That’s why the 86-year-old has provided the calves for at least 15 years for Emmanuel College’s agriculture students to prepare for the Royal Melbourne Show’s carcase competition.

The college has recognised Mr Hodge’s big contribution by this year launching the Ken Hodge award, which will be awarded each year to an agriculture student for outstanding achievement.

The inaugural award this year went to Year 11 student Jack Smith.

Emmanuel agriculture teacher Penny Ryan said the award paid tribute not only to Mr Hodge’s 15 years plus of providing calves to Emmanuel but also to his 35 years of helping regional secondary schools with their agriculture programs.

Mr Hodge, who runs Baroona Herefords at Mortlake, said he started helping regional secondary students in 1984 by providing Mortlake high school students with cattle to prepare for Royal Melbourne Show’s carcase competition.

“They had a few chooks and I thought they could do better,” he said.

Mr Hodge said it was not only students who benefited from his support for the program and he had a learnt a lot from how his Hereford cattle performed in the carcase competition.

He had also been encouraged by how the agriculture students were able to apply what they had learnt in other school subjects to their agricultural studies.

The Hereford calves Emmanuel receives from Mr Hodge are among several that its agriculture students prepare over a number of months for Royal Melbourne’s carcase competition.

Other beef producers providing calves are Jason and Penny Schulz of Raven Limousin in South Australia and Robyn Vivian from the Knockando stud in SA.

A Belted Galloway steer provided by Knockando and prepared by Emmanuel students won the carcase competition’s light domestic class this year.

The students also won six ribbons in the competition’s school paraders section. Fourteen students went to the show this year.

Ms Ryan also acknowledged the contribution of Geordie Elliot who has helped the students with their cattle preparation.