Record cattle prices mean donated beasts are becoming more valuable and the school and head teacher Gavin Saul appreciate the support more than ever.

“We really couldn’t do what we do here without the support of people who donate cows for us to work with,” Mr Saul said.

“With prices way up at the moment it makes them even harder to come by.”

Mark Haywood, Rodney Osborne and Shannon Dowling could hardly contain their excitement at seeing what the agriculture students had done with their donated beasts. Mark Haywood was particularly impressed with the condition of his Angus calf ‘Carlos’.

“He really has come up a treat hasn’t he? just look at him they have done a great job,” he said.

“These kids are the future and this is a great time to be part of the beef cattle industry, prices are high, there is a world wide shortage of protein and buyers will pay a premium for quality Australian beef.

“The Ag course at Kempsey High School really does give you opportunities in the business.”

Rodney Osborne said he and Shannon Dowling got a lot of satisfaction just giving back a little bit to the Kempsey community.

“We have been doing it for six years now and it’s rewarding to support the kids and it’s not hard when you see the great job they do,” he said.

Gavin Saul was looking forward to the big EKKA show but he also has his eye on the future of the agriculture program.

“One of the most exciting things for me is the new group of kids coming through, the older ones have had a lot of success but now we have some younger people coming up who hopefully will have the same success,” Mr Saul said.