGRICULTURE TEAM
Our main Agriculture teacher, taking a majority of the MS/SS classes is Miss Caitlin Armson-Graham who has travelled all the way from Orange, NSW. The Ag team welcomes her to South Australia and Unity College. We are all excited about the experience and knowledge that she will share with us in 2025. Mrs Renee Bell is diversifying her teaching skills this year into the Agriculture Learning Area. She will be taking all the Year 7 Ag rotation classes who are currently learning about our new chicks. Mrs Heidi van Paridon is returning from leave and teaching the Ag Specialty area on the Junior School campus. We also have Mr Paul Castle starting as our Farm Assistant as well as his regular school bus run, and Taya Bormann (Year 12 student) will be working on weekends as our Junior Farm Assistant. Lastly, Mr Travis Lienert has also started as our Grounds Ag Coordinator.
I, Ms Debbie Zimmermann will be continuing on with the team as Ag Manager/Administration and I am looking forward to what the year brings.
HAPPENINGS AROUND UNITY AG
On the first day of school, we received our first batch of female pigs who will be mainly looked after by the Year 12s, particularly the two students that are using them in their Major Production Assignment. Thank you to SunPork Murraylands for donating the 5x pigs that are making their home in our ecoshelter.
8x Suffolk x merino wether lambs have also been delivered by Mark Humphreys (Windella Pastoral). These lambs are central to a probiotic trial being studied by the Year 11 Ag students and will also be used in the practical classes for the Year 9 Sheep Production class.
2x poddy calves were dropped off last week by Brad Fischer to be a major part for the Year 5 classes as they take part in the annual Cows Create Careers program run by SADA and Dairy Australia. These calves will also provide practical lessons for the Year 8 Dairy rotation class. Thank you to the Fischer family for donating the baby calves.
Our first batch of day-old Isa brown chicks also arrived last week. They will be raised/grown up to point-of-lay and rehomed at about 18 weeks. These chicks are part of the focus for the Year 7 rotation classes.
Finally, our farm assistant will travel this week to collect the first 6 wether goats which will be the first show animals to arrive for 2025.
In the meantime, there is a lot of planning around the Ag and Show planner to plan for another busy year,
Find out more about Unity College Agriculture.
Ms Debbie Zimmermann
Unity College Agriculture Manager
