New pics

 A couple of overview pics of the Field Days...hard to get it all in one pic.

 This (above) is a robot for pushing up feed, it even charges itself..where was this when I had cows?

 Fence building...one of the many contests held at the field days.

 And tractor pulls of many kinds

 some of the sights on the way home from day 1 of the field days

 Some of the field days "farm"work...or art work if you prefer

 80 teat, 110 liter calf feeder wagon--fill with milk drag to paddock, calves self feed--6500$ (NZ$)

 just a little wool

 one of the farms I have been on

 These are deer being raised on a farm--to be shipped to restuarants in Europe

 One of my many friendly hosts

 11.5 hectacres (roughly 25 acres) hydroponic farm all under glass

 Maori (native people)--known for thier carvings

 Glass etching in a church near lake rotorua.  The water under his feet is the actual lake.

 lake rotorua

 some of the landscape near there

 It looks a lot steeper in person

 Do I need to explain?

 Massey University--Home to the only vet school in NZ.

 Lucky buggers...LOL!

 cows on one of the Massey herds

Just the landscape near Massey in Palmerston North

Moving on

Not alot has happened since my last post.  Still having trouble with the stability of internet.  They have me staying in a lot of B&B's and thier wi-fi is usually very weak and hard to do any internet work.  But since it is raining again, I am at the airport in hamilton awaiting my flight to palmerston north.  I will have quite a wait but these things are so unpredictable better to be here early than miss the flight and with the way its raining better to be inside!  It was an interesting weekend with lots of history of the local tribes and seeing much of their beautiful wood carvings.  then some sightseeing on back roads and visiting a tribes dairy that was supposed to be dry but have had 15 hiefers calve early--not enough milk for co-op to pick up so most is going down the drain, or used for calves.  Cows are much smaller than we are used to.  adult milking cows (hol) average maybe 1000lbs.  that may even be a bit high.  they look like my hiefers at about breeding time.  but they fit their system.  The area was a unique area as it is a geotherm area--many geysers and most heat homes and water by pushing a pipe into the ground and using the natural steam that comes up off the boiling underground water to heat water, etc.  In fact i got to see a huge pwer plant that is using the steam from 12 "bores" to generate huge amounts of electricity then the water is used in a hydroponic tomato and pepper farm (11.5 Hectacres all under glass, 1Ha=2.2acres)  and then the waste water is run back into the ground to keeep the level under the surface constant to keep ground from sinking.  They are also building a milk powder factory to use both the waste water and the electricity from the plant.  Then it was off to see more Maori tribe artifacts and villages.  It was all very ornate and beautiful but it was good to get an understanding of the native culture and how it all fits with today's culture, gives one a better understanding of the whole culture.  Especially after getting opinions on the situation from both sides now.  (think native american casinos and you would understand).   I found myself wandering some on the trip back to cambridge on sunday and tried to find a state forest that had california redwoods growing in it.  What i did find is a back road that got very small, very rough and in the back of my mind I can hear my mother screaming--we are not going any further on this road without a 4WD viechle, and my dad saying its not that bad.  eventually it dead ended at a sheep pasture that  personally I am not sure how the sheep manage not to continue to roll to the bottom.  It was STEEP.  then it was on to cambridge and a nice walk around this small town, has a nice new england feel to it, the heart of the equine industry in new zealand.  Then the rains let loose so it was a mad dash to my room.  Today was a quick meeting at the biggest, most well known horse stud farm in new zealand and a quick tour of a horse hospital.  and a horse mri machine one of only 4 in the southern hemisphere at a cost of 250,000$.  then the rains started and I headed out to the airport to fly south once again--am running out of room to go south until I will be northa again. 

How long has it been?

Well i realize it has been a while, but been busy and had trouble finding stable internet to connect to to update you all.  Soooo this could be lengthy!    Waking up last sunday to news that flights to New Zealand (NZ) were being canceled due to ash clouds from chile, and that christchurch was having more afterschocks reading between 4.5 and 5.5 (when do aftershocks become actual earthquakes again?).  So after some panic I was off to the airport knowing for the moment my trip was still on.  I made it thru to my flight and this time with no excess baggage charges.  Quite a site though--three shirts, two sweatshirts and two pairs of jeans oh yeah and 2pairs of socks but no fee for overwieght baggage.  Landed in NZ and off to my hotel.  Which in NZ are commonly termed as apartments  did not know this as I was panicing as I could only find the apartment complex.  Finally found how to enter the numbers and get buzzed in and get my key from the lock box and find my room all without seeing a single person.  But my room had a washer and Dryer!!!!!  I know laundry to most is not a big deal and not excitible but when your suitcase is begining to smell like a junior high gym locker-- you get excitied.

Anyway after a night of laundry it was off to auckland to meet with fonterra--the largest milk co-op in NZ.  they are the worlds largest exporter of Dairy products and have over 5,000 customers in 140 countries, and source milk from over 20 other countries (including the USA) and made overe 16.6Billion dollars last year!  They control about 95% of the milk in NZ and are a farmer owned and controlled co-op.  Its funny when one of the dairy farmers here told me that it all came together about 10 years ago when we realized we are not in competition with each other (meaning other NZ farmers) we were in competition with the rest of the world.  If Only the US farmer could see that we might actually develop policy that is advantageous to the industry rather than continuing the nit picky jealous based battles we caontinue to fight that does nothing but weaken our industry and put us further behind in the race for global markets.

So then it was off to the field days!  Day one--opening day--invited to a breakfast  press conference with the minister of agriculture and a bunch of other high ranking people from all over NZ agriculture, finance and parliment.  Traffic backs up 10K out 6hrs before it actually opens.  but I make it on time for breakfast and then as a VIP guest for opening ceremonies and a lunch with the Prime Minister ( I was one among many so it was not that big of a deal)  Very interesting to hear all the perspectives and attitudes--many which are universal.  Some want to continue to blame others for their hardships while others accept things as they are and say how are we going to adapt and make the best of the situation in front of us and a few say how can we change to mold the future into the direction we want to go in.  Sounds very familiar.

But then it was the actual show.  It was HUGE!!!!!!!!!  Empire field days would fit into 1/4 of this place.  mostly dairy based but some other things there too.  Tractor pulls from antiques to super modified to regular 2 and 4 wheel drive tractors.  fencing championships, horse riding and an excavator jamboree competition.  not as many contacts there as some would have hoped but got a good feel of the insustry and where it may be heading from the types of equipment being sold.  Dairy farming in NZ is nothing like US in that it is basically low input and medium out put and all based on export.  but many of the actual farm owners are becoming like american farmers--they do not milk their cows, they spend a lot of time at meetings and functions and most aslo have incomes from other sources. 

It was interesting to watch people at the field days.  Many young couples (most dairies are seasonal in NZ and are dry now so people can get off the farm),  with the woman pushing a baby carriage and the guy checking out the equipment.  Little boys climb all over tractors and other big equipment while older guys lean over tractor tires either discussing how it used to be and how technology has changed the industry or they are trying to figure out how you use it or what you use it for.  Mothers have that look--that says are we done yet?  Do we have to look at one more tractor?  This is not my idea of a day off the farm!  And then come the typical discussions.  She asks how much did he say?  He replies Its really not that bad--which means I am not telling you until you have been out to dinner the kids are asleep and you are much more relaxed.  It could be in NZ or NY its all the same.

Talking with one farmer last night and he said we all think our problems are of a local nature when in truth they are universal they just differ with magnitude and proximity.  I jsut thought how true, now if we could only get together and solve these problems together jsut think how much better we all might be.  But i guess that is a big part of why I am here.

I have much more to say and many more picts to share but time and stability of internet has been limited but will get back as soon as I can.

These are large bats known as Flying Foxes--in the botanical gardens in Sydney

 Camden farm, part of the University of Sydney

 On the way between Sydney and Canberra (pronounced Canbra)

Well where have we been.  Arrived in sydney late last Saturday and here it is friday night again!  Spent Sunday walking around Sydney enjoying some of the sights, of which i have included a sampling of pictures here to show the beauty and grace of this city.  The Harbor is amazing and the harbor bridge has an option if you are crazy enough and pay the fee ( i heard around 200$) to actually climb and walk over the very top of the arches.  The Pics do not show it well but there are people on there when I took the pic.  Anyway it is a very beautiful city a little more LA feel then Melbourne which was more of a boston/NYC feel.  Lots of street peerformers out on sunday, very relaxing day.  Then on tuesday it was off in the car again and out into the country side after going thru the harbor tunnel in every direction possible and a few more wrong turns I was on my way!  I arrived in Camden a bit early and sat in a park finishing notes and getting my stuff together--then off to my appointment.  Met with a group of vets--Ian and Neil mostly--that are basically consultants on pasture with vet degrees.  Very passionate about pasture and showed me many different styles of mixes using brassicas, alfalfa, clover, turnips, oats, triticale, and many other species.  neil had many hundred photos on his computer and gets so excited discussing it Ian said it was Pasture Porn!  It was nice to see other pasture possibilites instead of the straight ryegrass that is used in Victoria where I had been earlier.  We discussed many of the ups and downs, how to rotate and interseed at different times of year to keep enough feed in front of cows and maximize the pasture to minimize supplement but also the need to supplement to maximize production and efficiency.  After lunch myself and Ian went for a drive around the area and saw a few farms that were using these mixes and the pluses and minus of trying to manage them.  I also got to see real live Kangaroos--a pest in this country, along with parrots and cockatees (they are also considered pests). 
Next off to one of the about only four dairy farms in Australia that is a complete confinement system.  2000 cows all in freestalls.  This farm milks in a double 38 herringbone.  They also do organic fertilizer, a compressed shaving bale business, compost business, and partner in a shopping center and village development corporation, and have partner with a processor with UHT milk and with A2 protien.  It seems lactose intolerent people are actually allergic to the A1 protein and A2 milk has no A1 and can be consumed by lactose intolerant people without problems.
The next day was off to the University of Sydney to meet with the team working on a project to see how well they could get cows to produce on pasture and supplemental feed without expansion of pasture acres.  They found they could do 4 times better than the national average.  They are able in this area to get away with a triple crop on some acreage with irrigation and the right mixes of crops.  They had just finished an elaborate undereground irrigations system to irrigate the pastures.
Then came the long drive to Canberra--the capital of Australia--the drive was about as exciting as the Mass turnpike and seemed as long.  Got into the city at rush hour!  Yeah!  with a Gps that does not understand that in bumper to bumper you cannot navigate across three lanes to turn right in 50 meters!  after a few "Recalculations" I arrived at the hotel.  Hopefully I will not recieve any mailings from the police.  They use speed cameras on the highways as well as red light cameras and fatigue cameras (not sure how they know you are tired).  So no cops on the side of the road but best not to speed!  Meeting with the head of the Vet association was very interesting, he studied at university of Nebraska, his cousin was dean of Ross university as well as a good friend used to teach there.  (this is where I am hoping to go to vet school). 
On the technical side was very interesting that Asutralia, besides having a very good national ID program for  dairy and beef and sheep, has a very good plan for handling disease out breaks.  61 different diseases have specific plans in case of an outbreak.

Then it was back to sydney.  Very confusing but eventually found my way back to the city and got the car returned.  Very glad to not be driving anymore.  Now it is a wrap up in  Sydney, repack and on to New Zealand.  So the next update will be in the land of Kiwis.  See you soon.....

Off again...

Well today we had a meeting with a group of austrailan eisenhower fellows.  Very interesting group, very intelligent people.  a little wierd being in the room as they discuss the USA and some of it not too pleasant, yet not far from the truth.  They are not really being insulting just seeing your culture, your belief systems thru the eyes of another culture and belief system is truly an eye opening experience--and as the say the truth can sometimes hurt.  I still like our system better, or maybe it is because I understand our system of government better, hard to say but they act on things very fast and sometimes it may seem as if congress takes forever (and that is by design) it allows for the emotion of the situation to die down before a life changing decision is made.  Case in point is an animal cruelty issue over here that because of a few videos taken has led to an immediate shut down of live animal exports to many of their oversea customers.  It all happened in a matter of days.  It seems to me this will severly impact their animal agriculture system which is mainly based on exports, as is most of their agriculture.  This in turn may effect other sectors of their economy as the ag sector tries to find ways to compensate for losses of markets.  Just an outsider looking in but often reactionary government is not always best.  But it made for interesting conversation.

I am off to the country side again, hopefully making it out of the city alive but it won't be quite the same country as before, more populated type country...a little apprehensive but will find a way to get thru it.

Just a few photos of the places and people I have seen and met over the last few days.  After a few days in melbourne and talking with all the agency people it was nice to get out into the country and see some landscape, cows and farmers!  it was especially nice to get the practical side of australian dairy farming and thier views on the dairy industry.  They are a hard-working group and a varied group in thier approach to farming.  It is an industry much more based on the export market as that is the biggest part of their industry.  There are some very different aspects such as they do pre milk prep just put the machines on yet the cows are remarkably clean (udders anyway) and they still maintain quality numbers well below USA standards.  Somatic cells average 150,000 or lower on most farms.  400,000 is legal limit in australia.  Many have begun to institute partial mixed rations into thier feeding systems to help increase production and cut down on acidosis.  Acidosis is a big problem since all cows are fed a large amount of grain in the parlor.  most parlors are rotary, or rapid exit herringbone.  i have not heard of any flat barn parlors and there are no barns--just milking sheds(what we call a parlor).  They may lack investment in the barns as we do, but they have huge investment in fences and "lanes".  The lanes are in better shape than most gravel roads in the US and are made of "soft gravel" to avoid foot problems since often cows have to walk up to 3.5kilometers from paddock to milking shed.  Milking sheds are built to get cows in and out and back to pasture as fast as possible.  Most figure they milk 300 cows per hour with 1 man milking.  Everything is based on milk solids and they get a deduct for volume.  It is a little difficult to explain, but basically they get a big hauling charge because the processors do not want to extract any more water than is necessary so by penalizing for volume and paying on solids puts pressure on farmers to increase protein and fat.  protein is worth about 2.5 times that of fat at present.  most farms are seasonal calvers but many now have moved to a two times a year calving.  Spent firday morning doing calls with a vet.  He is considered by many of the farmers to be one of the best cow vets around.  He reminds me of Dr. Beneke--does not do cats/dogs, not fond of horses, drives like a maniac, little patience and does not like to stand around, and he smokes. (he is the australian dr. George)  got to see how post calving checks are done--very different from what we are use to, strictly a check of vaginal fluid and treatmeant is based on color of discharge--no arm work at that point.  Did some preg checks and then drained a few gallons of puss from a calf's navel.  Biosecurity is not nearly as big a concern here as it is in the states and they have no TB, Brucellosis, but have a huge Johne's problem.  Something they are trying very hard to deal with.  And they lack any real problem with rabies so dogs don't need vaccines for rabies.

On the lighter side, driving on the wrong side of the road was interesting if not scary at times.  Only once did I forget and turn right into oncoming traffic--on a divided highway no less.  You can get across the median strip in a hurry when you need to.  i am begining to get the hang of it but still not use to looking to the left to find the rearview mirror.  Still not use to seeing road signs that say "keep Left" or low tree branches next two miles or instead of deer crossing it is signs to look out for Koalas (sp?), wombats and kangaroos!  Did get to see a wombat but none of the others.  hitting a wombat, so I was told, would total a car if you hit it between the tires.  If you hit it with a tire you can flip your car!  i think it best just not to hit them. I also kept turning on the wipers when i went to turn on my directionals.  Damn tourist!  until later.....  

WOW

Wow what a couple of days!  lots of interesting people, lots of very interesting conversations.  The dairy industry here is far better organized and with it than the us dairy industry has ever dreamed of being.  We really need to get our collective head out of our butt and start looking forward and stop whining about the past.  We are doing far less with so much more than our foriegn counterparts.  It would be scary what we could do if we had the foresight and tenacity of the australian dairy industry.  Yes it would mean letting go of the security blanket and having to stand on our two feet, but oh the places we could go.

On a better note.  The people here are fantastic, I am gaining so much knowledge my head is about to explode.  I have had several offers to stay and practice vet medicine here as well as another job offer to manage a farm.  I Actually ate kangaroo last night, though to be honest if you told me it was bland beef I would not have argued, but hey I can cross it off my bucket list.  Will be heading out into the country tommorow, so not sure when I will post again, hopefully sometime this weekend.  Am doing great, having some laughs and working hard...or well you know...will be back soon