JRAHS Stage 5 Agriculture Review - Angora Goats, Sweet Corn, Hydroponics & Tocal Field Day

One hundred vocabulary-style flashcards covering the JRAHS Stage 5 Agriculture curriculum units on Angora Goats, Sweet Corn, Hydroponics, and Tocal Field Day catchment management.

Buck

An intact (uncastrated) male goat used for breeding

Doe

A female goat

Kid

A young goat under 12 months of age

Wether

A castrated male goat

Mohair

The long, lustrous fibre produced by Angora goats; grows approximately $2.5\,cm/month$

Cashmere

A fine, soft downy undercoat that can be grown by any breed of goat — not a breed itself

Chevon

The name for goat meat; less fatty and less tender than sheep meat

Feral goat

A domesticated goat that has become wild; commonly used for meat production in Australia

Mohair shearing frequency

Angora goats are shorn twice per year because mohair grows approximately $30\,cm/year$

Goat Milk digestibility

More digestible than cow's milk due to fat and protein composition; average $2-3\,L/day$ over $7-10$ month lactation

Kid skins

Sold to international fashion houses for high-end products

Origin of Angora Goats

Developed in the province of Angora (now Ankara), Turkey on the central Anatolian Plains since the 5th century BC

Angora Coat characteristics

Coat consisting of long, curling ringlets of lustrous white mohair

Angora goat behaviour

Bucks exhibit dominant behaviour (head-butting) during breeding, while does display more cooperative behaviour

Angora Environment

Suited to semi-arid, low-rainfall rangeland environments

Shearing headpiece gearing

Geared to half speed compared to wool sheep to prevent overheating, as mohair is less dense and carries less grease

Angora Fencing

Requires high-standard, heavy-gauge netting to prevent agile goats from crawling under or through

Angora Shelter requirements

Hard covered shelters with substantial straw bedding to prevent cold stress due to thin skin and low body fat

Hoof Trimming

Required every $3-6$ months in domestic conditions to prevent lameness and maintain welfare

Mustering

The gathering of animals for management procedures such as shearing, vaccinating, or drenching

National Livestock Identification Scheme (NLIS)

Australia-wide system for cattle, sheep, and goats providing traceability of individual animals from birth to end destination

Electronic ID (eID)

An eartag containing an RFID microchip readable by a scanning wand, mandatory for all livestock as of January 2025

Caprine Arthritis Encephalitis (CAE)

A disease caused by a lentivirus (slow virus), also known as 'big knee'

Encephalitis

Brain inflammation associated with CAE, primarily occurring in kids under 6 months of age

CAE Transmission

Primarily through infected colostrum and milk fed to kids, or respiratory secretions in close quarters

ELISA test

A serological test used to detect CAE-infected animals that show no visible signs

National Kid Rearing Plan

A management strategy involving biosecurity, health declarations, and record keeping to control CAE

Mohair Fineness

Measured in microns; lower micron equals higher value; ranges from $23-38$ microns

Mohair Length grades

Graded from A (longest, $>160\,mm$) to E (shortest, $50-75\,mm$)

Kemp

Irregular, chalky white fibres with poor dye absorption that are coarse, brittle, and highly undesirable

Style (Mohair)

The twist or ringlets found in the mohair fibre

Character (Mohair)

The waves or crimp found in the staple of the fibre

Lustre

The bright, glossy sheen resulting from the closed cuticle cell arrangement; mohair is known as the 'diamond fibre'

Diamond fibre

A nickname for Mohair because it reflects and accentuates dye colours

Condition (Mohair)

Sufficient natural oil to protect the fibre during weathering and processing without being excessive

Vegetable matter content

The amount of seeds, straw, and foreign fibres in the fleece, which must be minimized before shearing

Elasticity (Mohair)

The ability of mohair to stretch an average of $30\%$ over its length and return to its original form

Faux fur

A use for mohair where its fluffy nature mimics animal fur in realistic products

Zea mays

The scientific name for corn, of which sweet corn is a natural genetic mutation

Teosinte

The wild grass in Mexico from which corn originated approximately 7,000 years ago

Papoon

The first named variety of sweet corn, introduced to European settlers by the Iroquois in 1779

Sweet Corn

A natural mutation of field corn with high sugar and low starch; harvested at the milk stage

Maize (Field Corn)

Corn with starchy, dent-type grains used for livestock feed, breakfast cereals, ethanol, and syrup

Popcorn

Small hard kernels with a tough outer layer that traps steam to cause popping

Chisel plough

Equipment used $2-3$ weeks before planting to prepare the seedbed structure

Inter-Row Cultivation

Mowing between rows 7 days after sowing (2-leaf stage) to control Amaranth weeds

Dynamic Lifter

A pelletised organic chicken manure used at JRAHS via sidebanding every three weeks

Pollination critical stage

Tasselling and silking (usually 42 days after sowing) when water stress directly reduces yield

Helicoverpa armigera

The corn earworm; larvae tunnel into the cob tip and feed on developing kernels

Rust (Puccinia sorghi)

A fungal disease producing reddish-brown pustules on sweet corn leaves

Amaranth (Amaranthus spp.)

A vigorous broadleaf weed that competes with sweet corn for water, nutrients, and light

Supersweet corn

Varieties like Honey & Pearl with higher sugar content and a longer post-harvest shelf life

Milk stage

The harvest stage where pressing a kernel releases a milky fluid, not clear or doughy

Hand picking sweet corn

Manual harvest method allowing the picker to assess ripeness, which a machine cannot do

Sweet Corn Topping and Tailing

The process of using a sharp knife to remove damaged tips and earworm damage from cobs

Variable Costs

Costs that change with production levels, such as NPK fertiliser, seed, and tractor fuel

Fixed Costs

Costs that do not change with production levels, such as council land rates and permanent employee wages

Gross Margin Calculation

Gross Income minus Total Variable Costs (does not include fixed costs)

Hazard

A source with the potential to cause harm, such as chemicals, machinery, or environmental conditions

Risk

The likelihood and consequence that harm will occur from exposure to a hazard

PPE (Personal Protective Equipment)

Safety gear such as gloves, goggles, and respirators used to eliminate or reduce risk

Agricultural Sustainability

Managing resources to meet current needs without compromising future generations' ability to meet their own needs

Slow nutrient release

An advantage of organic fertilisers like Dynamic Lifter that reduces leaching into waterways

Eutrophication

Excessive nutrients in a waterway causing dense algal growth and oxygen depletion

Adventitious roots

Roots growing from stem tissue rather than root tissue, such as sweet corn brace roots

Husk

The leafy outer covering protecting the developing corn cob

Inflorescence

The flowering structure of a plant; the tassel is the male version in sweet corn

Internode

The section of stem between two nodes

Kernel

An individual grain or seed on a cob that develops from a fertilised ovule

Node

The point on the stem from which a leaf grows

Hydroponics

A method of growing plants without soil, delivering essential nutrients directly to roots dissolved in water

NFT (Nutrient Film Technique)

A hydroponic system where a thin film of nutrient solution flows continuously over bare roots in sloped channels

Reservoir tank

A tank that stores the nutrient solution (typically $2,000\,L$ at JRAHS) for testing and adjustment

Float box

A low-level indicator that automatically refills the reservoir to prevent the pump from running dry

Delivery lines

Also called spaghetti lines; they transport nutrient solution from the pump to growing channels

Closers

Adjustable hole covers that hold seedlings upright and block light to prevent algae growth

Ebb and Flow

A hydroponic system where nutrient solution periodically floods a grow tray and then drains back

Deep Water Culture (DWC)

A system where roots are suspended directly in deep, oxygenated nutrient solution

Aeroponics

A system where roots are suspended in air and misted with nutrient solution

Rockwool

A growing medium made of melted basaltic rock with high water holding capacity and alkaline pH

Perlite

A superheated mineral medium that is pH neutral and has excellent air holding capacity

Peat moss

Decomposed moss from bogs that holds water well but is not renewable and has an acidic pH

Coconut fibre

A sustainable, biodegradable medium made from coconut husks that is pH neutral

Electrical Conductivity (EC)

A measure of the nutrient solution's ability to conduct electricity, used to estimate overall nutrient levels

Ideal EC at JRAHS

$1.8\,mS/cm$ in summer and $2.2\,mS/cm$ in winter

Ideal pH for Hydroponics

Ideal pH at JRAHS is typically between $5.0-5.5$

Hydroblock

The form in which seedlings are often purchased for transplanting into hydroponic channels

Ramingining Community Project

A hydroponic system in a remote NT community providing food security and employment

Catchment

An area of land where all rainfall and surface water drains to a single common point like a river

Riparian zone

The land immediately adjacent to a waterway

Riparian buffer zone

A strip of native vegetation planted along a waterway to filter runoff and stabilise banks

Sedimentation

The deposition of eroded soil particles in waterways, which harms habitats and reduces dam capacity

Hydraulic Runoff

Water flowing over land into waterways, carrying nutrients, pesticides, and sediment

Biodiversity

The variety of plant and animal species present in an ecosystem

Land degradation

A decline in land quality involving soil erosion, loss of fertility, and loss of vegetation

Carrying capacity

The maximum number of animals or agricultural activity a land area can sustain without environmental damage

Soil Erosion

The wearing away and removal of soil by wind or water, accelerated by the removal of vegetation

Drip Irrigation

A system delivering water directly to the root zone with minimal evaporation, improving efficiency

Fencing Livestock Out

A protection strategy to exclude livestock from waterways to prevent bank damage and contamination

Tasselling

The growth stage of sweet corn when the male flower (tassel) emerges and releases pollen