ID US...Please

Here is some of the propaganda I took to learn about NLIS.

The National Livestock Identification System (NLIS) was one of the most interesting aspects of the trip for me. 

NLIS doesn't just help prevent the spread of disease, but it also helps increase the bottom line for producers. Having electronic identification tags like Australia uses in the beef industry enables breeders to obtain performance and carcass data much easier than in the United States. Because Australia is so dependent on exporting beef NLIS was a must and with the United States' beef industry moving more towards export it will only be a matter of time before a similar system will be adopted nationally. 

The owner of Lima Park showing an electronic ID tag.

In talking with producers it was obvious that NLIS was a major success in their marketing plans and herd improvement. For instance, at Lima Park they are now able to sell cattle to the European Union because the animals can easily be age and source verified. Also, monitoring when cattle are ran through the chute can be done thanks to the technology used to scan the electronic tags.

A digital tag reader at Lima Park.

After experiencing electronic identification in person I can now see the benefits it brings with it. In order for the United States to be on a level playing field with Australia and many other livestock producing nations, the USDA will have to continue the National Animal Identification System that was implemented in 2004.

Until we meet again, happy trails!

Australia In My Rearview

Wish I could have spent more time in Sydney.

The time has come for me to reflect on my visit to Australia.

From our tourist stops in Cairns and Sydney to the agriculture visits along the Great Dividing Range, our group of K-Staters got a great taste of Australia.

However, I found myself wanting more. More time to explore the world class city of Sydney. More time to visit Ayers Rock in the center of the country. More time to see a massive cattle station in Southern Australia. More time to see a live export ship near the port in Perth. But time and money are both in short supply for college students, so I'll just have to go back when I strike it rich (knock on wood).

It was great to learn about the different genetics in Australia.

This trip allowed me to better myself as an agricultural journalist. The daily blogs forced me to think about what I had just learned, but also what would be important to my readers back home. I asked as many questions as possible to aid in the process of understanding the differences in the agriculture systems in Australia and the United States. It also didn't hurt that I took thousands of pictures and recorded video on our trek across the eastern side of Australia.

I already miss being in Australia with my fellow Wildcats.

It was a great time on our trip getting to know my fellow Wildcats better, while also learning about a country, continent and island I've always dreamed of visiting. Now I can say "mission accomplished" and hope that someday I'll be back.

Until next time, happy trails!

Black To The Future

Much like in the United States black cattle reign supreme in the Australian marketplace. For the past two days we've had the opportunity to speak with some seedstock producers in Australia who raise Black Simmentals and Angus cattle.

The group at Webb Black Simmental.

The first breeder we met was Webb Black Simmental on Friday. They are located just north of Melbourne and market around 50 head of bulls each year. The Webb operation started six years ago when Phillip Webb decided to get into the cattle business after working as a realtor in Melbourne. He had been raised on a family farm, so this was a bit of a coming home for him.

In Australia the Black Simmental breed has not been widely accepted, which has left an opportunity for expansion into this growing market. Because of the success of the Angus breed at the supermarket producers have shifted to breeding black hided cattle. However, there is limited selection in Australia for cattle that will perform well on grass and in the feedlot that are black hided other than Angus cattle.

This old Simmental was a little cold and wet.

Webb's objective is to market the Black Simmental breed to producers who are using primarily Angus genetics, but they would like to get into some northern Australian herds composed of Bos. indicus cattle as well. This will help those commercial producers capitalize on hybrid heterosis, giving the cattle the increase in carcass yield while not sacrificing quality or hide color.

On Saturday we visited Lawson Angus which is just south of Seymour and also just up the road from Webb Black Simmental.

Lawson Angus offered a unique perspective for the K-Staters because much of the genetics that have been utilized in their program date back to the Gardiner Angus Ranch in Ashland, Kansas. It also didn't hurt that one of our group members is Grant Gardiner. The visit allowed Grant and Harry Lawson, managing director, the opportunity to meet and catch up each other up on their operations.

A good looking Angus yearling bull.

This past year the Lawson family hosted their 42nd Annual Production Sale, where 200 bulls and 130 females were marketed. The family has over 2,000 head of Angus cows on various stations across the country, including Western Australia where Lawson Angus has just started breeding cattle in the past few years.

Cattle from Lawson Angus are marketed all over Australia and even in Russia. They also hope to get more cattle marketed to Australian cattle producers in the north, similarly to what the Gardiner Angus Ranch has done with the Southern Cattle Improvement Project in the United States.

                

Something similar about both Lawson Angus and Webb Black Simmental is the use of American genetics to help improve their herds. Both producers also use Expected Progeny Differences and Expected Breed Values to determine genetic merit.

Posing for another group picture at Lawson Angus.

Well, now that we've seen what the black cattle of Australia have to offer it is time for our group to see some red hide. Over the next few days we'll visit a Shorthorn seedstock producer and a commercial Hereford operation.

Until next time, happy trails!

Rinse. Lather. Repeat: Australian Meat

Day three on the Australian adventure brought with it a spell of rainstorms and learning about meat packing.

Both sheep and cattle are processed here.

We checked out of the hotel in Melbourne and made our way to the Brooklyn Abattoir, which is owned by JBS. The facility kills and processes 5,000 head of sheep and 875 head of cattle daily. JBS is the largest meat processor in Australia and the Brooklyn Abattoir is a major packing facility in the southern hemisphere.

On our tour we were able to watch all facets of the slaughter and packing process for both species of ruminants. We moved from multiple buildings and rooms throughout the facility. At each entrance and exit we had to wash/disinfect our boots and hands. This was a very important step in preventing the spread of contaminants at the abattoir.

(Warning: some slaughter practices will be explained, so if you are leery of blood and guts skip down a few paragraphs.)

Some of the K-Staters after the tour.

Something that I found interesting was the "knock box" which is used for stunning cattle and bleeding them out. The knock box is a hydraulically operated machine that restrains cattle to be stunned. After being stunned the cattle are flipped 180 degrees, upside down and the throat is cut to help bleed them out. To me it seemed like an efficient and safe process to slaughter cattle, and it offers a humane death for the animals that go through the facility.  

Marketing materials for JBS beef.

The sheep kill floor was also pretty neat to see, as this is an industry that is not as prevalent in the United States. In all it takes between 15 to 20 minutes for each sheep to go from stunning to the chill room.

Both lamb and beef carcasses are chilled for 24 hours, typically at 0 degrees Celsius before they are cut into primals like steaks and chops. After being sliced and diced into various cuts of meat everything is vacuum packed, boxed and ready to ship. It generally takes 3 to 5 days for the finished product to reach supermarkets in Australia. However, the exported product typically takes 4.5 weeks to reach its destination, which takes up more than half of the 8 week shelf life.

Marketing value added products from the Brooklyn Abattoir is something that was new to the plant just two days before our visit. Some former beef chill and boning rooms were retrofitted to handle a value added processing line that was brought in from a Tasmanian JBS plant. The value added line automatically cuts various types of meats into more consumer friendly products. During the value added process there are various labels and ingredients included with the product to help catch the consumers attention and simplify cooking.

The largest packing company in Australia is JBS.

In all it was interesting to see the similarities between the US and Australian meat packing industries, but there were some differences because of cultural taste and international marketing. Now we can look forward to our next abattoir tour in Wagga Wagga with Cargill where they specialize strictly in beef processing.

Until we meet again, happy trails!

Station to Stomach: Live Export in Australia

Live animal export is a major source of economic income for the agriculture industry in Australia. However, live export is also a hot topic issue in Australia too.

Lyn White, Animals Australia, speaking at the Ban Live Animals Export Rally.

In the past year livestock exporting to Indonesia was briefly stopped because the processing of beef in the country was seen as inhumane. Groups like Animals Australia and RSPCA Australia have formed alliances to ban live export. 

Just this week protesters chained themselves to a gate in an effort to prevent the export of live animals. There were even protesters who boarded the ship so they could take footage of the "substandard" holding areas.

Meat & Livestock Australia has created YouTube channel to promote the livestock export industry and the following video has some interesting facts about the importance of this agriculture industry segment.

There can be as many as 23,000 head of cattle on the large export ships and more than 100,000 sheep. Over 99 percent of sheep arrive healthy to their destination, while 99.9 percent of cattle make it to their new homes safely. The animals even gain a decent amount of weight while on their journey across the ocean by consuming pelleted ration. 

The ships are ventilated by large fans and fresh water is produced by a massive desalination unit. Veterinarians and accredited stockmen ride with the animals to help monitor their health and ensure they are treated humanely upon arrival.


Cattle and sheep are transported to countries like Egypt, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia. Over $1 billion in is made off the nearly 1 million cattle and 4.5 million sheep that are exported each year.

Here are some more facts about live export from Meat & Livestock Australia.

Time will tell if live export will be ended altogether in Australia or if agreements can be made between the organizations who oppose this important industry.

Until next time, happy trails!