Illawarra schools are not known for their success in agriculture competitions, which makes Dapto High School's recent success something to celebrate.
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Dapto steered its way to success at the recent South Coast Beef School Steer Spectacular.
Dapto High won the Reserve champion beef carcass and was named overall Reserve champion school.
Fellow Illawarra school, Oak Flats High School also did well in what organisers labelled "by far the biggest School Steer Spectacular ever".
There was some 15 schools, 400 students attending on May 5 and over 1000 students engaged in the raising and preparation of the steers.
Due to COVID restrictions, the normal three-day competition and educational event was compressed into one-day of competition in the show ring (the Hoof), followed up a few days later by the judging of the carcass as it hangs in the cool-room (the Hook).
Dapto High School agriculture head teacher Shane Brown praised his students for their win.
He said as part of the Hoof and Hook competition, schools received steers on February 1. They were then required to groom, feed and teach their steers to walk on a halter.
"The wild steers we got are castrated males," Mr Brown said.
Any noises or anything can trigger these animals off. We put in a lot of work with the animals to ensure this didn't happen.
- Dapto High School head agriculture teacher Shane Brown
"We then had to train them and change their diets.....so you are getting a wild animal, you are training it up to a point where you could walk up to it, pat it, put it on a halter and walk it around an arena where you just don't know what can happen.
"Any noises or anything can trigger these animals off. We put in a lot of work with the animals to ensure this didn't happen.
'The students did really well.
"I got pictures of these students laying with these animals, clipping their nails and grooming them. I also have photos of the animals putting their heads on the students' laps. It is quite good.
"The competition is a good incentive, initiative and promotion of agriculture."
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