Cows Create Careers project returns to Melville High School

The two dairy calves are part of the Dairy Australia and DairyNSW Cows Create Careers project which allows school students to rear and care for the cows for three weeks.

Melville High School head science teacher Ian Mavin said it was great to have the program back at the school.

"It's not been running for the last few years due to COVID-19 and foot and mouth disease," he said.

"So [the students] were really excited to have it back on board.

"They have missed it, big time."

The year nine agriculture students will be responsible for feeding the two calves twice a day, checking the wellness and safety of the cows and taking care of the animals over the month long period.

The students will also be measuring the circumference of the calves' stomach and tracking their growth.

Year nine agriculture student Jimmy Buls is part of the cohort taking care of the calves.

"I really wanted to do it to... do something with the animals," he said.

"Some of my friends have farms and I help around sometimes- it's pretty fun."

"It'll be good to watch [the cows] grow up and how big they get."

The return of the program has been popular with students with creating a feeding roster that ensures everyone gets a turn the biggest challenge for staff.

The program did run online last year where students had videos each week where the circumference of the cows would be measured but this is the first time in three years that it has run in person at Melville High School.

"Instead of having secondary data, it's great to have first hand data this year," Mr Mavin said.

"It's really engaging to get the kids hand on," said Year Nine agriculture teacher Kelly Ryder.

The Cows Create Careers project was originally established in 2004 with dairy farmers in the Gippsland region in Victoria.

Since then it has grown to 217 schools across Australia with more than 11,680 students completing the project in 2022.

"It's all about promoting the diary industry," Mr Mavin said.

"Because Kempsey has had a huge diary history and we still do have a lot of dairy."

But the dairy cow program isn't the only agriculture project that Melville High School is taking part in this year.

Students are involved in the 2023 School Wether Challenge where a station owner loans six Merino sheep to the school.

"We are definitely first year in and ready to kick some goals with that program," Ms Ryder said.

"We're trying to really pump up and develop our agriculture program."

"Just exposing the kids to as many opportunities as we can with different animals and showing them the number of opportunities and careers that are within the agriculture industry."

Students will bring the sheep back to Dubbo at the end of August to show them, and will learn how to sheer and butcher sheep.

As for Amber and Gem, the two calves will be returned to local farmer Mike Jefferies as beautiful young heifers after their time at Melville.

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