Analytical blog

The visit that I chose to analyze for my blog is the visit to Trigger Vale where we met Andrew and Mandi Bouffler. It was my favorite and one of the most intriguing Australian stops. This sheep stud (seed stock) operation is located in Valera, New South Wales. Not only was Mr. Bouffler very well educated, he was also well traveled. In my mind, this helped them capitalize on genetic advancement and profitability. To relate this back to scientific principles I’m going to refer back to what I learned in breeding. Trigger Vale ran Polls and White Suffolk sheep. To be successful, they place maximum selection pressure on the traits that directly drive their client’s profitability: GROWTH, MEAT YIELD, FERTILITY, and WOOL TRAITS. In order to achieve this, Trigger Vale measures and works to improve these polygenic traits (traits affected by many genes) that influence commercial profits by utilizing breeding values. More specifically, two sheep genetic evaluation systems: Lambplan and Merinoselect. As an Agricultural Economics double major I found it more interesting to take it a step further. Trigger Vale incorporates indirect profit driving traits such as structural correctness, adaptability, and temperament. Finally, they work to find a profit maximization level, especially with traits that are negatively correlated (traits that are linked and as one trait increases, the other decreases). To accomplish profit maximization they do incorporate crossbreeding to capture gains from hybrid vigor as well. In the end, I was very impressed with this stop and learned quite a bit about the sheep industry in Australia.

To visit their website: Trigger Vale

Wool - this is very profitable in Australia

White Suffolk Rams

Tom was a little bottle lamb that the family was feeding

Overall Australian Impression

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my trip to Australia! I covered in more detail what we did each day, but in my mind, pictures speak louder than words. Thanks for following me down under.

Best food in Australia! Diamond Creek Tavern - Fish and Chips and Apple Crumble

Webb Black Simmental

The Barbie

Wagga Wagga Livestock Marketing Center

B double semis

Cargill

Spry Shorthorns - Champion Bull at the Sydney Royal

Cairns

Rainbow from the rain

Australia - Day 9

The morning started out foggy, cloudy, and rainy which we found out only happens about 5% of the time during the fall and winter. Regardless, off we went to see the Great Barrier Reef because today was the only day we had left in Australia. The group boarded a boat to go to Green Island for the morning. I signed up to go scuba diving, received some training, and explored the small island. In the afternoon, I boarded a pontoon to go to the outer reef by scuba diving and snorkeling. Both boat rides were not enjoyable primarily because of elderly asian tourists and their weak stomachs. Even so, words cannot express the beauty that God created under the sea. I got to touch fish, a giant clam, and see all sorts of beautiful fish, a shark, and the ocean floor. Without a doubt, I will remember this for the rest of my life. Following the boat ride back to the hotel, the group had a farewell dinner at the Bushfire Grill. It was an Australian barbecue and very tasty. To end the day I went to the night market which was an interesting experience. It's hard to believe that this trip is over and I will be headed home!

Australia - Day 8

May 30, 2012

The day was started early in Sydney and I wished that we had more time in the city. After a ride to the airport, the group boarded the plane to Cairns. On the plane I did watch the movie Big Miracle. Upon arrival, the sky was cloudy and random showers popped up. The afternoon was spent at the Tjapukai Cultural Center to learn about the aboriginal people. The most fun was the boomerang throwing and spear throwing. The night concluded at a seafood restaurant close to the ocean.

Australia - Day 7

This morning the sun was shining and that was a fabulous sign. Following a short drive to Charles Stuart University, we met Dr. Peter Chenoweth. This was a great experience because he actually taught at Kansas State University for a number of years and left the states to come back to Australia in 2005. He gave us a tour of the college and livestock facilities, including the brand new cutting edge veterinary school which focuses primarily on horses. Additionally, we got to meet some students. For the first time we got to see a kelpie dog work sheep. Many of the places we have visited have dogs, but we haven't gotten to see them in action. A lengthy bus ride took the group to a convenience store where I chose to eat at KFC for lunch. The chicken wasn't bad. The country side was beautiful! We finally arrived in Sydney around 4 pm. I went shopping with Jordan and we were able to find some good things to bring back with us. To close out the evening the group went on a dinner cruise which was beautiful. There was a special light show going on this evening so the Sydney Opera House, bridge, and several other buildings were lit up and had art projecting across the buildings. The city is a fun place to be and I wish that we could stay here longer! Even so, we are headed to Cairns (pronounced canns) bright tomorrow morning.

Australia - Day 6

May 28, 2012

This morning started out at the Wagga Wagga Livestock Marketing Centre (center). It is a very large place that sells cattle and sheep, but we got see the cattle sale. After cattle are dropped off, they get drafted (processed) and put into sale groups. For example, vealers is the term for cattle just weaned off their mums (dam). We also saw heifers, bulls, and steers sold. Agents sell the cattle and it is their job to know the buyers and who buys what type of cattle. Bidding is very subtle and no names are called out during the auction. One gentleman bid by raising his right index finger while his hands were folded over his desk. Approximately 500 head of cattle are sold during one hour and it was very impressive how the system worked. Out back, many of the people working had horses, either quarter horses or Australian stock horses. This is the first time that we have seen horses working. The second stop not very far away was the Cargill abattoir, a joint partnership between the Teyes family and Cargill. To me, this plant was much more Americanized for lack of a better word, and only beef cattle were processed. We were also able to learn more about the grading system. There are two systems in place the Aus Meat and MSA systems that may work together and separately as well. Not every carcass is MSA graded. A worker on the line let me see the grading cards and they are similar to what we use in the United States, however, the score is assigned a number as opposed to Choice marbling score. The group ate lunch and had time to shop downtown in Temora. The final stop for the day was Jindalee Feedlot. The yard gets in about 1000 head per week to feed and ships the same amount to the abattoir in Wagga weekly. 90-95% of the cattle come directly off the farm and of the 17,000 head feedlot only a small percentage aren't black. This yard doesn't do any custom feeding and gives implants. Feed stuffs are purchased from farmers nearby. Although much smaller, this yard reminded me of the ones back home. Dinner was at the Victorian Hotel (bar). It was a very good meal. In the end, the weather was fabulous and it was a great day. It's hard to believe that a majority of our trip is over already.

Australia - Day 5

May 27, 2012

This morning was extremely foggy. Albury proved to be a nice town to stay in and after breakfast the group took a lengthy bus ride to our first destination for the day - Trigger Vale. We heard from Andrew and Mandi Bouffler about their White Suffolk and Bond Merino Stud. They run about 1200 Merino ewes, 500 White Suffolk ewes, and because they are a stud, approximately 700-800 yearling rams.  Additionally, they grow crops: wheat, barley, canola, faba beans, and oats. Andrew is very educated and has traveled the world bringing back ideas to put into practice within his own operation. Essentially, he is working to build a super ewe who has the ability with proper nutrition and environment to reproduce and raise a lamb in addition to producing top quality wool. I really enjoyed this visit and learned a lot, especially because we don't have any operations close to the magnitude in the United States. Artificial insemination, embryo transfer, and even genomics are used by this operation. The second stop for the day was an emu farm by "The Rock" on Marrocka and it was nice because the sun came out. Ian and Marilyn Marston run about 200 birds. Surprisingly, each bird is quite valuable because of a special oil in the emu's back in addition to leather, meat, and some feathers. This stop was very "outside the box" so to speak and an unforgettable experience. They were also kind enough to serve us lunch. It was very delicious! We had salad, potatoes, steak, sausages (beef hotdogs) and pavlova for dessert. They were very hospitable and it was great to have a home cooked meal. For the last stop we got to see Sprys Shorthorn stud. This stop was phenomenal and the highest quality stock that we have seen so far. In fact, a bull that won the Sydney Royal not too long ago that the stud sold was here for a few days. The focus of the Shorthorn breed is much different here compared to the United States because it has more of a commercial focus. This is another favorite stop and they were kind enough to feed us dinner. 

Australia - Day 4

May 26, 2012

This morning was very cold and drizzly. At least it wasn't pouring rain like the day before. Breakfast was at McDonalds because that seems to be the only place on the entire Australian continent with reliable free internet. Regardless, the first stop for the day was Lawson Angus. The owner, Harry Lawson, showed us some bulls that he was developing through an intensive rotational grazing system utilizing paddocks. It was a very fascinating stop especially because of the operation's ties to Kansas - Gardiner Angus Ranch. He recently expanded to western Australia and sells bulls across the country. The farm utilizes both artificial insemination and embryo transfer technologies. In my mind he runs a progressive program. Harry treated us to coffee and biscuits as a treat at Mandala before they sent us on our way. Lunch was at the Bonnie Doon tavern and the scenery between stops was pretty. Our second stop for the day was Lima Park where we talked with Hamish McMillan. He and one other person run approximately 500 head of Horned Hereford cattle and 3000 ewes. They grow all the feed for their operation in house. Additionally, he doesn't employ any artificial insemination or embryo transfer. They are certified to export to the EU. Both places that we visited today had very different goals and objectives. Even so, it was educational and interesting to get to see it first-hand. Dinner was at a pub in Albury called Sodens. I ordered a steak and it was the best meal I've had in Australia so far. The porterhouse is what I ordered, but in Australia it is just the top loin or longissimus muscle. Also, I ordered a lemonade and they gave me a sprite. I also learned from the bartender that a favorite drink here is called lift or squash. I liked it quite a bit. This was a quite a full day.

Australia - Day 3

May 25, 2012

The chilly morning brought pouring rain and lower temperatures. Coming from Kansas, my mind is kind of geared toward summer, not winter. Despite this, we loaded the bus early to visit the Brooklyn Abattior owned by JBS. The tour was phenomenal and perhaps, my favorite part of the trip thus far. The plant runs both a beef and sheep line. Approximately 90% of the product at that plant is sold domestically and 10% is exported. However, nation-wide about 50% is sold domestically and 50% in the export market. The grading and inspection system here are different when compared to the United States. Leanness of the beef is heavily emphasized and hormone growth promotant (HGP) free beef is all that Coles, the major beef retailer, sells. Furthermore, we got to see a retail line that the plant just started the day before with King Island Beef retail cuts. They made four different cuts of beef and garlic butter was included as a seasoning in the package. On the lamb side, roasts and cuts were heavily seasoned and packaged in the same manner as the beef cuts. Lunch at Diamond Creek Tavern was the best meal so far. Fish and chips (french fries) and apple crumble with ice cream was what I ordered.
The final stop of the day was the Webb Black Simmental operation. Just newly started in Australia six years ago, Philip Webb (owner) and Lynton Harrison (stud manager) showed us some yearling bulls and heifers, both purebred and Simmental/Angus cross. Even though it was raining we were lucky enough to be under a barn. They were very hospitable and this was a favorite stop as well! Dinner was at the Seymore Club.

Australia - Day 2

The morning started with a brisk walk over the Yarra River and down Melbourne's streets to the Department of the Primary Industries or DPI. While there, we got the opportunity to hear from Tony Britt, Director of Animal Health and Welfare for Victoria. His presentation and discussion was over the National Livestock Identification System (NLIS). A few points that I caught from it included the impressive statistic that 99.5% of the information for the cattle database is submitted electronically. Furthermore, the database for all of the forms and submissions is run by the industry. Switching gears to the swine industry, Australia hopes to phase out sow stalls by 2017.  Finally, we heard from two other representatives from the department and with their NLIS system and computer programming, they are able to achieve traceback within a couple of hours. Personally, I think that this is fascinating. Following lunch, we toured the city of Melbourne seeing the botanical gardens, Captain Cook's cottage, and many historical sites. We concluded the day at Carlton BrewHouse. It was interesting to see the process, and of course, get to taste samples at the end of the day. For dinner on our own, the group found a buffet by the casino across the street. It was unquestionably a busy day!

Australia - Day 1

Due to internet difficulty. I haven't gotten my blogs posted so There will be three to give you insight into the past three days. My trip down under started Monday morning in Manhattan. We traveled to Kansas City to catch our first flight. Later in the evening we made it to LAX and finally boarded the 15 hour flight to Australia! Thankfully, I found it fairly easy to sleep a majority of the time. After getting through customs with the group we met our tour guide, Graeme, and we stopped at McDonalds to eat. The afternoon was spent at Healesville Sanctuary taking in the Australian wildlife and birds. Some of my favorites were the kangaroos, dingos, and koalas although kangaroos and dingos are very common and sometimes a nuisance. While driving, the scenery in the country was pretty. In the rural areas we saw many sheep, cattle, and vineyards as well as some horses and crops such as cabbage. Dinner was fairly close to American cuisine and a great way to end the day.

Australia Summary

My trip to Australia is not too far off! To summarize the class, we got to hear first-hand from fellow K-Staters about their life in Australia over the past year. Of course we got to learn about the history of how Australia was mainly founded by convicts, and also geography, Australia’s population is typically around the coasts and the Great Barrier Reef. Furthermore, we discovered more about the government, economics, and culture of the country. From this point, we shifted to an agriculture focus. To round out the class, crops, cattle, and sheep topics were presented and discussed in detail. As the semester comes to a close and my college career comes to an end, I’m definitely looking forward to the adventure that awaits me in Australia. It was great to get to know my classmates better at our last class meeting that we had on Tuesday and what I’m most excited about besides the cattle operations that we get the opportunity to see is the Great Barrier Reef. Below is a link that gives good facts about Australian agriculture as well as some pictures. Enjoy!

Australian Agriculture

When I think of Australia, this image comes to mind:

This is a picture of a cattle drive. Much different from one here in the United States.

The Blue Mountains and Beyond

The Blue Mountains in New South Wales were claimed by Captain James Cook in 1770. Ever since, Sydney and its surroundings have been a symbol for Australia. To paint a picture of the vast difference found in the area, the northern part now has more towns, a denser rural population and the most settled coastline found in Australia. Another interesting point is that Byron Bay is the easternmost point in Australia. Ultimately, this area serves as a favorite spot for Australians and tourists alike.

The region is typically divided into three parts: the coastline, mild hinterland, and the outback west of the Great Dividing Range. Along the coast there are many urban areas that have historic museums, art galleries, a rain forest sanctuary and Fort Scratchley to name a few points of interest. Also, the Blue Mountains national park is home to many wildlife and plants species making it a beautiful setting. Furthermore, along the northern coastline there are gorgeous beaches and even an extinct volcano, Mount Warning.

In contrast to the coastline and lush green, west of the divide is Australia’s outback. This landscape is quite different because it is dusty and dry. This relatively remote area has some mining towns and national parks. Finally, in the middle is Hunter Valley, home to Australia’s first commercial vineyards. This area continues to be a tourist hot spot in New South Wales.

For my study tour I will have the opportunity to see some sheep and cattle operations in the area and the Wagga Wagga sale yards. Without a doubt I look forward to the experience!

 

 

Australia Through My Eyes

Hello everyone,
I am taking a study tour to Australia at the end of May. Blogging is something that I get to do in order to research before-hand and to share experiences while I am in Australia. More will follow!