NLIS the up and coming thing... I hope

NLIS  electronic tag

   One of the things that I found to be the most impressive while in Australia was the NLIS (National Livestock Identification System), or more so the lack of such a system in the United States. As I talked about in one of my previous blogs while in Aussie talked about how impressive this whole electronic documentation system is. Although there was a decent amount of resistance from farmers in the beginning, there seems to be a almost unanimous agreement now that the system is a benefit to all parties involved. The frequency emitting tags that are now mandatory for all cattle that move to a new property can be programed to transmit a broad range of information about that specific animal. This is much more effective and efficient than the traditional paperwork based system.

Tony Britt - Director of Animal Health and Welfare

   All of this considered, the question that comes to my mind is why doesn't the United States have a similar system in place? The only draw backs that I could find were the cost of the tags and equipment as well as the work it would take for a total transition to occur. The tags cost around $1.09 AU dollars a piece which would be a bit more expensive than in US dollars, and the reading wands start around $2,500- $3,000. This considered there would be a large initial cost to farmers which would not go over very well. I, however, think that over time the benefits would out weigh the costs of switching to a much more modern system. Some trucking companies in Australia have made reading tags and in turn documenting each cow being sold a part of their services with readers on their trucks.

  The director of Primary Industries for agriculture in the state of Victoria predicts that the tags will be a requirement for sheep as well with in the next year. So if Australia will soon have two species documented under a national electronic system it makes me wonder if the U.S. will soon follow suit, and I would hope that we do.

Travel and more travel

Day 7 May 29th

We started off the morning at Charles Strut University and met with Dr. Chenoweth, who used to be at KSU so he was very excited to have us come. We toured their Agriculture department which was interesting to compare this developing  school to what we have back home. We were able to go to the beef equine and sheep units as well as the Veterinary teaching hospital. Their building was built in 2002 so it was interesting to see a newer facility and their idea of what the best set up was. One difference that I noticed other than it being on a much smaller scale than KSU was that their program was a much more hands on program instead of mainly lecture until the last year. another highlight was that we got to see a sheep farmer and his Kelpie in action. 

The college sheep professor in action

After the 5 hour bus ride to Sydney we were able to get out and do some shopping and exploring before going on a dinner cruise. the cruise took us around the harbor where we had a spectacular view of the opera house as well as downtown and the light show. It was a great picture opportunity and something that many of us had never done. Afterwards we went to explore some of the local pubs as well as catch up on some more shopping. Sydney is definitely one of the largest cities I have ever been in and reminded me of New York City a lot, a fun place to visit but not somewhere I could stay for a long time or live. We now are on our way to the airport to catch a flight to Cairns for some beach and snorkeling time. 

Opposite Ends of the Spectrum

Lima Park

Lawson Angus 

     We started off this morning from the small town of Seymour and went to the Lawson Angus farm. This visit was significant to our group because they have a partnership with Gardiner Angus Ranch back in Kansas which is the family farm of Grant on of the students with us on the trip. Their work with genetics proved to be similar to the states as expected with their connections to Kansas.They were also very on top of AI and embryo work within their herd. He also told us about the large fires that they had in the area in recent years and about their impact on the local farmers and how many cattle/farms were lost. After our visit we went to Mandala, a well known vineyard for biscuits and coffee or tea and got to browse around and sample some of the local wines. We then moved on to Bonnie Doon and had a quick lunch before moving on again. 

Some of the fire damage

Our next stop, Lima Park was the polar opposite of the first farm. They do all natural breeding for their Herefords and have a much more lax standard on what they expect for weights, average daily gains, and things such as EPD’s. The main focus and profit at this farm was the sheep portion of the operation. It was very interesting to see the shearing barn and hear about how much the wool contributes to the farms profits as well as the meat. He also told us about his main herding dog, which interestingly enough is a three legged Kelpie. It was very interesting to compare the opposite approaches to running their cattle farms. We worked our way North to Albury where we will spend one night before moving again to Waga Waga tomorrow. This evening we were able to go out and see a bit of the night life of Albury as well as get a decent steak dinner. there is no better way to close a day! I’m really looking forward to touring the Emu farm tomorrow afternoon as well as the Cargill arbitrator.

One of the owners of Lima Park

Closer to the Land Down Under

It's extremely hard to believe that in less than a month I will be in Australia touring some of the most monumental sights in the world as well as very influential sites to Agriculture in the country and world wide. What seemed to be a long time at the beginning of the semester has flew by.
In class I have learned a great deal about a wide range of topics and can't even imagine what I will learn while abroad. Just to graze the top, who knew Aussie was the one and only home to a large exotic and rare bird called the cassowary? The tropic region of northern Queensland is no stranger to exotic species in general. This combined with the breath taking great barrier reef make up a large portion of the northern region. There is much more to the country than the beautiful beaches and exotic animals, they have one of the strongest beef and sheep industries in the world. Cargill Australia (http://www.cargill.com.au/en/index.jsp)  is on the the nations leading companies and processes thousands of animals daily to meet the needs of the country and the demands for exports of their meat.
While sheep aren't a high commodity in the United States, they play a large role in the animal science economy of Australia and are of relatively high demand in the country. Another difference between the US and AU is the market for Ostrich. It isn't uncommon to see Ostrich farms and products ranging from meat to lotions and creams from these birds. Aside from just animal products there is a decently sized grain market as well, which Cargill has a large role in.

I am looking forward to comparing the differences in the beef and sheep industries of Australia and the United States as well as the cultural differences in general. I'm also very excited to spend my 20th birthday on the Great Barrier Reef for what will be my first time in a tropical region. With each task such as getting a passport holder and looking into currency exchange I can't help but get more and more excited for what I am sure will be the trip of a lifetime.