And in Conclusion...

I learned more things in Australia than I could fit in a five-hundred word blog so I will do my best to summarize. Since I, along with the rest of the United States, put a much greater deal of focus on cattle than we do sheep, the majority of what I have taken back with me revolves around their cattle business. Nonetheless, I was amazed at the Trigger Vale operation. After listening to his review, I was stunned by the passion and drive he had for improving his herd through quality genetics and simply applying the numerous variables that he acquired. Not only that, Mr. Bouffler applied some old fashioned common sense to the animals he raised and knew that a producer must find the perfect balance between the animal condition, the offspring they produce, and the wool they provide because that’s what determines the difference between profit and loss, especially in the harsh Australian environment. The cattle industry surprised me as well. I went into this thinking that their industry would closely mirror ours and I was very, very wrong. To start, the price they get per kilogram of animal is much lower than the price per pound we receive here. Not only that, but they lack a premiums system that allows a good producer to take full advantage of the market and the animal he or she produces, they must simple be the right weight and hide color. That helped me see why many of the producers in Australia raise cattle or run a mixed operation as a secondary job. Their sales system is also much different. While we have many options in the way we sell and market our breed, I saw only two main ones there. A producer may either sell to an agent who will further market and sell the cattle through a marketing center or go directly to the feedlot or slaughter plant, or they may sell overseas, primarily to the European Union. I was impressed by their tracking system, even with the few flaws it does have. They are capable of filing everything they have ever done to that animal and that file remains with them to the point that their product is sold to the consumer. Unfortunately though, the commonly used ear tag does not stay in, and the bolus creates an extra step when the animal is being processed. The last problem that is probably unavoidable is that every produce does not partake correctly or even at all. The last thing, and probably only real factor that I feel they were strides ahead of us with were the hardiness and disposition of their cattle. They cull cattle with problems such as calving, feet, digestion, or feed efficiency without a second thought because these cattle cannot be found easily if something were to go wrong and a loss in unaffordable. Even with this less domesticated tactic, the cattle in Australian were less than concerned with humans.