Thickshake

May 28th 2012

          Well this morning started off with breakfast as usual. We finally have free wifi for one more night at our hotel.
          We then headed to the Wagga Wagga Livestock Marketing Center. It was operated by the Wagga Wagga City Council and started in 1979. They have weekly sales and sell about 500 cattle per hour. They also sell sheep and lambs. Their way of auctioning seems to be more efficient then ours. They bring the cattle to the front in holding pens. Then they have two different alleys where the cattle come into the auction floor at the same time. One set is auctioned off and then the next. Both sets leave down the same ally and are sent off to their buyers pen. Majority of their gates in the arena were hydraulic so there was just a person sitting in the office controlling that. Then there wasn't an extra person on the floor. Instead of the normal auctioneer chant, the auctioneer yelled the whole time. There wasn't any ring to it and he beat a wooden stick after each group of cattle were sold.
          Next we headed to Cargill Abattoir now owned in partnership Teys. Their plant was more of an American style harvest operation. This was the first facility we've seen that has harvested grain fed beef. We got to see how they harvested the different cuts like the tongue, tail, and the omassum. They said people separate the omassum and fry it. Sounds terrible to me! I know what it's used for and it does not sound appetizing.
          After that we had lunch in a small town of Temora. Then we had a little free time to roam around town. We found a little soda shop and we got milkshakes. Well actually if you want an American milk shake you would ask for a thickshake. Otherwise you would just be getting milk with a little flavoring slightly shaken. But my Carmel thickshake was delicious.
          Next we headed to Jindalee Feedlot who is owned by Cargill and Teys. All of the cattle their were owned by them. They had the cattle on 100 day programs. Some of the things they were fed were steamed flaked wheat, cotton seed, cotton seed hulls, and hay.

         Now we are waiting to go to supper. Until next time!

Elizabeth

Finally Eating Steak!

May 27th 2012

Albury to Wagga Wagga

            Well it was one short night, but it was a lot of fun. We finally got to choose our own dinner last night at a restaurant called Soden's! I had a filet mingon medium rare of course. Being grass fed it really wasn't that bad. I never realized how much I would miss not having beef until our only choices for meals has been fish and chips, chicken, or veal. We also found out why we are not so found of the lamb here. Americans like to drink water with their meals. And when you drink water with your lamb it makes it chewy and kind of an off flavor. Another interesting fact about food here is that they serve salad on the side of their meal instead fed before your main dish. They call ketchup tomato sauce and if you ask for ranch dressing you get laughed at. Learning their customs and ways of eating.
             This morning was a little more interesting than normal. I found out that a tornado went through my hometown so that wasn't a good thing to wake up to. So sorry about the awful delay in getting in my blog posted and the pictures. The scenery is beautiful here. The grass is lush green and they actually get rain here as its been raining the past few days. I just can't get over the landscaping here. I keep looking out the window as I'm typing up this blog on the bus.

             We visited Valera White Suffolk & Bond Merino Studs. Owned and operated by Andrew and Mandy Bouffler. They had Trigger Vale Polls and White Suffock Studs which are the source of superior White Suffolks and maternal Poll genetics. They did also did A.I. at their farm. It was neat to see their operation and how they are trying to be a great seed stock producer. The biggest predator for the sheep in Australia seem to be hawks and foxes. The hawks nibble out their eyes and then the foxes finish them off.

             Next we visited the Marrocka Emu farm. Those are some crazy chickens. The females are very territorial compared to the males. They are used for their meat, oil, feathers, and leather. I have never been on an emu farm so it was sure one experience.

             Last place we visited was the Ardlui Shorthorn Stud farm. They are the largest Shorthorn breeders in Australia. They were involved in an international genetic assessment program. They were the best cattle we have seen so far. The cattle were built more small compared to the rest of the large cattle here.
             And finally we got to Wagga Wagga where we finally have free wifi!!! We are all in our rooms typing away!

So until next time!
Elizabeth

GO GO GO

May 26th 2012

           Up and early seems to be the pattern these days. Went to McDonald's to try to get Internet. I've found out that we should be very thankful for the free wifi in America.

           Next we left Seymour and headed to Lawson Black Angus farm. They were the largest seed stock producers in Australia. It was neat to see their farm and how they run and operate. They used some of Americas research and genetics in their production. Lawson Angus sells approximately over 800 bulls a year. And they have run about over 2,000 cows in their 3 locations.

Lawson's Black Angus

Lima Park Herefords

          After Lawson's, we ate a restaurant in Boonie Doon. We had the same set menu of chicken, suppose to be veal but it was chicken, and fish and chips.We then headed to Lima Park where they operated 300 Herefords and 3,000 Border Lester Merino crosses. We learned that he uses all natural breeding and runs just one bull to about 30 cows. He splits all his cows up and breeds them just to one bull so he knows exactly what bull is bred to which cow. He culls all F2 generations off of his first calf heifers. After we spoke to him about his cattle heard he showed us his sheep shearing barn. This was amazing to me because I have never seen a sheering barn before! It was amusing to see exactly how they sheer multiple sheep in one day. He said one guy can run through 200-300 sheep a day! He also told us how he runs his cattle and sheep. He runs the sheep up in the mountains because it is dryer and it helps keep the sheep's hooves free of moister which is a must. If their hooves get wet then they are more prone to get foot rot. He then runs the cattle below the mountains because it gets more moister and the grass is better. The cattle will gain about 3 kg a day on the grass and the sheep will gain about 200-300 grams a day up in the mountains. He also said that his stress free was a must.
            We have been on the go all day. As we sometimes get behind on time. Hopefully we get Internet soon.

Elizabeth

Beef and sheep is what they eat!

Friday May 25th

         Today we got up and packed up our bags before breakfast. We then left the hotel and headed for the JBS Abattoir. We had a interesting tour of their facilities. Most of the processing is the same as it is in the U.S. At the processing facility, they processed 1,200 cattle and 5,000 sheep a day. With the cattle here, they are grass fed so there is more yellow fat. They trim a lot of their fat off and their isn't much marbling on the meat. They also had a value added room where they added different kinds of seasoning to their meat. For instance they had garlic butter and a rosemary garlic product. The way the package their meat is interesting. They use a lot of plastic compared to how we package with styrofoam.

         We then toured Webb Black Simmentals ranch. Their hospitality was some of the best we've had so far. They were about 6 years into running their business. The Black Simmentals are a rare breed in Australia. So the Webb ranch is trying to promote their product by doing not only bull semen but also some embryo transfers. They are hoping that their breed becomes more popular like it is in the U.S. I asked if they had any groups or organizations that promote beef like we have CCW, NCBA, KLA, etc. They unfortunately said no. It was interesting to see their ranch and how they operate.

Elizabeth

Just a stroll and some ice!

Thursday May 24th 2012

Melbourne Day 2

         Well today was one interesting day! I got up about 6:00 a.m. and had breakfast.  It was the most normal food we had by that time.  Our $20 breakfast included eggs, bacon, and toast.  After breakfast we went on what they call a "stroll" we enjoyed the lovely architecture.  It was definitely a hike as to where I don't walk much around Manhattan.  We sat on a meeting and talked about the National Livestock Identification System (NLIS).

At the Carlton Brewery

         After our meeting and lunch we had a bus tour of the city.  One of the most interesting sites was the St. Patrick's Cathedral. It was the largest Gothic venue in the the Southern hemisphere.  Next was the tour everyone was waiting for.. the brewery tour!  We toured the Carlton facilities and then had a free taste testing afterwards.  Finally it was supper time, after we walked all over the city to find somewhere to eat. We ate at a casino buffet which was good since it had a lot of choices.  Last but not least you would think that night would be over.. but instead we found an ice bar!!!! Which was freezing.. literally!  I have only seen the ice bars in Vegas and on the travel channel so being able to experience it was great.

St. Patrick's Cathedral

Until next time!


Elizabeth

Arriving to Melbourne

Wednesday May 23 2012

Arriving to Melbourne

           Sorry for the delay.  We have had such a hard time getting on Internet as most the places we've been don't have free wifi. Anyways.. on to my blog.

Koala just hanging out

           Well its been a busy couple of days with not having a Tuesday as we lost a day with the time change.  We flew from KCI to DFW, then to LAX for a four hour layover.  And finally our last flight which was 15 hours to Melbourne from LAX.  The last plane we rode was a Airbus which seated around 500 people.  That was the biggest plane and the longest flight I've been on.  I was really worried about how long the flight was at first, but we were fed supper within the first 3 hours. Then I fell asleep for several hours and was up again for a small breakfast. Thank goodness for the personal TV and free drinks! Our mimosas were delicious this morning as we watched the sunrise from our window.

Kangaroo posing for me.

            Once we landed in Australia it was 8:30 a.m. so we headed to the lovely McDonald's for breakfast/lunch. I had a sausage McMuffin, which the sausage definitely tastes different over here. Then we headed for Healesville Sanctuary. Which is where we saw many different animals such as dingoes, wombats, Tasmanian devils, koalas, and of course kangaroos. We watched Spirits of the Sky, which was a bird show. It was interesting to see how well they had the birds trained.

Spirits of the Sky

            Now we are riding the bus back to our hotel as I am typing this. We are all so excited to take a shower finally! Then we have our welcome dinner at La Camera.

Until next time!

Elizabeth

20 Days!

            Well it's May 1st which means only one week and finals left. But more importantly it means we leave in 20 days for Australia!! I'm excited yet kind of nervous. It seems like just the other day Kara and I were talking about applying for the trip. The time has flown this semester as today is our last class before we leave!

The Great Barrier Reef!

In class we have covered all different aspects of Australia. From their agriculture to their culture and geography. Here are some of the interesting points we discussed:

-Only nation to occupy an entire continent.
-Australia has 6 states and 2 territories.
-Sydney is the largest in population with 4.5 million.
-Australia was home to convicts who were transported in 1788 by King George IV.
-The current Prime Minister of Australia is Julia Gillard.
-10% Goods and Services Tax instead of a sales tax.
-"Hotels" are Australian bars due to the strict liquor
license laws during the 19th century.
-Even though the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) can be seen from outer space, Captain James Cook ran into it in 1770.
-The GBR is approximately 500 million years old and the largest Coral Reef in the world.
-We will be touring a JBS facility in Brooklyn. They have 5200 head of cattle and lambs there.

I'm not so much ready for the long plane rides, but I'm so excited for new experiences.  I hope that you enjoy following my blog as I make the trip to Australia!

Until next time! EMAW

~Elizabeth