Analytical Blog

The trip to Australia was absolutely amazing!  There was a great deal of differences between the beef and sheep industries of the United States and Australia.  The visit that I chose to review for this post was from the second day of the trip, the seminar at Biosecurity Victoria.  This seminar was about the National Livestock Identification System that Australia has put in place.  The main reason that the system was put into place was for traceability of the animals for disease and hormone purposes.  This system is working extremely well there, since all parts needed, the industry and government, are working together financially and in implementation.  As of right now the program is only mandatory in cattle, but they are working to make it mandatory in sheep as well.  How the program works is that each animal has an electronic ear tag in their right ear.  Every time the animal is sold or sent to slaughter the tag is scanned.  There are several types of scanners that can be used, the most popular ones are hand wand scanners and stationary scanners attached to chutes.  The system keeps track of a great deal of information, including, date of birth, vaccinations, diseases, who purchased and sold the animal, etc.  It can pretty much keep track of any information that the owner feels is necessary.  Many of the producers we met during the rest of our trip use the NLIS as a management tool and it has worked very well since the government keeps track of the records and they can never be lost.  I really feel that the U.S. could learn from the NLIS used in Australia.  It was costly to start up, but the government and industry worked together to make it possible and successful. I really did learn a great deal from this trip (more than just what I have listed here) and I would like to thank everyone from KSU who made this trip possible with all of their hard work! THANKS!!!! G'day mates!!!

Day 10 - The Journey Home!

So we are finally on our way home! The trip was absolutely amazing!!!  I have learned so much, seen so many things, and tried so many new foods!  Now for the part that sucks....the plane rides home...today we have four!  Well good thing I brought a good book!  Well see you in America!

Day 8 - From Cold to Warmer-ish

The dinner cruise of Sydney Harbour last night was amazing!!! Words can't even describe how beautiful it was! We rode the boat around the harbour for all of dinner and a little after so we could take more pictures and enjoy the view.  After the cruise a few of us walked closer to the Sydney Opera House to get up close and personal.  They had a light show playing on the side of the opera house and on several other buildings near the harbour.  It was really cool! We tried to go ride the monorail around the city, but it was closed by the time we got to it.
This morning we woke up early so we could catch our flight from Sydney to Cairns.  We thought it would be warm once we got here, but it turned out to be rainy and chilly still! Lucky us since it only rains there 5% of the year!  Once we arrived we visited an aboriginal cultural center.  Here we saw presentarions on the dances and weapons of their culture.  We even got to learn how to throw spears and boomarangs!  It was all pretty interesting and fun until one of the guides told us that he didn't own a pair of shoes and made it seem like he lived in the rainforest and then when we were leaving we saw him in regular clothes going to the parking lot.  It just comes to show you how very few tribal people still live in developed countries.

Later that night we headed to an awesome seafood restaurant called Tha Fish.  It was probably the most fun meal I have ever had!  Lauren and I split this awesome shrimp ravioli and a seafood platter.  The platter had shrimp, scallops, oysters (which I couldn't eat), bugs (crayfish), yabbies (mini lobsters), crab, calamari, and some fried stuff that we didn't really know what it was. :) It was so much fun tasting all of the different types of seafood and they were all fresh since we were so close to the ocean. 

Day 9 - GBR

So today was absolutely amazing!!!  We woke up early and got on a boat to head out to Green Island.  This would have been really fun, but the weather continued to be a pain.  So of course it rained for the first half of the day.  Well once we got to Green Island we got to walk around and go to the beach. (Not the best beach day ever) While we were here some of us decided to go scuba diving once we got the the Great Barrier Reef and I was one of them!  I was pretty nervous about it at first, but in the end it was a great choice!  After we left Green Island we headed to a boat that was stationed at part of the reef.  Once we were here we could snorkel and scuba dive!  I chose to do a little snokeling before we went scuba diving and this was a great choice because it is very difficult to just breath out of your mouth and it took a lot of practice.  I finally got the hang of it and it made scuba diving so much easier.  I also finally got to use my underwater camera case that I was so excited about and I got some pretty cool pictures of all the underwater creatures!  Scuba diving was absolutely amazing!!!  I did have a small panic attack while we were doing our training, but I quickly calmed down and was able to relax.  Once we were underwater it was so relaxing and beautiful!  There were so many differnet types of fish and coral and we even saw a shark!  Some of us pitched together and rented an underwater camera that we could dive with and we got some great pictures! 

Overall today was my absolute favorite day!  I am even thinking about getting certified to got scuba diving!

Day 7 - The Last of the Ag

So today is the last day our the agriculture part of our tour of Australia.  We only went to one place this morning and that was to Charles Sturt University. Here we met up with Dr. Peter Chenoweth who used to be a reproduction professor and researcher for K-State.  It was really cool to see someone from our neck of the woods all the way in Australia.  He gave us a tour of the ag part of the college, this included the cattle yards and the vet hospital.  This was a great tour and their equipment and facilities are very new and up to date. 

Now we are on a 5 hour bus ride from Wagga Wagga to Sydney.  Once we are there we will have some time to shop and enjoy the city.  Tonight we are going on a dinner cruise of Sydney Harbor, which should be amazing!

Update on my feelings about the trip...so far....

So most of my posts have just been what we have done so I thought I would right a post more about what I think about the trip.  Well after the crazy long plane ride, things started off kinda rocky.  First of all it was way cold when we got here since it is summer at home and fall here.  So that was quiet a shock and I did NOT pack for that kind of weather.  Our first night was also kind of strange.  We went to a very nice resturant, but we had a very limited menu to pick from and the food wasn't that great.  We thought that would only happen that one time, but we were wrong.  We were give pretty much three choices to eat from for lunch and dinner, chicken parm, veal or chicken shnitzzle (I am pretty sure I spelled that wrong), or pork.  After a couple of days this soon got very frustrating and I felt it was limiting our study abroad experience.  So once we complained enough to our tour guide, Graeme, he finally fixed it and let us choose from the whole menu.  Now we get to try different food and enjoy the experience much more.  The only down side to that is that now we get food that we like and eat way too much!  I would have to say that that ia my only complant for the entrie trip!  It has been really amazing and beautiful here.  I have learned so much about the agriculture of Australia and how many differences and similarities it has with the U.S.  I also couldn't have asked for better travel mates than who came.  Everyone has been great and on time, for the most part.  The Sydney Opera House was so beautiful!!!  I am so so so so so so so excited for the Great Barrier Reef!!! It is going to be so much fun and I will be sure to post lots of pictures from it when I get home...since I have an underwater camera case! This has been an amazing and once in a lifetime experience that I will treasure forever!  Well stay tuned and I will keep you updated on the northern part our Aussie tour!

Day 6 - Stuff....

To start of the day we visited the Wagga Wagga Saleyard.  This was a very different experience.  The saleyards here are way different from the ones in America. Most of the cattle sold here are already fat cattle to be slaughtered. The autioneer style was completely strange and took some time to even understand what he was saying.  They pens are also very different and the cattle are weighed prior to entering the selling arena.  They also have screens at the top of the arena that show the prices, weights, buyer, seller, and type of cattle for the just sold, currently being sold, and the ones up next to be sold. 

After the saleyard, we literally went across the street to the Cargill/Teys abattior.  They even have a walkway under the street to bring ther cattle they buy from the salyard to the plant.  This abattior was very different from the JBS plant we visited earlier in the week.  The set up was much more Americanized and had more of a flow.  We didn't get to see the kill floor which made the tour way less cool, but we did see the boning room.  This room was much more organized than the JBS plant.  The Cargill plant also only did cattle and they process about 1200 per day. 

The final stop of the day was the Cargill\Teys Jindalee Feedlot.  We weren't allowed to take any picutes here which sucked, but it was still fun.  We drove around the feedlot and saw all of the cattle that they were feeding out on a grain based program.  At this feedlot they used HGP (hormone growth promotants) which is usually not used in most of the other feeding operations in Australia.  That was very interesting to hear that they weren't allowing the uneducated consumers control that part of the operation like some others.  The most used feed that is fed here is steam flaked wheat, which we got to see and I thought was interesting since I have never seen it and am specializing in nutrition. 

Funny Aussie Lingo!

So there are a lot of things that Australians say and do differnetly than us and here are a few sayings/terms/practices that I have found entertaining!
-Restrooms are called toilets
-Some bottles of beer are called stubbys
-They drive on the left side of the road and walk on the left side of the sidewalks
-There are no real trucks...most of the trucks look like cars in the front with beds in the back
-They use the metrics system
-Some bars are called hotels
-Signs say mind your step instead of watch your step
-A case of beer is called a slab
-Speed limit signs are just red circles with numbers in them
-Pedestrian signs are just of the feet
-Yield signs say give way
-People are called blokes
-Ketcup is call tomato sause
-Liquor stores are called bottle shops
-Take out food is called take away
-In the north and western areas, some people talk about length of trips as in how many stubbies it will take
-Fries are called chips
-Wifi isn't free in most places/hotels
-Passing lanes are called overtake lanes
-They have really good lemon soda called Solo
-Cookies are called biscuits
-Starburst makes gummy babies...super weird I know and they look creepier than they sound
-Gas stations are called servies
-Candy is called lollies
-Elevators are called lifts

Day 5 - What a Busy, Busy Day!

To start of today we visited Trigger Vale Ranch.  When we arrived we were greeted by Tom the baby lamb who was abandoned by his mother and was being bottle fed. He was super cute! :) They family here raises about 2500 seedstock and breeding Poll Merinos and White Suffolk sheep.  Their main goal is to improve the genetics of both the breeds.  Andrew, the owner, truely believes that improving the genetics of the breed is the key to improved ranch profitability and overall animal performance.  He has done a great deal of research on the animal genetics and he is trying to share his views with the rest of the Merino breeders in Australia, but many of them are very traditional and not willing to change.  He also talked about many genetic and nutritional things that we have learned in many classes at K-State which was really cool to see them being used in real life and not just on books or powerpoints. 

When we were leaving the farm I was bitten by a strange bug and now have a huge bug bite that is hot and painful. :( That would be just my luck!

So the second stop today was so fun! We went to an emu farm! We got to walk around and see the birds.  We tried to feed them, but they were too busy fighting with each other to be concerned with food!  At this farm they have a couple hundred birds that they hatch and raise.  They main reason they raise the birds is for the oils, which are known to have healing properties.  Have made some leather goods from the birds, but they are difficult to market.  After our tour we had a great bbq steak lunch! We were hoping they would cook us some emu since we haven't tried any, but we have also heard that it doesn't taste very good.

Our final stop for the day was at Sprys Shorthorns.  This ranch focuses on seedstock bulls for commercial use.  They also have a small market for show bulls for the northern part of Australia.  The Shorthorn bulls that were here were differnet than what Shorthorns we have in the U.S.  They were much better built and worth a great deal more.  One bull that we saw today was worth 46,000 AUD!!! (That's almost 50,000 USD!)  After we toured the farm they told us more about their operation and then cooked us a yummy dinner of steak! After dinner we all had a chance to sit around and chat and relax.  It was a great end to a busy day!
Now off to Wagga Wagga for a two night stay with free wifi! :)

Day 4 - New School and Old School Cattle Production

The first stop today was at Lawson Angus.  This stop was fairly interesting, but it was raining and we were standing in mud during the visit so I think that had an impact on the entertainment value of the visit.  This ranch is a seedstock producer and main focus is on improving the genetic value of their bulls.  They get most of their AI semen from the U.S. and use a timed AI program.  They are extremely keen on what trends are in the international markets and really try to improve their herd.  They also have their own annual bull sale and have an in house marketing team to maximize profits.  They are also working a great deal on international marketing and have sent several bulls to Russia and America.  Another market that they target is crossbreeders in Queensland who export to Asia markets.  Lawson Angus largely uses the NLIS as a management tool to track the production of their bulls.  I would qualify this operation as a new school type of breeder since they strive for the newest and most improved genetics. 

On the other hand, the Hereford and sheep breeder we visited this evening was much more of an old school type of operation.  This ranch was called Lima Park.  At this operation there are only two men who run the entire ranch of about 500 Herefords and about 3000 head of sheep.  I really was shocked by this because I thought that they would need to have more people to run that size of an operation, especially during calving and lambing season (which there occurs at the same time).  Their cows have an average weight of about 1600 pounds!  At Lima Park they focus on low stress management, this allows the cattle to better perform and is easier on the workers.  All of the breeding at the ranch is natural service, which I also found surprising.  Here they barely use the NLIS as a management tool, they only use it to qualify for the EU export market, which is their main target market.  They don't use it at all for their sheep herd since it isn't required and they tags don't stay with the sheep very well.  He felt that the electonic boluses would be a better investment for both species.  The most shocking thing about this visit was how the story about how some people think that foxes are the worst predators in the area, but it is actually crows because they come down and peck out the eyes and the anuses of the sheep and then they foxes finish them off.  That was pretty grusome!!!

Overall today was a great experience to see that operations differ just as much in Australia as the do in America.

Day 3 - JBS and Webb Black Simi

Today is a very gross rainy day! But on the good side we started off the day touring a JBS beef and sheep abattior.  This was a great experience!  I have never been so up close and personal with the slaughting process.  We were literally right next to the carcasses!  (It wasn't so good when we got in the way of the workers.)  My favorite part is kinda lame if you read about it but it was really cool to see so no judging...they have this bagging machine that is like a giant arm.  It picks up the bags and slids it around the different cuts of meat.  It knows which bag to pick up because there is a sensor just in front of it that measures the length, width, and height of the cuts.  It was just amazing to see how much they are using technology in the slaughting process!  The worst part was seeing the machine that slices off the sheeps heads! I was not a fan of that at all!  We weren't allowed to take any pictures inside so all I have is a picture of the sign...super lame I know!

After the abattoir we had an amazing lunch at diamond creek tavern.  They had really great fried saltwater flathead with chips and apple crumble with ice cream!

The last stop of the day was so fun! We stopped at Webb Black Simmental Ranch.  The Webb brothers run the ranch and they were extremely friendly.  They are really working hard to make Simis more popular in Austalia.  They have a grat philosophy for the business side of the operation...be daring, be different, be new!  I think this is a great saying because that is really how you get to be successful as a businessperson.  They get most of their semen from America and are following Simi breeders there to grow their herd.  Most of their farm was destroyed by the eucalyptus fires three years ago, but they didn't let that get them down.  They have continued to grow and increase the simi breed popularity, especially with anugus breeders.  They also told us about their family and gave us snacks. :)
Now we are off to Seymour for the night. :)
Dinner at the Seymour Club tastes good, but it did not set well with my stomach. So I do not suggest eating there!  But on the good side, I got an entire room with a queen size bed to myself last night! That was pretty awesome!  So I took a nice long, hot shower (the first time I had been warm all day!) and then hit the sack.

Day 1!

We finally arrived! I hope no one was getting too worried! ;) Today has been extremely long!  We have survived through a 15 hour flight with very little sleep in a very cramped seat and crossing over who knows how many time zones.  On the great side, we are here and it is beautiful! It is hilly and green with super tall trees everywhere! But it is going to take some getting used to the bus driving on the left side of the road! Good thing none of us have to drive because that would probably be very dangerous. :)
Today we went to the Healesville Sanctuary and saw a ton of animals that are all native to Australia.  I learned a lot about many animals that are only in Australia and I will probably never have a chance to see again.  The coolest thing that I learned was that kangaroos support three young at one time; they have one embryo in the womb, one a very months old that lives in the pouch, and one about six months old that is out of the pouch, but comes back in to feed.  They also have two types of milk to support the two joeys' differing needs.  My favorite animal that I saw today was probably the echidna! They are like a mix between an anteater and a porcupine, but they ball up like a armadillo when they are threatened or scared.  Some other awesome Australian animals that we saw were koalas (which are super cute and have a special enzyme in their stomach for digesting eucalyptus), tons of parrots (Australia has about 50 native species), the top 10 most deadly snakes, and dingos. At the sanctuary they also had a birds of prey demonstration that showed different birds for Australia.  During the demonstration they would fly around over the audience.  That was pretty cool! The show also had a message...that is to use recycled toilet paper! They even had a spokesman named Crapman!  I have pictures for most of the day, until my battery became exhausted!
Well now we are off to the hotel for a much needed shower!

Day 2 - Beef and Beer

To start off the day we attended a seminar at the Biosecurity Victoria, which is a sector of the Department of Primary Industries of Australia.  This seminar was extremely interesting! The main topic was livestock identification.  Australia has developed an extremely successful, mandatory livestock id program.  This has been so successful because every part of the system cooperates together, this includes the government, producers, saleyards, and abattoirs (slaughterhouses).  I really think the U.S. should consider adopting a cattle id system modeled after Australia's...it could work very well!
Today we also went to a brewery! It was really fun and educational. That was the first time I have been to a brewery and I learned a lot.  we couldn't take any pictures inside of course, but it was really cool to see the packaging side of the operation.  I have never seen so many bottles of beer!  We also got to try some of the beers after our tour.  Some of them were good and others were not so good.  My favorite was the pear cider.  One of the ladies who worked there even bought us all a round of drinks since we were the last tour of the day.  Overall today was a lot of fun and I learned a lot!

On Our Way!

Sorry this is late, but as you will read the wifi has not been very dependable!

So we just left kci on our way to dallas!  The flight is about two hours long...which won't be too bad.  By far the longest part so far was getting our tickets at the ticket counter...my suggestion is to get there very early if you are with a big group.  Security isn't too bad if you are prepared...I suggest not wearing metal, such as belts or jewelery, it will make the process much easier.  Also the wifi at airports is terrible so don't count on that for entertainment or communication.  I would bring ipod/ipad and a couple of good books to read if you plan on making this trek. 

-9 hours later-

We are sitting at LAX waiting for our final flight of the day! The only down side to that is it will be 16 hours long.  I am really hoping I will be able to sleep for most of it (thank goodness for sleeping pills, an eye mask, and ear plugs!).  The cool thing about this airport is that they have little stations with outlets so you can charge your stuff before long international flights.  How thoughtful, since they are free! (That is one thing every college kid loves!) Also babckpacks make great pillows when you have a several hour layover!

It's about that time....

20 more days!!! So only 20 more days until we leave for the Outback.  For the past semester I have been attending class once a week to prepare for this trip.  Here are the main points that I have learned:

• Australia is the only nation to govern an entire continent and its outlying islands.
• Australia was established by convicts.
• Queen Elizabeth II is considered the Queen of Australia.
• Australian bars are often called hotels.
• Naming an animal that you plan to eat is illegal.
• Rum was used to barter before currency was established.
• Rugby is one of the most popular sports in Australia.
• The tropical rainforests of Northern Queensland averages 300 days of sunshine per year.
• The Great Barrier Reef was discovered when Captain James Cook literally ran into it with his ship.
• The Great Barrier Reef can be seen from space.
• Over 1500 species of fish live in the Great Barrier Reef.
• A restroom is called toilet in Australia.
• 99% of farm businesses in Australia are family owned.
• Australia is the 2nd largest beef exporter in the world.
• The U.S. is the biggest market for Australian lamb exports at about 23%.
• JBS is the largest feedlot operator in Australia.
• Stock agents used to be used to arrange marriages for farmers.
• 1 in 4 cattle in Australia are Angus.
• Emus can run up to 30 mph.
• Peppin Merinos are the most prominent breed of Merino in Australia. 



EMU!

As you can see I have learned a lot this semester about Australia.  I am so excited for our trip! I am most excited to go snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef, it is going to be so amazing! (I even got an underwater camera to take pictures...I will post some with my later posts) I am also excited to see the Sydney Opera House...its cool to see it in pictures, but it has to be spectacular! It's going to be cool to see how they live in a different country and compare it to how we live here. So stay tuned!

Northern Queensland and the Outback Chapter Review

Fish swimming at the Great Barrier Reef.

Northern Queensland was first discovered by Captain Cook when his ship the Endeavour crashed there.  It took 100 years of failed expeditions to discover that Queensland was rich in minerals and had a great deal of agriculture potential.  Expeditions failed due to the harsh conditions and Aboriginal tribes who were not very welcoming.  Gold was the key to the population of Northern Queensland.  Once this discovery was made, the motivation to move there greatly increased, but it was very short lived.  Today, tourism of the Great Barrier Reef is what keeps Northern Queensland thriving.  Another popular attraction is the town of Winton where Banjo Paterson wrote Australia’s national song, “Waltzing Matilda.”  The outback was the inspiration for many of Banjo’s poems.  Northern Queensland is where a great deal of the sugar cane fields are located.  The Cape York Peninsula is largely unexplored and it contains many rivers and forests.  It is located just north of Cairns and is where the Daintree National Park is located.  The Daintree Forest is one of the few places in the world where the rainforest and the sea meet.  Cairns is the main center of Northern Queensland.  The Torres Strait Islands are also in Northern Queensland and they sit between Australia and Papua New Guinea.  Cooktown is where Captain Cook wrecked his ship and there is a museum in his honor here.  Dunk Island is the location of the Great Barrier Reef islands and offers day trips for snorkeling, diving, and windsurfing.  The Outback of Northern Queensland is largely inhabited by Aboriginal people.  The landscapes are very harsh, and in turn not a very attractive area to live or visit for many people.  One good thing did come out of these harsh conditions.  John Flynn was a missionary in the Outback and he realized that many people were dying due to lack of basic and urgent medical care.  This inspired him to invent the Royal Flying Doctor Service, an air ambulance service.  

An ambulance next to one of the first Royal Flying Doctor Service airplanes.