The Art of Agriculture!
On Friday 8th August, our amazing Young Farmer Champion, Jessica Kirkpatrick visited our school and spoke to all of Year 9 during an assembly. Many of the students wrote up what they found interesting and what they learnt during the talk. Below are excerpts from some of those students.
Rebecca A:
I lea rnt many things from Jessica’s presentation about agriculture. She started her talk by making us close our eyes and picture what we had for breakfast. She explained to us that the slice of toast we had for breakfast didn’t just come from the store, a lot of hard work was put in to make it. I learnt that farmers work very long hours, they can start early in the morning and work late into the night. There are many steps to maintaining the crops, a few of these include: preparing the ground, soil tests, removing the weeds. Jessica’s speech really made me appreciate the food that we have and taught us all a lot.
Chloe G:
During the talk today, I learnt about grain production in Australia. I learnt that an agronomist is someone who looks after crops and tests their health. Another word for an agronomist is a crop doctor. Jessica said that now is the time to get a job in agriculture because they can earn up to $80,000 a year, which is more than some veterinarians.
I learnt that there are a log of jobs to do with agriculture and some of those are ones you would not expect. Politicians, software developers, vets and teachers are just a few of them. You don’t have to grow up on a farm to work in agriculture.
Jaimie W:
Jessica came to our school to talk about grains and career paths to do with agriculture. She talked about the process of collecting the grains which was something I had never heard of before. I learnt about the different grains such as: wheat, barley, canola and others. This has opened my eyes to career possibilities as we begin to make our choices for subjects to come.
Melanie R:
During Jessica’s speech I learnt that on her farm they own 12,000 sheep and have 3,000 acres of land. Jessica was never forced into agriculture, she thought that she would become a teacher like her mum, but she really enjoys agriculture now.
Bunkers are long rectangular containers and they can hold 20,000 tons of wheat grains. In summer Jessica works 10-14 hour long days, so that’s over 70 hours a week.
Sarah C:
I learnt that at certain times of the year crops such as corn, wheat, barley and canola are sewn in the ground with big machines. Pesticides are sprayed; if they spray at the wrong time their crop will be ruined. The crop is harvested with big machines that collect them efficiently. They are then taken to the place where it is tested and distributed.
Beth M:
During this powerful and informative speech I learnt many things regarding agriculture and how it is a growing industry. Agriculture and farming is so much hard work, I don’t think I realized how appreciative I should be of the bread I eat thanks to the long hard hours farmers work each and every day. All so we have the best quality of food on our plates.
I found it interesting that they burn their crops for the new harvesting season, and how a lot of planning and big thinking goes into the structure of farming. I learnt a lot in this talk and began to think of what I want to do when I leave Kilbreda. Jess is an inspiration for all young people wanting to follow a dream.
Hannah O:
Agriculture encompasses meat, grains, clothing, cereals and so much more. Benefits can include earning $80,000. But it’s well earned. Some farmers spend 10-14 hour days. 1700 grains go into one loaf of bread. 12,000 sheep can be found on a sheep farm. Jessica was very informative and good at her job.
Taneesa C:
During Jessica’s talk today it was interesting to learn that farmers often burn their paddocks after their crop is harvested. I also learnt how many tons of grains can be stored in the bunkers and how the silos are sorted into different qualities of grains.
Rhiana D:
Before Jessica spoke to us, I believed that to work in agriculture meant you owned a farm. Now, I have learnt that you don’t have to work on a farm to pursue this career. Agriculture needs teachers, scientists, vets, journalists, artists and lots more. It doesn’t matter what job you wish to take there are options in agriculture for you.
Siena A:
Today Jessica came in and talked to us about agriculture. It was very interesting. I did not know much about farming and grains but after the presentation it really opened my eyes to see how lucky we are to have such good farmers to put food on our plates.
Gabrielle D:
I gained a deeper understanding of the strenuous production process of grain, from the day the land is sewn, to when the grain is sent to silos for storage. Grains are harvested using large machines called headers which collect the grain (chopping the head off the crop) and are even able to continue harvesting at night.
Overall I gained a greater appreciation for the agricultural industry and the processes which lead to products provided for the greater population, us.
Hannah C:
We learnt about the several job opportunities in the agricultural area. You don’t have to be brought up in a farming family to have these opportunities open to you. By choosing a path in agriculture you gain great, useful knowledge. All in all, everybody in the theatre walked away with a greater knowledge about something so important.
Tia V:
I learnt so much. I learnt that when producing the grains you need to plan out when and where because otherwise you could kill your crop. I also learnt that agriculture can lead to many jobs, like in teaching, science, farming technology, vet, journalism etc. I thought that Jessica’s presentation opened my eyes to new opportunities that I could have in the future.
Lauren T:
On the 8th August, Jessica, a 19 year old agricultural student talked to us about her wheat farm and agricultural career. She showed us buckets of wheat and canola. It was great to see someone so passionate. It’s really important for us to learn about where our food comes from.
Emily M:
There are many things that go into agricultural farming such as such as harvesting, grain testing and quite a few other jobs. The steps that you do in order for laying the crops down and harvesting are: first, it starts in the office where you check and test the soil for weeks and any other bugs and pesticides. Then you prepare the soil and turn it. Once the grains get sewn, it gets continuously monitored and managed, checking for weeds and bugs. If the grain outgrows the weeds then the grain will kill the weed off by stealing all the sunlight.
The best way to keep a crop healthy is to have a really good management plan to keep the crops healthy.
Sianne T:
Jessica lives in Wagga Wagga and she has a passion for agricultural education. She completed her degree in agricultural sciences. Her visit today gave me an insight into the many career pathways that agricultural work provides. It also helped me, personally, to pick subjects that have many open opportunities.
On Friday 8th August, our amazing Young Farmer Champion, Jessica Kirkpatrick visited our school and spoke to all of Year 9 during an assembly. Many of the students wrote up what they found interesting and what they learnt during the talk. Below are excerpts from some of those students.
Rebecca A:
I lea rnt many things from Jessica’s presentation about agriculture. She started her talk by making us close our eyes and picture what we had for breakfast. She explained to us that the slice of toast we had for breakfast didn’t just come from the store, a lot of hard work was put in to make it. I learnt that farmers work very long hours, they can start early in the morning and work late into the night. There are many steps to maintaining the crops, a few of these include: preparing the ground, soil tests, removing the weeds. Jessica’s speech really made me appreciate the food that we have and taught us all a lot.
Chloe G:
During the talk today, I learnt about grain production in Australia. I learnt that an agronomist is someone who looks after crops and tests their health. Another word for an agronomist is a crop doctor. Jessica said that now is the time to get a job in agriculture because they can earn up to $80,000 a year, which is more than some veterinarians.
I learnt that there are a log of jobs to do with agriculture and some of those are ones you would not expect. Politicians, software developers, vets and teachers are just a few of them. You don’t have to grow up on a farm to work in agriculture.
Jaimie W:
Jessica came to our school to talk about grains and career paths to do with agriculture. She talked about the process of collecting the grains which was something I had never heard of before. I learnt about the different grains such as: wheat, barley, canola and others. This has opened my eyes to career possibilities as we begin to make our choices for subjects to come.
Melanie R:
During Jessica’s speech I learnt that on her farm they own 12,000 sheep and have 3,000 acres of land. Jessica was never forced into agriculture, she thought that she would become a teacher like her mum, but she really enjoys agriculture now.
Bunkers are long rectangular containers and they can hold 20,000 tons of wheat grains. In summer Jessica works 10-14 hour long days, so that’s over 70 hours a week.
Sarah C:
I learnt that at certain times of the year crops such as corn, wheat, barley and canola are sewn in the ground with big machines. Pesticides are sprayed; if they spray at the wrong time their crop will be ruined. The crop is harvested with big machines that collect them efficiently. They are then taken to the place where it is tested and distributed.
Beth M:
During this powerful and informative speech I learnt many things regarding agriculture and how it is a growing industry. Agriculture and farming is so much hard work, I don’t think I realized how appreciative I should be of the bread I eat thanks to the long hard hours farmers work each and every day. All so we have the best quality of food on our plates.
I found it interesting that they burn their crops for the new harvesting season, and how a lot of planning and big thinking goes into the structure of farming. I learnt a lot in this talk and began to think of what I want to do when I leave Kilbreda. Jess is an inspiration for all young people wanting to follow a dream.
Hannah O:
Agriculture encompasses meat, grains, clothing, cereals and so much more. Benefits can include earning $80,000. But it’s well earned. Some farmers spend 10-14 hour days. 1700 grains go into one loaf of bread. 12,000 sheep can be found on a sheep farm. Jessica was very informative and good at her job.
Taneesa C:
During Jessica’s talk today it was interesting to learn that farmers often burn their paddocks after their crop is harvested. I also learnt how many tons of grains can be stored in the bunkers and how the silos are sorted into different qualities of grains.
Rhiana D:
Before Jessica spoke to us, I believed that to work in agriculture meant you owned a farm. Now, I have learnt that you don’t have to work on a farm to pursue this career. Agriculture needs teachers, scientists, vets, journalists, artists and lots more. It doesn’t matter what job you wish to take there are options in agriculture for you.
Siena A:
Today Jessica came in and talked to us about agriculture. It was very interesting. I did not know much about farming and grains but after the presentation it really opened my eyes to see how lucky we are to have such good farmers to put food on our plates.
Gabrielle D:
I gained a deeper understanding of the strenuous production process of grain, from the day the land is sewn, to when the grain is sent to silos for storage. Grains are harvested using large machines called headers which collect the grain (chopping the head off the crop) and are even able to continue harvesting at night.
Overall I gained a greater appreciation for the agricultural industry and the processes which lead to products provided for the greater population, us.
Hannah C:
We learnt about the several job opportunities in the agricultural area. You don’t have to be brought up in a farming family to have these opportunities open to you. By choosing a path in agriculture you gain great, useful knowledge. All in all, everybody in the theatre walked away with a greater knowledge about something so important.
Tia V:
I learnt so much. I learnt that when producing the grains you need to plan out when and where because otherwise you could kill your crop. I also learnt that agriculture can lead to many jobs, like in teaching, science, farming technology, vet, journalism etc. I thought that Jessica’s presentation opened my eyes to new opportunities that I could have in the future.
Lauren T:
On the 8th August, Jessica, a 19 year old agricultural student talked to us about her wheat farm and agricultural career. She showed us buckets of wheat and canola. It was great to see someone so passionate. It’s really important for us to learn about where our food comes from.
Emily M:
There are many things that go into agricultural farming such as such as harvesting, grain testing and quite a few other jobs. The steps that you do in order for laying the crops down and harvesting are: first, it starts in the office where you check and test the soil for weeks and any other bugs and pesticides. Then you prepare the soil and turn it. Once the grains get sewn, it gets continuously monitored and managed, checking for weeds and bugs. If the grain outgrows the weeds then the grain will kill the weed off by stealing all the sunlight.
The best way to keep a crop healthy is to have a really good management plan to keep the crops healthy.
Sianne T:
Jessica lives in Wagga Wagga and she has a passion for agricultural education. She completed her degree in agricultural sciences. Her visit today gave me an insight into the many career pathways that agricultural work provides. It also helped me, personally, to pick subjects that have many open opportunities.