Childrens' Farm Autumn Newsletter 2011

FARM YARNS

Autumn 2011

Picture taken by one of our Young Farmers

Farm Manager Alex Walker Managers Report

Farm moving forward‌ .

The summer months have been a busy time across the Farm. Like all of Melbourne we have had plenty of rain and there were two periods that we had to lock the Stable paddock up as the Yarra flooded the lower part of the paddock. The rain has helped our paddocks recover and we have a good covering of Green Grass across the Farm. However the down side to the rain is the grass and weeds are growing everywhere. We have had to slash along the river bank and use a mower for our pathways to keep the grass down. The garden plot area and pathways are overgrown and need plenty of work.

The Farmforce project has continued and we have had over 40 people through the project and 14 have gone onto Apprenticeships and Traineeships. The Stables extension and Lambing shed have been completed, and the extension to the toilet block started. Fencing along the Bike Path has now been completed on the convent side and all the way from Zora’s back as far as the toilet block. The Guinea Pigs have new hutches. The Lambing shed has already been used for events . Work on the new Reception area will start later this month, we have had to apply to an amendment to the Town Planning permit to lift the floor line of the new building above the 100year flood line. This should be through early in the month , but in the mean time we will start work on renovating the old workshop which will be part of the new reception complex.

Staff had a very busy time over the Christmas / New year period. January saw many visitors through the Farm and kept the staff on duty flat out. We acquired on loan two young calves to use our milk, they will be returned when Heather comes back and has her calf. The calf was born on 5th of March and is called Saturday Over the Christmas break Anita organized Work Experience students from the Vet program at Melbourne University and we have had 15 do two week blocks of time with the last one finishing this week. They did a great job and we thank them for their efforts throughout this time.

We now look forward to the building program finishing in June and the outside work of No.16 being completed by about the same time.

Remember Saturday the 18th of June is our WINTER SOLSTICE BONFIRE night it will be a totally ticketed event. Once again Farm Pass Members will be able to purchase tickets at a Concession rate.

TEAM LEADERS REPORT Bridget Bainbrdge and Nick Karavokiros ANIMALS Heather the Ayrshire cow has arrived back from her extended holiday in Neerim with her extended family, Mike Perry, and his family. Enormous thankyou to Mike for (again) letting Heather cavort with his bull, and then hang out with his cows all year. She is back and pregnant ,and is expecting a calf sometime in March. We are hoping that she will have a single female calf very easily, and will become our new milking cow for the next year to 18 months, giving Patsy time to rest and recover from her long lactation.

Two jersey calves have come to stay with us for a few months. Petunia and Lily are here on loan from their farm in Timboon, where they will eventually return to become part of the milking herd. In the mean time, they are getting much more tame and learning to lead and be handled. Thank you to Brodie for organising the calves.

Mickey the Donkey has settled in and is enjoying life with his best friend, Joe the pony. He is enjoying going on walks around the Farm, and is proving the be very good at walking past scary things quietly. He is also getting much better at being caught by different staff, and patted by everyone.

Zac and Ted the horses went off to a horse riding clinic over the school holidays to get some practice at being good riding horses (professional development?). They both improved enormously, Zac becoming light and responsive to ride, and walking through a puddle, and Ted finding the courage to not only canter smoothly, but to do it over jumps. We were very impressed with them both, and think they quite enjoyed the change of scene, and being the only horses for a change.

The pigs are about to have a change of house- for the next month or so they are going to be housed in paddocks around the farm, rather than in their sties. This will give us a chance to do some work in their paddocks, fencing and planting to improve them for the pigs. As well it will give us a chance to rest the sties which lately have developed a build up of pig mites, so we can break their cycle without chemicals.

Here is a picture of one of the Shropshire ewes, with a very strange haircut. The shropshires are hand shorn by different groups each year. This sheep’s group had limited time for shearing, so we did the time-consuming bits the night before...!

The new incubation shed and housing for young chicks has been tried out and is working well. The young birds now have abundant room and this is reflected in their health. The viewing window is fantastic, but hands on is even better‌

C512 The bee caravan has a large number painted on its side now- it is the hive number that we have been issued by the DPI. Each registered beekeeper has one- being registered means (among other things) that your hives are checked for various diseases, such as American Foul Brood and Verroa Mite, each year so they can be eradicated or treated before they spread.

The Bee Group have been really busy lately reroofing their shed, and gardens to feed the bees are being planted.

Young Farmers trying out the new bedding they have put down for the chickens. They have only been back from holidays a few weeks, but have already harvested and cooked a huge pile of zucchinis, helped teach the calves and the new ewe lambs to lead and stand to be inspected (by a judge), helped spread the new sand in the riding arena, planted oats, cleaned the chicken pens and are looking forwards to our first Family Fishing day.

COMMUNITY GARDENS NEWS

Working Bees at the plots are always held on the 4th Saturday of the month from 1.30 till 4pm. Mykyla’s good way to remember when it is on, is the same day as the Convent Market. Please remember that there are many people on the waiting list that are very keen to have a plot.

Working Bees are time to work on the communal areas of the plots, and don’t forget your pledge to assist at 4 of these or events, it is up to you to contact us to arrange volunteering at events

MAINTAINING PATHWAYS IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY.

This is not part of the working bee activities. All pathways must have clear access, be weed free and mulched.

Greg's’ path is to the standard we expect.

This is the worst pathway, overgrown, unusable and potentially unsafe. IS THIS PATHWAY ADJOINING YOUR PLOT?? So far we are not naming names.

This path shows the inconsistent standards that we have at present

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What What have have our our Volunteers and Work Experience Students

been been up up to to this this summer summer at at the the Farm?

Farm?

Once again, we have been lucky enough to get some Melbourne University Vet students coming and doing their work placement here with us over December, January and February. Previously they have had to work through extreme heat, but this year we’ve had torrential rain and lots of humid days instead. They help us out a lot with the general farm chores as well as working with the public.

One of our work experience students from last year was such an eager worker that he applied to join Taskforce and got a three month pre-apprenticeship. Congratulations Zabi, you’ve earned it.

Our Tuesday gardening afternoons have been a great success. We planted lots of seeds before having a break over Christmas and now we have been harvesting like mad. Everything from zucchini’s, cucumbers, pumpkins, apples, pears to beans and more. Taking a few samples home is all part of the job!

Before Christmas, my Good Shepherd Ladies would come down to the farm once every 4 weeks on Wednesday afternoons, but this year they will be coming down every two or three weeks, which is great news. It means that we can start on more small projects together. But there will always be bottle feeding and lots of time to cuddle some of our favourite animals.

The Quinn House boys are still coming to help out Nick with some maintenance every Thursday afternoon. Currently they are working on pigeon proofing our chicken pens, which will help stop the spread of unwanted disease and food thieving. They are creating a roof made from wire to allow sun and rain in their yards but keep any unwanted birds out.

Every month we have corporate volunteers helping us with our market set up, and we have also started taking on groups to help us out in the gardens. Having a group of 14 people for the whole day makes such a difference. We offer lots of good hard and fun work, as well as lots of fresh air and sun light. Thanks to NAB, PwC and ANZ.

By Anita Stec

Garden News Toni Phillips PLANT NEWS AUTUMN 2010

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AUTUMN IN THE GARDEN

For those who have been watching the transformation of the Fig Tree after its’ dramatic pruning last winter, summer has shown off natures regeneration capabilities.

ANIMALS IN THE GARDEN The sunflowers that are grown around the farm, are more beneficial than their beauty alone, they are a favourite of the bees and goats alike. Goats are browsers not grazers and need a varied diet, including brambles, thistles and branches from apple, pear and apricot trees – not peach leaves as they contain cyanide and therefore are poisonous to ruminants.

Goats enjoy all parts of the sunflower flowers, seeds, leaves and stems.

WILDFOOD – PURSLANE Purslane has been cultivated in Europe since the 14th Century for medicinal and culinary purposes. Leaves and stems are used as a pot herb, in salads, frozen or pickled and in equal parts with sorrel for the French soup bonne femme, it is high in Vitamins A and C, Calcium and Phosphorus. Seeds are dried, ground and used in bread, muffins and pancakes. The Juice mixed with honey is good for dry coughs. The plant strewn around the bed was thought to protect from evil spirits.

Purslane salad from the South Pacific 500g young Purslane leaves and stems 60g raw Dandelion root, peeled and chopped 1 medium cucumber, sliced 2 tomatoes, sliced 60g sunflower seeds, toasted Dressing 1 tablespoon brown rice or cider vinegar 3 tablespoons olive or salad oil 1 teaspoon soya sauce 1 teaspoon tahini 1 teaspoon mayonnaise Mix salad ingredients and dressing separately, pour dressing over salad and garnish with toasted sunflower seeds

Pickled Purslane Is an interesting alternative to dill cucumbers. Cut stems about 5 to 8 cm, older leaves and stems can be used.

Wash well and place into glass jars covering with cooled pickling vinegar.

500ml cider or white wine vinegar 9 black peppercorns 1 teaspoon dill seeds ½ teaspoon coriander seeds ½ teaspoon mustard seeds 1 clove garlic, chopped Bring ingredients gently to the boil, turn off heat cool then cover the purslane leaves. Seal jars and label and store for at least 2 weeks before using

Supported Volunteer Program Julia Smallwood Farm Yarns Summer 2011 Supported Volunteer program Another year has begun for the supported volunteer program, and as new groups start from schools and adult agencies we are reminded of what great workers last year’s volunteers were!

Their overall confidence and competence around the farm was proof that this is a great place for developing work skills, social skills and a feeling of belonging to a community.

So now the detailed task lists come back out as jobs are allocated to groups and individuals…….

Cleaning chicken & duck pens, pig pens, guinea pig hutches Cleaning and filling water troughs Making up food bags Pruning trees and feeding to goats Cleaning up after cow milking Poo pick up and paddock cleaning Weeding and planting When you are visiting the farm take time to stop and see what these keen workers are up to.

Guinea Pig update

“Getting more than you bargained for!!!”

Late last year we gave a new home to Ginger and her daughter Honey when their owners decided to only keep the males they had. At first we thought Ginger’s expending waistline was due to good food and too little exercise as she settled into her new home. However as she continued to expand we realized she was pregnant, and a few days later she gave birth to two babies, one like her and one like Honey.

Marmalade the girl is staying with us, and the boy found a home with one of our Young Farmer girls. All three are still a bit skittish but hopefully soon they will be ready for cuddles.

Caramel is our other new girl, and much confusion will occur as she looks just like Nutmeg and Daisy

Collingwood Children’s Farm PO Box 80 Abbotsford 3067 Farm phone: 9417 5806 Email: enquiry@farm.org.au Website: www.farm.org.au

Family Fun Days First Sunday of the month (no fun day in Jan)

Farmer’s Market held the second Saturday of every month for beautiful fresh, quality produce.

Also enjoy hay rides and pony rides, and other farm activities all for price of entry.

St Heliers Street Abbotsford Melway Ref 44G5 Open every day of the year Entry: $16 Family $8 Adult $4 Child

Phone:

9417 5806

Email:

enquiry@farm.org.au

Web site:

www.farm.org.au