NLIS Australia

Although it’s been almost two weeks since we returned from Australia, I still wish I was there exploring more of the agriculture and country! We saw numerous aspects of agriculture while we were there, but like many of my classmates, the most impressive to me was the National Livestock Identification System (NLIS). This was something we learned about on the second day in Australia at the Victoria Department of Primary Industries. The NLIS is a mandatory system for all cattle in Victoria and is working its way into the mandatory side of sheep identification. It tracks animals from birth to slaughter in a number of different ways depending on their life journey and the farmer’s business.

First, they are given an eID tag which is an electronic ear tag that is placed in the right ear only. It has a property number and individual ID number. You can also use an electronic bolus that is placed in the rumen rather than the ear tag. On the ranch, farmers have an electronic wand reader that can be waved over the tag or a computer reader that is connected to the scales. Owners can use this to track virtually any information they want; such as gestation length, vaccinations, age, sickness, etc. If the animal is leaving the property for another, they are scanned leaving, on the transportation trucks, and arriving. Finally, they are scanned at the abattoir to show where they are harvested and where the cuts are sent.

The most impressive part of this system is the fact that every animal’s whereabouts are always known. If there is a sudden disease/sickness outbreak, the NLIS shows exactly what property that animal was from. Investigators can be there checking other cattle or sheep on the same farm and surrounding areas within a short few hours. Farmers in Victoria also like the system because of the efficiency it offers. It makes it easier and quicker to manage a large herd.

In comparison to the United States, we currently have nothing like this mandatory by law. We have not implemented something similar largely because of the expense to farmers and the overall industry. However, if we did develop a similar system, the cost would be well worth it. With the constant increase in population and high consumer demand for more and higher quality beef, a similar system could increase efficiency of herds and help famers manage better by tracking genetics and knowing what to cull quicker causing a quicker turn around for improved beef. In a worst case scenario, it would also help tremendously in tracking disease or other concerns in the livestock industry that could appear suddenly. Overall, the technology of this system is impressive and the United States, I feel, would benefit greatly by creating something similar. 

Found with an article about US ID systems in comparison.

Grand Finale

The final Australian Blog is to compare the United States to Australia and sum up my experiences there.

It was amazing seeing the different aspects of the beef and sheep industries in Australian ranches. The major difference is that most of the desirable tastes in meat is the grass fed beef. Cargill was the industry we observed that actually had feedlots for grain fed cattle. Obviously, another difference is the fact that they have sheep as a major industry throughout the country. Lamb is served at any restaurant, and the industry is profitable. Sheep in America is mostly hobby farms for showing. They don't use black face suffolk sheep either, because the black fibers make wool undesirable. Meat and wool are huge sheep industries there.

The food was different, but it wasn't bad. We definitely didn't starve! The portions were large and lunch and dinner both had dessert. Chicken Schnitzel was a very popular menu item and became a running joke throughout the trip. They actually do drive on the other side of the car and road, say G'day mate, bloddy hell, and the toilet doesn't spin any direction. Lol. Everything is way higher priced than America, but a bartender did tell us she is paid minimum wage at $17.00 an hour. That's a lot more than our minimum wage in Kansas!

I was told before I left to watch out because Aussie's love their beer, and that is the truth! After touring the brewery where we tasted beer, drinking beer while we met with Webb's, Spry's, and at every lunch and dinner, I'm convinced that Aussie's do love their beer. It is a good thing considering the drinking age is 18 years old, I was able to partake in this cultural aspect of Australia!

Finally, I had an incredible time on this trip! I will never forget or take it for granted. The learning experience was great along with the people I went with. Getting to know everyone else was a highlight and I think I've made some great friends through Australia! I would tell anyone, if they had the opportunity to visit Australia, to go. We were lucky enough to, and lucky to learn about the agriculture there. I loved Australia. If JBS or Cargill asked me to live and work in Australia, I just might say yes! :) It was an amazing experience that I can't say enough about.

Farewell Australia

The last day... We had a farewell dinner the night before at the hotel restaurant, Bushfire Grill. It was a restaurant that served side dishes and then walked around with different types of meat and put it on our plates for us. We had beef, chicken, pork, chicken heart, lamb, and grilled pineapple. It was delicious! Graham (our tour guide) gave a little speech about how we were a great group. He was very nice! Afterward, some of us attempted to have a farewell night at Giligan's again, but made one drink and were falling asleep in our booth lol. We finished packing and got up for an early 3:30 am departure for the airport.

Little fuzzy of a sunrise from the airplane window

I was not ready to leave Australia at all. I feel like the time flew by! We finally made it to the airport and left for Brisbane. We all were asleep before we even left the runway lol. I did wake up for the sunrise which was very pretty! After a three hour layover, we boarded our long flight to LA. I'm very glad I was exhausted, because I slept hard for most of the flight which made it go faster. I couldn't even start a movie without falling asleep lol. After waiting in line for Customs, we had another layover for the flight to Dallas, then the home stretch-the flight to KCI! After hours and hours on a plane and in airports, we needed a shower and a bed, but we made it home! Lol My mom picked me up and we had a good ole Big Mac from McD's on the way home lol.

Day 2 Cairns

Giligan's the night before with Kara And Kaycie

Alright, we started our last day going in the rain to the boat for the Reef. It turned out to be cloudy weather for swimming, but it all worked out. The boat ride was an hour long to get to Green Island. With the wind and the rain, the ride was so rough! People were getting motion sickness like nobody's business. I escaped to the top level to be in the fresh air and luckily didn't get sick lol. The island was pretty cool, they had shops and the beach, but it was a little on the chilly side to swim a lot. After two hours, we rode another boat to the pontoon where we snorkeled and all. There was an option to scuba dive as well for an hour. At first I wasn't going to do that, however I decided to jump on the bandwagon after everyone else did! I'm extremely glad I did too because it was AMAZING! I loved scuba diving! We trained underwater for 30 minutes then went completely in and swam around for 30 minutes. When we first got in I was getting really nervous, but after learning how to breath and all, I felt better. We saw some cool looking coral and fish. It was unbelievable. Even with the weather the way it was, everything was still beautiful. Unfortunately I don't have pictures underwater, but others do and I will post them after I save theirs. If anyone gets to go to the Reef....Go!!

Day 1 in Cairns

Well I know this is late, but technique issues seem to find us in Australia. So after we made our flight to Cairns, the first thing we did was go to the Tjapukai Cultural Centre to learn about the Aboriginal people. We saw some paintings and their meanings, how they believe the earth started, and dancing, and weapons. In the middle of the visit we learned how to throw a boom-a-rang and a spear! Needless to say, I was not meant to hunt with either one of those items. Lol. After we finished there, we made it to our hotel for the next two nights and then ate dinner at Tha Fish restaurant. I got a delicious Barrimundi, but others said they didn't like their food so much-like Katelyn with eyes still on her shrimp lol. Cairns is a very touristy city, so we went out to see what it was all about afterward. We found a bar called Giligan's which was HUGE! It had an outside part and an inside part with bands and a dance floor. The Shaake's even went out for a beer or two with us! We actually met two girls from Colorado who live there on work visas. It was interesting to see how that was for them.

We left rather late that night, for a short nap before heading to the Great Barrier Reef!

Sydney trip

Well yesterday we ended our serious part of the trip by touring the Charles Sturt University. It is a smaller university but it is an all agriculture college which has units for sheep, cattle, and horses. They were nice facilities and we finally got to see the Dogs work the sheep, which was cool to see. After that we took a 4 hour bus ride to Sydney. It was long! Sydney is too big too see all in one night so we tried to crunch sightseeing and shopping in a few hours. We ate dinner on the cruise ship around the harbor at night and saw the opera house. It was beautiful!! I can't explain how cool it was too do that! The city was busy, of course, but fun and had amazing sites that I loved seeing as we walked around.  We woke early this morning for our trip to Cairns and now we're waiting in the airport. I can't believe the trip is almost over! I've loved it and am actually dreading going back to reality lol. This should be an amazing way to end the trip though. Snorkeling, and seeing the aboriginal parts of Australia will be awesome! More after we arrive! 

Merinos, emus, shorthorns

First stop today was the merino and white Suffolk stud farm called Trigger Vale, owned by Andrew and Mandy Bouffler, where we listened to a presentation and observed some of the studs. And we met their newest bottle calf,Tom! Mr. Bouffler was professional and interesting because he was very passionate about improving the genetics of his farm and how to be more innovative and efficient. The wool of the merino was extremely soft!! It could be used for other fine silks and Italian suits as Mr. Bouffler said.

After that we went to the emu farm owned by Ian Marston where there are over 200 emus raised for processing. We don't have that in the United States in very many places, so this was interesting to hear all about the industry. The most profitable product from emus is the oil. They can get up to 10 kilograms off one bird. The owners also provided lunch to us at their beautiful house. But....emu was not part if the food. Lol. We are told it is an acquired taste so maybe it's good we didn't.

Finally, we ended the day at the Spry's Shorthorn ranch. After seeing many of their studs and listening about their prestigious business, we had steaks and beer and socialized with the for the rest if the evening. Afterwards we made it to Wagga Wagga and everyone was so exhausted! I was in bed asleep by 8:30! Lol

Saleyard and Cargill

This morning it was 7 degrees C when we hopped on the bus at 8 am! We are all looking forward to Cairns lol. We started today at the cattle sale at the Wagga Wagga Saleyard. Every Monday morning they have 3000 cattle sold and every Thursday they have a sheep sale with nearly 30000 sold! We sat in on the auction and it was very interesting. It sounds and looks a lot different than the U.S. I couldn't really understand the auctioneer lol. Glen Fordyce was the livestock agent who showed us around. He gave us so much information and was very helpful with our questions.

After that we travelled a long distance, of across the street, to the Cargill beef abattoir for a tour. It was more similar to the american processing plants than JBS. They have about a 50/50 split for grass fed and grain fed cattle. We weren't able to see as much of the inner workings as we were at JBS, but they explained a lot of their regulations and how/why they do things the way they do. I felt like I got a lot out of it in terms of the business side of things.

Our last stop of the day was an hour bus ride to a town near Temora for lunch, a little free time, then the Jindalee feedlot of Teys Cargill cattle. I personally don't know very much about feedlots so hearing about the Australian feedlot process first leaves a different perspective. I think it is very similar to our feedlots however. They have a 100 day program with mostly angus cattle and run 15000 head at a time. They are not HGP free which is a switch from what we've been hearing. They feel that is the most profitable way to run the feedlot. We were not allowed to take pictures there so unfortunately I only have mental photos for that part of today. Now we are headed back to Wagga Wagga for overnight then we have a tour of the Charles Sturt University tomorrow before our journey to Sydney!

Hereford and Angus

Today we left the hotel bright and early at 7 30 for a long line at McDonalds for breakfast and it was a little more difficult to wake up today! Lol it rained all morning and was still kind of chilly while we visited with Lawson Angus ranch owners first. Then we travelled on to eat lunch and met with a Hereford and crossbred sheep rancher at Lima Park. He was very informative about the processes they go through to EU certify their animals. He described how they run their small operation as a tight ship; culling cattle quickly if they have problems that affect calving or other things, and then how meat and wool production both are a part of their operation.  Now we are headed to the town of Albury for one night. And tomorrow we visit a Shorthorn farm, Emu farm, and White Suffolk and Bond Merino stud farm. I'm actually very interested in the Emu farm and all that goes into that operation. We also eat lunch with our hosts from there so....does that mean we'll try Emu meat? We will see!  The afternoon turned out to be a nicer day and the sun decided to shine! On the bus rides today several people saw random kangaroo in the fields, but so far I've missed it every time. :( I have another goal...to get a picture of a wild kangaroo! The sunset was also beautiful tonight, but i couldn't get a picture past all the trees.  

JBS Tour

First off, we woke this morning to chilly weather and rain...which has not stopped! What do you need for a day of rain? A rain jacket, one thing which I can't find in my bag! Lol.

Anyway we started the day touring the JBS processing plant. It was amazing to see the inner workings of such an important aspect of safe meat consumption. They slaughter over 5000 head of sheep a day and 1000 head of cattle that is then processed, packaged, and shipped within 2 to 3 days of arrival. With over 1100 employees in the Brooklynn Abattoir, the process is fast, efficient, and nothing is missed. To explain how cool/interesting it was to learn and see would be impossible. The gentlemen that gave us the tour were very knowledgable and helpful with answering all our questions. I was thoroughly impressed with how we were able to see so much of their work.

Next up is the Webb Black Simmental ranch. This ranch was really fun to visit! Two brothers and one of their wives and a friend run the ranch that they own for Black Simmental bulls. That is not a very prominent breed there because the red Simmental is more known. They spent the day explaining how they started, what their goals are, and how they are marketing their ranch as well as the Black Simmental breed. Their goal is to one day be sought out by America and Canada instead of the other way around as it is now, which is a great thing to strive for. Something that stood out to me was when Phillip, one of the brothers, said a statement he has tried to keep in mind as he builds his ranch is "be daring, be different, be first." That's a catchy motto and very encouraging when you think of a situation such as this. All in all that was a very good stop! We finally made it to the hotel after getting a bit lost lol but off to bed for an early start tomorrow! Very excited to learn about the Lawson Angus Ranch tomorrow and see more beautiful things! And....it stopped raining FINALLY! :)

Melbourne day 2

Alright, after solving some of the Internet difficulties lol i have become a learning blogger from Australia! As in my post yesterday, we went to the Department of Primary Industries of Victoria about the NLIS system they use throughout Victoria. The beef system is mandatory for all farms that exceed 500 head. They have ear tags that have an electronic Sensor. With that they can scan the tag at the feedlot, sale yard, and abattoir that pulls up any information about that animal from birth. Such information includes where it has ever been, tracks pregnancy, and other information the rancher keeps track of. For the sheep industry, it is on a voluntary basis and they are working on implementing a mandatory system within the next few years. The NLIS is very efficient for all phases of production in terms of keeping track of animals, disease control, and constantly knowing the progress you make.

After, we went for a lighter few hours and toured Melbourne with a few stops at the Shrine of Remembrance, St. Patrick's Cathedral, and the Botanical Gardens. They were all beautiful and well worth the time to see!

Finally, the Carlton United Brewery was amazing! I didn't know the whole process of beer making until yesterday! They brew over 2 million liters daily of many famous Australian beer such as the Fosters beer we often hear about at home. As promised, we were able to taste test 4 kinds. Many different flavors were in each, but I think my favorite is the pear cider!

Winding down, we went for dinner then split off for our own night out. A few of us decided to check out a place called the Chill Out Bar which was AWESOME! We got huge coats, gloves, and a pair of UGG boots to wear in a bar made entirely of ice! After one cocktail, a couple of pictures, and 25 minutes we couldn't last in the -10C cold..lol. First night out and....success.

Melbourne

Well, we finally made it to Australia after a 1.5 hour, 3 hour, and a 15 hour flight! Although I didn't sleep very much, I did catch up on the tv show "How I Met Your Mother" by watching the entire fifth season on the personal TV on the long flight, lol. And I saw Pake lose several Street Fighting video game matches which reminded me of the Super Nintendo version when I was younger lol. After surviving customs, we met with our tour guide, Mr. Mitchell, and our bus driver, Richie at 8:30am. Straight from the airport we started our journey with an $8 sausage biscuit and coffee at McDonald's...There was no dollar menu! :( After that, we took an hour drive to the animal sanctuary in Healsville where we saw several types of birds, platypus, snakes, and of course kangaroo. Now we are headed to the hotel to finally get to shower (which we all want and need!) and catch up on our itinerary. Right now, it's fall here so the weather is cooler in Melbourne and the trees are changing colors which makes it a beautiful place! The cars are the same except complete opposite driving sides in the car and driving lanes..luckily we have a bus to take us around, lol. After getting here I'm even more excited to explore Australia and learn all the new things we have the opportunity to see. To all who know me well, I always forget to take pictures on trips or at important events so...my goal for the next 9 days is to take and post numerous pictures :) Tomorrow will include even more news!Sorry this is late,but it is from the first day. Enjoy

Technical difficulties

I have a blog from yesterday to post however we are struggling with our Internet so I'm posting this until I can find mine and post for yesterday and today with pictures! It should be later tonight and I promise they will be fantastic! So far today is awesome we have learned about the livestock identification system here which is amazingly efficient and impressive to me. We are about to head to tour the brewery which we are told is amazing! I'm excited to see what all this Aussie beer is all about. I will post more hopefully very soon!

Australia in a Nut Shell

Australian Coat of Arms

Throughout the semester, everyone has contributed to our education about Australia in a variety of aspects; from the Great Barrier Reef to feedlots. From the presentations, I have learned Aboriginal people are natives to the land and live a nomadic lifestyle based off the “Dreamtime.” Then, Australia was used as an outlet for convicts to live and work away from their criminal land. It was established in 1901 with a formal constitution and prime minister. Today the prime minister is a female, Julia Gillard. They have six states and two territories and the currency is one U.S. dollar equals 0.935 AUS dollars. Each note features an honorable individual.

Australian agriculture is a major part of the economy and overall development as it contributes to three percent of the GDP with 134000 farms. Some major food products are barley, grapes, wheat, avocado, and nuts. In addition wine production makes AU the fourth largest wine exporter in the world with $5.5 billion in exports. Australia’s economy is constructed of the service industry and the agriculture and mining industries with agriculture being 57 percent of the total exports. Each year their GDP grows an average of 3.3 percent making them the 13^th largest economy.

Merino Sheep

We learned about the different aspects of their agriculture that contribute the most to the economy. Sheep are a major production source with over 72 million head on 134 million ha area. Between live sheep and the products, the gross value is $2.9 billion and eight percent of the world’s lamb and mutton supply. Major breeds include Merino and Suffolk breeds.

Merino sheep are widely used for their high quality wool. Peepin Merino, South Australian Merino, Saxon Merino, and Spanish Merino are different strains of Merinos. Ninety percent of wool produced is exported. Suffolks are mainly bred for meat production. They are a cross between the Norfolk Horned Ewes and Southdown Rams. This breed is popular in the United States as well and is known for their adaptability, lambing ease, and strong crossbreeding.

Simmental

Along with sheep, cattle production is a large part of their agriculture industry with 27 million head and 332 million ha of land. It is the most popular fresh meat in Australia. Herefords, Angus, Shorthorn, and Simmental breeds are the few produced. Each originated in different countries and came to Australia over a century ago. A majority of the beef is grass fed and that is the desirable product by consumers there.

Another side of agriculture is the thriving Emu industry. These farms raise emus for products such as their low fat meat, emu oils, and leather.

Finally, here is some Australian lingo:

Stubby-beer bottle

Chips-french fries
Macca’s-McDonald’s

Barbie-BBQ

After this class, I am most excited about the culture in Australia in comparison to the United States. It will be interesting to learn about the agriculture differences such as production and how the consumer’s desires differ from here. On another note, the Great Barrier Reef will be amazing to visit too!

Canberra, Australia

Canberra, meaning “meeting place” is the capital and power city of Australia, with a population of 400,000. Designed by architect Walter Burley Griffin with the idea that it would be the focal point of the country, Canberra is known for its peaceful surroundings and many attractions. It is home to the main attractions of Australia. Most of them sit on the northern half around Lake Burley Griffin and the Parliamentary Triangle. Sitting at the top is the Parliamentary House as the center for Australia’s democracy. The symbolic architecture demonstrates simplicity and openness for their government. Further through the Triangle is the five story building designed by Walter Bunning in 1968; the National Library of Australia. Displaying more than 7 million books, it is the nation’s leading research and reference centre. Near the library, Queen Elizabeth II opened the High Court of Australia in 1980. It contains three court rooms with six High Court judges and many art components symbolize respect and commitment to the justice system.

On through to a suburb, Yarralumla, is the Australian War Museum with monuments and tributes to those fallen in the war, including the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Another great attraction is the National Gallery of Australia. Included in the nearly 100,000 pieces of art are the sculpture gardens, Aboriginal art collections, and other famous artists’ work. It was opened in 1982 with early European to present day art to show the cultural diversity of the country. 

One tourist favorite is the 195m Black Mountain Tower. On the slopes are the Australian National Botanic Gardens which has nearly 90,000 plants and story-telling Aboriginal trails.

In addition to the gardens is the National Zoo and Aquarium. Throughout the 22 acre zoo a tourist would see koalas, wombats, cheetahs, and giraffes. Connected to the zoo is the Aquarium which houses a variety of Australia’s native fish and coral species.

Among other attractions is the Australian Institute of Sport where some of Australia’s top Olympic Medalists train and guide tourists through their interactive sport facilities. Also the National museum of Australia is near and shares a location with the Australian institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies. With a jigsaw puzzle type architecture the building attracts tourists interested in the many different artifacts of the Aboriginal people and other pieces of art that symbolize the culture from past to present.

The southern half of the Capital Territory is home to the native animals of the Namadgi National Park 22 miles south of Canaberra and covers nearly half of the Capital Territory. It’s popular for its solidarity and naturalistic views. The Murrumbidgee River is one of the favorite places to fish, canoe, and picnic. Locals and tourists enjoy the many activities this city offers along with the amazing sites.