Bicton College: The same as us, but different

Crossbred yearlings in the feed barn

Jon Bond near some shedding constructed over 200 years ago.

Part of the Red Ruby Devon suckler cow herd in driveway paddocks.

I had the opportunity to visit Bicton College, near Exmouth, on Friday 21st May. Jon Bond is the newly-appointed academic head of Agriculture at the college, a practising farmer with many years of experience in farm and estate management in the local area. Jon showed me through the teaching and learning areas and around the farm's practical teaching areas.

The college offers the equivalent of Certificate 2, 3 and 4 in Agriculture as well as a stream in Ag engineering and mechanics. First degrees in agriculture and higher (honours level) study can also be undertaken. The same site offers Horticulture to similar levels and has a major investment in Equine studies through to degree level. An Olympic standard dressage arena forms a central part of the equine complex. The ag section is responsible for training students studying aspects of 'Countryside' which is equivalent to our parks and rangers as a lot of restoration and regeneration work takes place on farms and estates.

There is a large emphasis on practical training for students and the general farming community: I stood and watched as a farmer was re-accredited for his chemical application certificate. Students in agriculture undertake an on-farm component of either 2 weeks out of 4 for 1 year or the middle year of 3 years of study placed on a farm.

The college operates a dairy of about 150 cows Ayrshire x (Jersey x Holstein/Friesian) and uses beef-cross calves from this herd to feed and fatten. They also run a suckler (vealer) herd of Red Ruby Devons (see photo) on a site of over 300 acres. They run Texel-cross sheep with some Blue-face Leicester rams used as well.

The campus and the courses felt to me like an amalgamation of Richmond TAFE and the adjoining University of Western Sydney Hawkesbury. 1500 students in all courses, with about half living in halls of residence or self-contained units on campus. The driveway was lined with monkey puzzle trees which are relatives of our Bunya and Norfolk Island pines. It was a very familiar sight. There is an extensive botanic gardens next door which had previously been part of the original Clifton Estate but was separated due to some long-past family issue.

The college has begun the process of applying for 'Green' funding to create an environmental training centre where alternative energy sources are configured and adapted to on-farm use. Materials for construction and insulation of the centre are to be able to be changed and modified so that students of agriculture and construction can benefit from the process. Management of slurry wastes and excess water and possible further treatment will be considered. This sounds familiar, right?

It was a great insight for me into the operation of an educational facility with adequate physical resources backed up with a practical teaching program that Jon hopes will deliver students with industry-ready competence.