McCarthy Catholic College wins the 2023 Picasso Cow competition

The project was undertaken by McCarthy's Year 7 Agfood class, overseen by agriculture teacher Kylie Bailey.

"The experience had been a lot of fun - the students really enjoyed it and I'm just so proud of the fact they've done so well because I never expected us to do as well as we did," she said.

"It was a real surprise when we got the results."

Schools normally have two terms to complete the project, however, Miss Bailey said "a few hiccups" meant the students only had eight weeks.

"There were a lot of lunchtimes and after schools to get her finished in time, but I'm really proud of what the students have put together - it's paid off for them, in the fact they've done so well in the judging of the competition."

While decorating the cows is the high-profile side of the task, the Picasso Cow Program also requires students to complete a learning journal documenting their work.

Miss Bailey said Nellie received the highest points in the competition for design and art as well as for the school's accompanying learning journal.

The program has two themes which schools can choose from: nutrition or farm to plate. McCarthy chose to focus on farm to plate, "because we live in an agricultural area so it was easy for the kids to see first hand and in real life", Miss Bailey said.

"Nellie depicts the farm-to-plate process: from cows living on the farm through to milking, and then the products made using the milk," she said.

The school worked with local milk supplier, Peel Valley Milk, prior to the company ceasing production, to assist with completing a case study at the dairy.

"Everyone was disappointed to hear Peel Valley closed but the company was happy to donate milk bottle stickers for the project, which helped the class to the look through the different products Peel Valley Milk supplied," Miss Bailey said.

One side of Nellie depicts a rural scene and also the theme, which Ms Bailey said needed to be evident on the cow, while the second depicts a paddock-to-plate scene with cows in the paddock, the dairy and then the milk product being taken off to be processed.

Ms Bailey said Nellie also showed byproduct, such as manure which is taken and used on the paddocks.

"We show a full rotation of what happens, including the sustainability of the dairy industry," she said.

"Nellie is also fitted out with proper ear tags, including one of the schools' NLIS (National Livestock Identification System) tags - she's all very legit as a cow."

Miss Bailey said the school grew the oats, which adorn Nellie's flank.

"Schools also get points for sustainability, so we tried to reuse things - so the roots of the oats plant were created using old hessian from the art room, while the flowers in the clover and lucerne are pompoms my Year 8 materials class helped with," she said.

"The belt holding Nellie's cow bell was donated by a student in the class, and the cow bell was made in using some old metal leftover from a job on the school farm."

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As a surprise gift to the students, Ms Bailey created a papier mache calf for MCC Nellie, called Min-elli (Mini Nellie), which became an integral part of the cow's story - a required component of the journal exercise.

In the end, students drew on a number of factors to create Nellie's story: there was her 'calf' Min-ellie and news of Peel Valley closing.

With McCarthy being a Catholic school, the 'Miraculous retirement of Nellie' almost wrote itself.

"Nellie has retired from Peel Valley Milk, and has had one last miracle calf, which she now gets to raise and look after here in the schools' ag plot," Ms Bailey said.

Ms Bailey said the Picasso Cow Program experience had been highly beneficial for the students involved.

"It's been a good tool to teach the kids that cycle - we've also been able to do it as a cross-curricular activity," she said.

"There's literature involved, art, design, and then the ag food side of the project, so students have had a really good opportunity to learn more about the dairy industry, learning in a way they do themselves, on their own, so the way they learn and put that into practice, whether they be good at art, or literacy," Ms Bailey said.

Miss Bailey said about 40 schools nationally take part in the program each year.

"I would encourage any school, whether primary or junior high, to get involved with the program," she said.

READ ALSO: Duri Public School completes its entry in the Picasso Cow Program

"Dairy Australia has been very supportive and the kids have learned a great deal from the experience, and it's been a great experience for myself as a teacher having wanted to do the program for a long time but also for the students to learn more about the dairy industry as well as the sustainability side of agriculture."

MCC Nellie and Min-ellie are yet to find their forever home, however, Miss Bailey said it would be on the school grounds.

"We're still working out where they will live at the school, but most likely in the ag classroom until the end of the year," she said.

"They have done a stint in reception and received a lot of positive comments from parents coming in."

Dairy Australia introduced Picasso Cows in 2009 to inspire creativity and a love of learning about the Australian dairy industry. The program has reached more than 1000 schools nationally.

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