VCE Agricultural and Horticultural students, Archie and Cooper, travelled to Nutrien Ag Solutions in Birchip to view first hand how commercial soil sampling is undertaken. The students were fortunate to have agronomist Rik Maatman explain to them how they do it, what they are looking for, why they do it, and the important information that soil sampling can provide to inform and assist farm planning.

Students also visited Joel Donnan at Anden Stud, who was in the middle of their stud lambing. Joel was a font of information and took the time to discuss and show Archie and Cooper what is involved in their production cycle including embryo transfer and why they do that, explained the importance of monitoring and data collection, how they assess the sheep and how genetics influences their breeding lines to continue to produce high performing livestock.

We thank both Rik and Joel for giving up their time and sharing their knowledge with us. It is greatly appreciated and both students learnt a lot from seeing it first hand and having discussions.

-Ms Kellie Matthews