Tocal Farms

Tocal College has an important role in agricultural education, in our local community, as NSW government facility and as a producer of high-quality beef, eggs, milk and horse breeder.

People, products, services, and ideas flow into and out of Tocal and are influenced by the site and the industry in which we operate.
Nine staff members work full time on the farms. They are supported by up to ten casual staff and teaching staff. They are responsible for students who are rostered on for practical work during term.

The college working farms are:

Dairy fast facts

Area - 280 hectares: 100 hectares irrigated for milking cows, 72 hectares dryland pastures often shared between milkers, dries and heifers and 108 hectares used exclusively for dry cows and heifers.

Production - Average production is 35,000 – 45,000 litres/week or 2.2 to 2.5 million litres in 2019.

Pastures - Kikuyu-based oversown in early autumn with ryegrass, white clover and red clover with some chicory and plantain. Also forage crops such as sorghum, lucerne and maize for silage.

Irrigated area - 100 hectares total. The system has five travelling irrigators and three centre pivots.

Fertiliser - Starter fertiliser, selective use of nitrogen and poultry litter. Some paddocks are limed. Fertilised with N+P+K regularly.

Milking Parlour - 15 a side parallel stall gate system.

Milking time - 120 minutes (approximately).

Average Production/Cow lactation - 7,700 litres.

Free Range Eggs Fast Facts

Property name: Numeralla

Area - 30 hectares

Number of sheds - 5 (8,762m2)

Free range area - 15 hectares

Capacity - 90,000 hens

Breed - Isa Brown

Market - Free-range eggs under contract to Pace Farms

The operation is audited firstly by Pace Farms, the NSW Food Authority and then Coles to ensure the Coles Gold Specification for Free Range Eggs is met.

Beef farm Fast Facts

Area - 1790 hectares, made up of prime pasture, medium pasture and poor pasture land as well as bushland. 10 km from front
boundary (the Paterson River) to the back boundary and approximately 2 km across.

Herd - Average 1100 head – ranging between 800 and 1400 depending on the time of the year and seasonal conditions.

Stock Horse Fast Facts

Working - 20 Australian Stock Horses for working cattle

Breakers - 20 for horse breeding student training

Broodmares - 22 Australian Stock Horse mares for breeding replacements

Stallions - 2 Australian Stock Horse

Foals - 20

Yearlings - 20

Sheep Farm Fast Facts

Property name - Bona Vista

Purchased  - 1974

Area  - 113 hectares

Wool Production  - Over 1 tonne per year

Prime lambs/year - 80 - 150

Tocal Location