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!