May 28th : Day 6 : Wagga Wagga

May 28, 2012: Day 6: Wagga Wagga

Well today is day 6 ! Where has the time gone? We have been just cruising our way through Australia and it has been awesome! This morning we woke up around 6:00 , got ready, and went and had some breakfast. Our hotel once again has bunk beds, very interesting. I guess since there are like three of us in a room they think we all need our own beds. Also while we were at the hotel Katelyn, Elizabeth (my roomies) , and I all bagged up some laundry (jeans mainly) to be washed. The weather right where we have been has been chilly.

Our first stop for the day was to the Wagga Wagga Saleyards. We toured and talked to the manager about the differences between our saleyeards and Australia's. We sat on a live sale where the manager said they run about five hundred cattle through the sale in an hour or less. They have two pens where you can currently see what is being sold and also what is up next. It seems like it saves time.

Cattle in the saleyards

The second stop for the day was at the Cargill Beef abattoir. Here we suited up in our fun white outfits, hard hats, goggles, rubber boots, and we were off to tour the plant. Oh just to mention the boots I had to wear were like size 13 and reached up more than half my legs. Imagie that scene. In the plant they are basically on an American system, which is efficient and organized. The plant is clean and they have about thirty differnt nationalities that are employed. They export a bunch of tongue,and different parts of stomach compartments. Cargill strives for honesty, loyalty and success in their company. Much like Cargill in America. This was the first abattoir in Australia that we toured that had grain fed cattle that are harvested.

Auctioner running the sale at the saleyards

After Cargill we were off to lunch and the Jindalee Feedlot. We went to Terminus Hotel in Temora. I ordered cajun chicken and it was pretty good. Very spicy but very tasteful. They also serve french fries with everything which is getting old . I probably wont be eating much more french fries ! After lunch we visited Jindalee Feedlot which is a part of Cargill feedlots and send most of their beef to the Teys Cargill abattoir , which we visited earlier today. They have a capacity of 17,000 and currently have about 15,000 currently there right now. They feed a different feed ration unlike ours. It was very interesting.

Today we learned a bunch and tomorrow we are headed to SYDNEY !!! Cant wait!

So long mates !

-Kara

May 27th : Day 5 :Albury to Wagga Wagga

May 27, 2012: Day 5 : Albany to Wagga Wagga

This morning came bright and early ! I think we all have been having a good time touring Australia that were all starting to get tired. Last night we had dinner at a Soden's and it was AMAZING ! We had a choice of anything off the menu. I got a fillet mingon and steamed vegetables. I was kind of leary about getting it because it was grass fed beef, but actually it was good.

Holding Tom the baby lamb

We loaded up our luggage and ourselves on the bus at 8:00 in the morning from the Paddlesteamer Motel. Which was a lot better then our hotel the other night in Seymour. Oh did I mention that we are now in New South Wales. Our tour started this morning with Trigger Vale Genetics farm. They have White Suffolk, Merino studs, and crossbreds. They A.I about two hundred lambs in the summer. Trigger Vale is family operation where Andrew and Mandi Bouffler run there farm with their three children. We looked at the quality of wool they produce and differences there is between America. They run around 2,500 head of sheep total.

Owner of Trigger Vale Genetics

Our next stop was at the Emu farm this stop was a fun stop. The only other time I had seen an emu was at the zoo. This farm has about two hundred birds . They use the bird for their the emu oil, the second resource is the emu meat that they use. They said that the emu produces around 10 kilograms of oil ! Quite interesting. They served us a steak lunch which was good. I feel like all they do is eat around here. I can honestly say that I am stuffed right now.

Emu farm

Our last stop for the evening was at Spry familys shorthorn operation. We looked at some of their prize livestock. One of their bulls won the Sydeny Royal. They run about 350 cattle on their operation and has traveled to the states to look at the shorthorn cattle in the United States. After we finished talking for awhile the Spry family cooked us an amazing steak supper ! Although it was good I could not eat much because I was so full from lunch. I enjoyed talking to the Sprys and learning about their operation. Today was a busy day and was good.

One of the top bulls that did very well at the Sydney Royal

-Kara

May 26th : Day 4 : Seymour to Albany

May 26 , 2012 : Day 4 : Seymour to Albury

Well today started as very stressful. As we all got up to go to Mcdonalds there was wifi, but I think there was an overload of all blogging. So this is why Im uploading as many blogs as I can when the wifi is available. Sorry for the delay! I think as Americans we dont realize how different a country is until we are actually here.

Larry Lawson talking to us about Angus genetics

Our next stop for today was at Lawson Farms. Lawson farms is one of the largest seedstock operations of Australia. They sell over eight hundred bulls with many different autions and private treaty sells. The Lawsons have their herds spread across many parts of Victoria and Australia. Lawsons have a partnership with Gardiner Angus Ranch in Kansas. After talking about cattle we went to one of the Lawons favorite coffee, biscuit shops they like to enjoy on a rainy/cold day like today.

Some of the Lawson bulls

We soon stopped for lunch near Bonnie Doon, where we were rushed to eat our lunch and get on our way to our next stop. We had fish and chips (fries), chicken parmeson, or chicken schnitezil. We basically had this same meal last night also. A little different but it was alright. I am craving a big juicy steak right now !

Our last stop for the day was to visit a hereford operation. The managers name was Hamish McMillan. He not only had herefords but also dorest sheep. He more talked about sheep then the herefords. He runs around three hundred or more hereford commercial cow operation. He stressed a no-stress management. He has all hormone free cattle which falls under the cattle advantage (in Australia). He does not do any A.I. On the sheep side of things he sells the wool and also to market. What we thought that was interesting is that their are no black sheep over here, black sheep are not worth very much in Australia. He showed us his shearing barn and how they bag the wool. This stop was an interesting stop.

So long mates !
-Kara

One of Hamish McMillan's Hereford bulls

May 25th: Day 3

May 25, 2012 : Day 3 : Touring JBS and Webb Black Simmentals

Some of the sites out in the country of Australia

This morning we started our day off at 7:30. We packed our luggage up and were on our way to Seymour. Our first tour site was JBS Australia, which was an abattoir . I was excited to tour the plant because just like the United States there is very limited visitor access to the harvesting plants. As we went around the abattoir there were some differences in the processing. It was very interesting how they did some of their animal harvesting compared to ours in the United States. Unfortunely I do not want to go into detail because some people have certain opinions and just like America we have to be very careful what we put out to the public, and JBS in Australia has asked us to be selective on what we put in our blog. I absouetly loved this tour site. Recently JBS in Australia started seasoning some of their beef and lamb. The seasoning they started using was garlic butter, and rosemary seasonings. One other difference between America and Australia was that they vaccum seal with plastic plates . Where as we use styrofoam. JBS abattoir kills 5000 sheep and 1200 cattle a day. If you didnt know this is one of the largest meat works in the Southern Hemisphere.

Our last touring stop for the day was at Webb Simmentals. This operation is basically ran by three individuals. Two brothers started and then they hired on a stud manager. When talking with all the individuals the biggest issue they face is getting the Simmental breed out to Australia, for them the best way they can promote is through word of mouth. Webb Simmental usually had their sale in March. They calve in the fall (October) and spring. They also talked about how temperent was very important in their operation and if their bulls arent very nice then they get rid of them. They said that many farmers get killed by bad temperant bulls each year, and this is something that they dont want for their operation. We asked if they had some of a national promotion, they do which is called MLA. In Philip Webbs word, "we are jealous of what Americans can do with their promotion and see results." Their hope is one day to get their simmentals into American just as us Americans have gotten ours in Australia. Today was a great experience and cant wait to learn more !

Webb Black Simmentals

-Kara

May 24th : The Start of the Week

Dr. Tony Bennett talking about identification tags

Today started the day of more touring. We walked a few kilometers ,don't ask me how many because well I just know we walked for a long time. We were headed to our first destination which was huge business building. There we met with Dr. Tony Bennett where he talked to us about various points in their animal industry here in Victoria. Here they are big EID tags which we use some in America. Victoria is a major place where they were one of the first to start this system. They fed us lunch and well.. It was interesting. The sandwich we had was different. It tasted like turkey but not ? Heck I don't know. Anyways it had this berry sauce on it and was not so good either. Maybe I am not just used to this kind of bland food over here. Tonight I was hoping to have a better meal because it was a buffet and well it was a step up from lunch, that is all I will say. Soon after our session in the morning with Dr. Bennett we went and saw the sites of Melbourne and they were absolutely beautiful ! When we looked at the monuments, it reminded me of our Washington D.C. After touring the sites we visited Clarton Brewery and learned how they manufacture their beer, it was very similar to ours in the United States. Today was a very educational day and can't wait to to some more touring tomorrow!

Me and my roomies at the Carlton Brewery

Enjoying my time in Australia!

-Kara

May 21st

Katelyn and I waiting to get on our flight for Australia

May 21, 2012

 Hello everyone ! As you all know , today is the day we all leave for Australia ! We have so far gone through two security checkpoints, checked in our luggage, and have visited three different cities so far have survived them all. On our first flight Pake, one of our fellow passangers earned his "wings" this was his first time flying ever ! So congrats to him ! My ex perience on my flight from KCI to DFW involved an eight year old kid kicking, shaking, and punching my seat. Lets hope this isnt like this when it comes to the long 14-16 hour flight. Currently I am sitting with many other australian bound mates my age waiting to board our flight ! We all are excited ! We will be flying on a double decker plan, which is the biggest plan you can fly. This shall be a fun experience. Hope you all stay tuned in , and the next time I will be blogging is when I am actually in Australia. Later mates!
-Kara

Pake's wings he earned on American Airlines

May 23rd : Arrival To Melbourne

Well hello everyone ! Hope everything is going well in the U.S. Today we arrived to Melbourne at 8:10 in the morning. We never saw May 22, 2012. The plane ride surprisingly was very smooth and nice. We we got on the plane at night in LA, a few minutes upon boarding on the plane I fell asleep so I don't even remember taking off from L.A. I soon woke up to passengers eating a meal, but I just did not eat and went back to sleep. I think you can say I already had what they call "jet lag." On the plane ride there were some things that went down. Shane, who was sitting next to me was out like a rock, we shook his seat, pushed him an no response, I at least made sure he was breathing, and sure enough he was still alive! Kaycie who was to the right of me had some other guy sitting in front of her that kept putting his chair up and down. She was getting annoyed! Do ya blame her? Also our plane had digital tv's right in front of us so we were able to see our plane flying, the degrees up in the air, seat chat, games, and movies! Can you say we were entertained? I think so! It was awesome! I also experienced the bathrooms on the planes.. they were quite interesting. I have no clue what time it was at night but everyone was asleep and tho thought I was stuck in the bathroom! I pulled on like three different handles and still was not getting out of the bathroom. Finally I pushed on the door and well... IT OPENED! Thank the lord!

Kangaroo at the zoo

After we arrived to Melbourne, we went through customs which was easier than I thought it would be, then we met with our tour guide and were on our way . Oh did I mention that my luggage was at the baggage claim! It was like Christmas, I was so happy to see it! Anyways back to the tour, next stop was to Healesville Sanctuary. This was a zoo! e saw so many animals. We saw kangaroos, dingos (dog like creatures), and a variety of birds. It was a great experience and took many pictures! One last fact I learned from the ladies at the gift store was that Thomas Crapper invented the crapper! Fun fact huh? This stop that we made to the zoo is one stop that I will remember, and learned various facts to apply to other experiences on this trip!

Feeding a bird at the zoo

Well so long mates, we are about to check into our first hotel in Australia! Sorry for all the delays this blog is actually a day later than I wanted.

So long mates !
Kara

A few of the winerys in Australia

It's About That Time

Its almost here the time we all have been waiting for ! WE LEAVE FOR AUSTRALIA TOMORROW !! Here is a schedule of our flights and where we will be throughout the day. Our class will be blogging from day to day and letting you know what we all are up to ! Schedule for departing : Depart KC : 2:35 pm Arrive Dallas: 4:15 pm Depart Dallas: 6:15 pm Arrive LA: 7:35pm Depart LA:11:30 pm Arrive Melbourne 8:10am May 23 (never will see May 22,2012) Schedule for while in Australia: Depart Cains: 5:30 am Arrive Brisbane 7:35 am Depart Brisbane :10:35am Arrive LA 6:40 am (seeing June 1 for the second time ) Depart LA 10:40 am Arrive Dallas 3:40 pm Depart Dallas 5:15 pm Arrive KC 6:45 pm Well I better get back to packing ! See you later mates ! -Kara

Twenty Days Mate !

Wow, can you believe it is May already?! As of today there are twenty days left until we all head out to the Land Down Under! I don't know about anyone else but I am ready to get there ! It seemed like so long ago there was so much anticipation to get out of good ole' Kansas and head out to somewhere new for a few weeks. Over the semester the class split up into groups and did some presentation over various things in Australia that are currently happening or what made Australia the way it is now. Below you will see briefly some presentations and topics that were presented to the class.

Australia is different from the United States. Australia is made up of six states and two major territories. Australia is the 6th largest nation. Australia's largest state is Western Australia. Approximately 1/3 of of the country lies in the tropics.

Northern Queensland rainforests are also known as the "Wet Tropics." Rainfall near the coast reaches 4000mm, and near Western extremity it reaches 1200mm of rainfall. Northern Queensland Rainforest is said to be one of the most significant ecosystem regions in the world.

Lastly, I would like to talk to you all about the Australian livestock sales. The sales in Australia started in the 1840s. Auctions started in the 1850s, and pen selling started in the 1960s. The use of stock agents have some these following responsibilities:
-Reports to his client on market trends and prices
-Sorts stock into lines for sale
-Sorts prime animals for the freezing works
-Arranges penning and auction
-Arranges transport of stock to saleyards
Here is a link to view how they do sales at auctions/pen selling in Australia http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPT7GUdNM7Y

I hope you enjoyed learning more about Australia, and I can wait to get on that plane to Australia and arrive safely. I am looking forward to seeing the difference in Agriculture between Australia and the United States. I think it will be interesting to see the difference in livestock also. I hope to blog before I get to Australia but if not, be sure to follow me in the next twenty days so you can see and hear about all the fun adventures us K-Stater's are having!

See ya later mates!
-Kara Schwarzkopf