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!