Analyze This!!

After much thought, I have decided that the most intense discovery I found while I was in Australia was the culture and way of Australian life, in general.  First of all, the people are so friendly! When I learned that the country was originated on convicts from Europe, I was a bit nervous. Also, learning about the Aboriginal people that still live in their tribes scared me.  However, I was quite shocked when I first landed into Melbourne, the people were so nice!! We experienced mostly welcoming attitudes from the Aussies which was very comforting being on the other side of the globe, away from family, friends, and AMERICA! I learned a lot about the way of life for the Aboriginese people at the Tjapuki Culture center.  We watched a show about their culture and beliefs, followed by an outdoor show where they performed.  During the performance, they told us why and how they would interact with their environment, having to live completely in the wild. We also got to witness how they made fire from two sticks and some start-up dry grass.  The demonstration they allowed us to be a part of taught us how to properly throw a boomerang and a spear, their methods of catching their food. 

The architecture, especially in Melbourne, showed how sophisticated the atmosphere was.  I felt as though we were held to the utmost standards having such phenomenal buildings and scenery.  The city was very comparable of an upscale Chicago, I think.  Another part of the culture I found interesting was their drink choice. It seemed as though we always had to beg for water during meals.  Every place we visited, it never failed, would always bring us tap water in a glass or metal pitcher with very small glasses, without ice.  Some of the water they brought was even luke-warm, an idea that's thought to be very rude here in the States.  With this being said, Australians love their alcohol ice cold.  The group, as far as I know, never had a warm or even slightly warm alcoholic beverage.  Very interesting!

 

Yarra River running through Melbourne

 

 Architecture in Melbourne

 

Tjapuki demonstration making fire

Average water glass size

 On the way to the Reef!!!

I hope you all enjoyed my trip, and if you want any additional thoughts, don't hesitate to contact me!! I LOVE talking about the K-State trip Down Under! =)

Australia Pictures!

Hey friends! If you are still wanting pictures, friend me on Facebook!! I have uploaded most of them on my Facebook page. If you don't have Facebook, let me know via e-mail. I have heard a lot of people that couldn't comment on my blogs :( I'm sorry!! E-mail me with questions or comments you had when you were reading the blogs....if anyone actually read them! :) (Just kidding, I can see my total number of page views!) Thanks everyone for following my trip! I hope you enjoyed reading it!!

Much love,
~Kaycie

Here and There: JBS Around the World

After almost a week at JBS Corporate, I have learned so much about the beef industry already! I have had a few opportunities to share my experience with the guys from the US division regarding my tour of the JBS plant in Wagga. To explain it more in depth, I would like to break down the similarities and differences here.

First of all, the speed of harvest is much different between the two countries.  Australia was very slow and methodical, while US plants are fast and what we would like to say, much more efficient of time and resources.  Along with speed, their harvest count per day was much slower than ours is in the US. They only harvest around 900 head, while we are over 5,000! Moreover, their line on the "kill floor" was very methodical and specific, leaving more time for employees to complete their job correctly. 

Did you know that JBS USA also runs the Australia plant?! Weird, right?! JBS employees, here and there, all abide by the same mission statement, however: "To be the best in we set out to do..." I believe that with time and some 'Americanization' (as we called it), the JBS plant will be operating as efficiently and quickly as our plants back here in the States.  Granted, their cattle population is not nearly as large as ours so their demand to be quick is not that essential, but I think improving speed and efficiency definitely won't hurt the industry.  I can't wait to learn more about similarities and differences this summer, especially with JBS Beef.  I will definitely share all that I learn!

A Trip of A Lifetime!

Now that reality has definitely set in, I have had little time to reflect back to the two weeks I spent in Australia. As I sit here tonight in Greeley, a completely new environment for me, I realize just how blessed I really am! The internship at JBS Corporate office is going great, the Beef Sales team that I will be working with this summer has been more than welcoming the past two days! I will be sure to keep all of you updated as the summer goes by.

As far as my trip Down Under, I would like to just go back and hit the highest points that I took from the experience.  First of all, the feeling of independence I gained was a major part of the trip. I was almost 10,000 miles away from any family and the lack of internet connection made me have no other choice but to connect with the other students on the trip! I made some really good friends, and I really look forward to continuing that friendship in the fall when I go back to MHK!! Next, the culture of the Aussies was a much different experience.  I don't think I could prepare enough for all of the culture shock that was introduced right away!! Most importantly, the agriculture operations that we got to tour and learn more about showed me and the rest of the group how differences in processes can effect the outcome of the final product, as well as the country's industry as a whole. The beef plants we visited were smaller than our plants in the States, but for the most part they operated in the same order and fashion as we do here. The sheep plant was a first for me, and it was definitely an eye-opener! They can raise some sheep over there!! As we noticed, the sheep were much leaner than the sheep I have been exposed to in contests, workouts, etc for meats judging. The harvesting process was much more efficient than I would have thought it to be, too.

Visiting cattle ranches was another highlight for me, as I always enjoy looking at cattle! Spry's Shorthorn's were probably a standout favorite for me, as their stock was definitely top of the line. They showed us a $46,000 bull they just sold, as well as a show ring champion they had sold a few months previously. Trigger Vale sheep facility was a definite learning experience, as I am not very sheep-savvy being from the middle of Kansas! The quality of wool they are producing is absolutely phenomenal!

Overall, the trip to Australia with Dr. Schaake and his family, along with the other K-State students is one that I will always treasure. The memories we made Down Under will be talked about for the rest of our lives.  Thanks K-State ASI deparmentt, Mishelle, and College of Ag for allowing me to be a part of something so great!!!

Much love,
~Kaycie

Moving Day!

After a few hours of driving last night, Johnny and I decided to stop for the night. We have about 4 and a half hours left today!! I am beyond excited, not only because of my internship that starts Monday, but to get somewhat of a normal American schedule back in my life.  I just switched my car clock and my watch to mountain time, so I guess that's the first step in adjusting to my new life.

I can't wait to see my parents and second parents (The Wedel's) when we get to Greeley, because I'm not sure when I will see them next.  I will definitely update you tomorrow or the first part of next week with job details, living situation, and some interesting facts I learned from Australia! The first part of the summer of a lifetime has been more than I ever expected it to be, I can't wait to see  what JBS brings the next 10 weeks!!!

Love you all!
~Kaycie

Returning to the States

Today, I am sadly leaving Australia. We left at 3:30 from our hotel to head to Cairns airport for our 5:30 flight. I think we all slept during this 2 hour flight to Brisbane. Once at Brisbane, we had some time to spare and spend the rest of our Australia money. We got some more souveniors, and most of us ate a small sandwich at Subway. It was American tasting!!! Soo good! We boarded our plane at 10:40 local time. The flight began with a bit of turbulence, but then it was fine. The 12 hours were longer than I remember the 16 hour flight being.

We got into Los Angeles at 6:30 this morning and got to see our second sunrise on June 1st. We are now waiting to get on our plane to Dallas. Just a few minutes ago we figured out that the man sitting a few feet away from our group was Andy (Larry Joe Campbell)!!!!

Great Barrier Reef

Today was the day we all were waiting for!!!! I think it is fair to say that it exceeded all of our expectations!!!  We began by getting on a boat in the rain, it didn't take long for us to realize how choppy the sea actually was. After 20 minutes, I was feeling pretty rough. Luckily, Shilo and I got to the upper deck when we did, because I think we would have both ended up getting sick. Our first visit was to Green Island. Here we learned what to expect when we scuba died at the Reef, walked into the water, and tried to stay away from the rain.

After a short wait, we got on our boat to head to the Reef!! So exciting!!! This trip was much better! We docked by a pontoon where all the activities took place. Kara and I picked through a disgusting lunch, before getting into our lycra and wet suits. We decided to snorkel to practice our breathing...such a good idea!!  Even though the waves were terrible, I  caught on really fast and LOVED it!!!!!! I got to touch and hold a huge fish underwater and I even got my picture taken with it.

At 2:15, I started getting really nervous for our 2:30 dive!  The nerves got really bad when I got my air tank strapped on. We first went to a practice area under the pontoon to get tested on essential skills. We had to blow water out of our mask and properly put our air piece back in, in the case it were to fall out while we were down. I passed all 3 the first time!!! After the team passed all skills, it was time to go down!

My team was Kara, Brad, and Michael, and we were awesome under water! We all did really well with our skills, and we did well adjusting to  the pressure going down. While we were down, we got to touch another fish, coral, a clam, and a stringly, sticky thing. It was so clear and beautiful!!!! This was by far the most amazing experience I have ever had!

That night we ate at a Brazilian steakhouse that didnt disappoint. Our group was silent the entire meal, because we were all enjoying the meal. Most of us went to bed shortly after dinner to prepare for our 3:30 departure the next morning.

Cairns...Day One

Day 1: We had an early flight from Sydney to Cairns before heading to Tjapuki Aboriginal Culture center. This was kind of interesting, because we got to see different ways of life. We got to watch a culture show (I accidently listened to it in Chinese, so I didn't get much out of it!), boomerang and spear throwing demo, and a didgeridoo demo. The artwork was very interesting. The part I couldn't get over was the guys walking around in an oversized diaper looking thing......in the wind!!!! Yikes!!!

We had dinner at Tha Fish that night by the coastline. I went out of the ordinary and had Wild Baked Berimundi, asparagus, snow peas, and mashed potatoes. Delicious!!!!!! We followed dinner with a trip to Gilligan's, the recommended bar from our server. The was a blast!!! We finally ventured to our hotel a little before 3:00.  Late nights make the best memories!

Dinner Cruise

Last night after dinner, a few of us went to the Thirsty Crow to meet with Aussie Uni students. After closing down that bar, we moved to Ramano's. This was quite an inviting atmosphere, our group shared many facts about America with the bartender. We had a great night!! Wyatt, Shelby, and I were going to be smart and get back early to go to bed. Well, we took a wrong turn and didnt get back until 15 minutes after the other group got back. We had a nice little hour walk around Wagga that not everyone got to experience.

This morning began with a tour of the Charles Sturd University ag facilities. They were very elaborate and well designed. On our way to one of the farms we went past a machine shed and I saw a planter that had John Shearer wrote on it, as if it was a brand!!! How cool!!!!!

After a long bus ride that I took full advantage of, we finally arrived to the beautiful city of Sydney. We finally got to see some souvenior shops and city life. We just got back from a dinner cruise along the harbor. The opera house was huge and absolutely phenomenal!! There are many other buildings and light shows that were lighting up the skyline, too. Tomorrow, we catch a flight to Cairns where we will spend the remainder of the trip at. I opted ouy of Sydney night life tonight, but expect many stories from our night in Cairns tomorroe!!

Much love,
~Kaycie

Cargill/Teyes Partnership

We began the day by visiting the Wagga Wagga Livestock saleyards. This was quite a new experience, the methods were very different than the traditional American yards. They have a very efficient way of staging cattle before coming into the first pen in the sale ring. Then, the lot will go to the next pen where it is actually sold, before going out into a holding area and then to the buyers pen. Auctioneering methods also differed, as the Australian auctioneer shouted numbers without the extra rattle sound to it. All lots were extremely cheap! We did a quick conversion and it was close to 85¢ per pound on average. The saleyards have a sale every Monday for cattle, with smaller lots than what we are used to. Sheep sales are every Thursday.

Next, we began the tour of the Cargill/Teyes facility. We got to tour the much Americanized abattoir, and then listened to a brief presentation. The boning room especially resembled American plants. Grading standards are very complex, and not even required for all cattle. That specific plant does 50/50 grass fed and grain fed cattle.

We stopped in Temora for lunch, and the group was very exciting about the free choice off the menu until they told us a quarter of it was out of stock. After lunch, we had some time to do some looking around. Prices are very high on ALL items, not just the alcohol!

We finished the day by visiting Jindalee Feedlot. All cattle are purchased on arrival weight. They run a 100 day probram, implanting them only once during that time. The cattle are fed twice a day, with 35% of the ration being fed at their sunrise feeding. 60,000 tons of wheat or barley are used each year! The cost of gain per kilo was roughly $2.05-2.20. We also learned that 95% of the catte there were eligible for Certified Australian Angus Beef.

Driving back to Wagga, we got to see a very pretty sunset with a lot of great photo ops that Wyatt was excitec about. =) Tonight, we are going to dinner at the Victoria Hotel, then possibly exploring Wagga's other hotels!

Much love,
~Kaycie

Too Much Fun, What's That Mean?!

Happy Memorial Day weekend Americans!! This morning started a little rougher than any other morning we've had here in Australia. We had a blast last night at Bended Elbow!! We have many laughs and stories about the night, it was really fun to get to see Aussie night life. We started the day going to Trigger Vale, a Polled Merino and White Suffolk sheep operation, and learning many new things. They are highly educated about each breed and strive to be the best performance based herd in the area. While we were there, their daughter Ruby had a few day old lamb that had been left in the pasture alone. What a cutie!! We got a chance to look at the different breeds wool, too. The Merino wool was absolutely beautiful!!!! Clean, bright, strong wool that is great for thin, fine thread. Their Suffolk wool is similar to America's wool...dark, dirty, and gross looking.

After a short nap on the bus ride, we then visited an emu farm. The birds we saw were very different, obviously, than any other farm animals we have. They are easy to maintain, as they peck the seed from truckloads of wheat brought in from the bottom of local grain bins. Emus are very territorial animals which led to many fights between birds this morning. The end product is no less than 10 liters of oil priced at $50 per liter. After an unsuccessful attempt to feed the birds, we went to the huge, elaborate house for lunch. We had a traditional barbie that featured steak, bratwurst type meat, potatoes, and salad.

From there, we went on to Spry's Shorthorn. This set of bulls was hands down the best group of Shorthorn bulls I have seen in a very long time. The yearling bull on display was recently sold for $46,000! We discussed their operation and their cooperator herd situation, and I was very impressed with their methods and ideas. We then had another barbie followed by a few hours of friends, Aussies, and, of course, the Australian drink provided at all meals, beer. After dark, Shelby and I had to go to the toilet that was down the path a little ways. It was pitch black and we didnt have a flash light or cell phone light, so we came up with a brilliant idea to take pictures to light the way! Smart, I know!! =)

It's early, but I'm heading to bed. Good night!
Much love,
~Kaycie

Opposite Ends of the Spectrum

Today, we visited with Lawson Angus and Yima Park herefords. First, we met with Harry Lawson. He was very educated! He ru s a close partnership with Gardiner Angus Ranch in Kansas. His philosophies about business and cattle were spot on, for the most part, with my ideas and theories. He runs calves in both Western Australia and in northern Victoria. The bulls for the sale are developed on the ranch we saw in Victoria, while his mama cows calve out in Western Australia. We finished the trip by going to Mendala Winery for a hot beverage and biscuit. We found that their 'biscuits' are very similar to a dry combination of a cookie and a piece of cake.

Next, we went to Yima Park to meet with Hemish McMilan about his Hereford herd and his lamb herd. He and one other guy run 500 Herefords and 3000 ewes. His views were very odd!!! From there, we went into Albury for the one night stay. We ate at the Soden's Hotel' and it was very nice to have a steak!!! A few of us stayed out last night and drank a few at the hotel, before heading to the Bended Elbow! Today is a busy day so I better get started!!

Much love,
~Kaycie

Rainy Day

Good morning, Kansas! We are finishing up our eventful Friday, having left Melbourne and now staying in Seymour. We began the cold, rainy day by visiting the JBS Brooklyn Abattoir. This was my favorite tour so far!!! The plant was MUCH smaller and slower in production that any of the beef plants I have seen back in the States. They do not rib the carcasses during this process either, because they dont use the ribeye to grade. The sheep facility was very interesting, as it was the first plant I have been in. They are much quicker and efficient on the sheep line. I was very excited about seeing the facilities, and I can't wait to tell my GreelS friends all about the abattoir!!!

After what seemed to be the group's favorite meal on the trip this far, we then went onto Webb Black Simmental ranch. Brothers Phil and Bryan own the now 6 year old operation, while Lynton is the stud manager. They raise Black Simmental, Angus, and SimAngus cattle, with the focus being completely on their homozygous black Simmental herd. Phil was quite the jokester, but his business theories are very serious and competitive. They seem to be facing similar challenges, with their main challenge being the lack of communication to the consumer. The Australian mother downgrades the marbling, while the Webbs are promoting marbling EPD's to their bull customers. Another big issue they are facing is to expand numbers, as they get all semen from America. They have a beautiful operation and the few yearling calves we got to see today were high quslity, as well.

After our visit with them, we headed into Seymour for the evening. It took a little longer than expected to get to our hotel, due to a navigation error (men never ask for directions!), but we made it. The rooms are very spacious and the beds are comfy. Tonight is going to be a short night for me, because the longer I sit on the bed the sleepier I get. Tomorrow we are visiting Angus and Shorthorn ranches, before traveling to Albury for the night.

I will hopefully post pictures sometime soon!!!!
Much love,
~Kaycie

Australia's Largest Brewery

Good evening mates!! Kyla, Wyatt, and I just got back from the bar on the river close to he hotel we are staying at in Melbourne.  We definitely saw all the culture we needed to see during ghe one drink we had. A 18 year old Aussie girl was there close to the area we chose to enjoy the river and the scenary. She had so much to say..she first didnt vall us nice names because we were in Australia (we hope she was just kidding about that!!), then she proceeded to teach one of the guys how to roll her smoke (cigarette), she leus with 'good to meet you Americans, Australians are just a bunch of failures. Off she went, leaving us to deal with the now angry Aussies that were standing behind us, overearing the entire conversation we just had. As Kyla, Wyatt, and I were leaving we left Brad and Wimer to assure the guys that, in fact, we would let the m speak for themselves. Obviously, Australia isn't a bunch of failures, we were all dying to get to Australia and we have all loved every minute if being here!!

Before we had dinner and a few of us went out, we went to the Carlton U ited Brewery. It is Australia's largest brewery, and the home of Foster's Beer!!! Although Fosters isnt as popular any,ore, it still tastes very good. My favorite at the brewery was Carlton Dry. This beer was our Coors Light taste. I also tried Carlton Drought which was too bland, VB which was decent, and Fosters which was a little sweet, but still okay.

Tomorrow, we are visiting JBS abattoir and a Simmental ranch. It's getting late here so I am going to bed. Good Night Australia and Good Morning Kansas!!

Much love,
~Kaycie

P.S. I hope to figure out the picture situation tomorrow, as I said before we are having some internet difficulties here in Melbourne.

Simple Things

Mates-

It's currently lunch time here in Melbourne. The group just finished listening to a presentation from three guys from the Victoria Animal Health and Welfare Department. The major focus was on their methods of tracking animals from producers to feedlots  to abattoirs. The beef industry seems to be more successful than the sheep industry, as the rate of acceptance is 99.5% in the eef division. We are now getting ready for a trip to the Carlton Brewery! As college kids, we are all VERY excited about free tastings of Australian beer. 

Let me leave you with a few simple thoughts.

1. Enjoy the luxury of high-speed, relatively fast internet! We are experiencing Many problems with trying to connect to the internet, even with the data plans we have.

2. Don't take ice for granted! We have yet to get ice in our drinks, including the pitchers of water brought to our table last night.

3. American cities are disgusting!!! Melbourne, the second largest city in Australia, is very clean and the only smell I have experienced is cigarette smoke. Aussies love their smokes! 

Much love,

~Kaycie

We made it!!!!

Hey everyone!!!! We had a great flight from LA and most of us got a decent amount of sleep on the HUGE plane we were on. I think I slept about 10 hours, and I was sleeping so good I was dreaming. =) I sat with Kara and Shane for the long flight. We were all kind of scared that Shane wasn't alive, because Brad was shaking him for a good 5 minutes and Shane didn't even flinch! We got into Melbourne around 8:15 this morning and have been on the go since. We all got our luggage in Melbourne and then proceeded to Customs before we go onto the bus. I also saw my first SMART Beagle dog as a sniff dog going through one of the customs lines. We got out of the airport around 10 then we hit up the local McDonald's for a quick breakfast. It was fairly similar to the taste of America's food. From there, we started a journey to Healesville Sanctuary for the rest of the afternoon. It was very interesting to see all of the native Australian animals. I got to see my first koala!!! Mom--they are just as cute as I imagined!! There are so many types of parrots, it's unreal. We got to watch a flight show toward the end of the zoo trip. What they do with those birds is amazing-- they were going from side to side and flying inches over the crowds' heads during the show. The bird master would signal to the birds and they would react on command. We are now on our bus heading to check into our hotel and get a SHOWER!!!!!! We have dinner scheduled for 7:30, so we will have a couple hours to get settled in before our first night on the town. Tomorrow, we have a brewery tour scheduled so it will be fairly relaxed. Much love, ~Kaycie P.S. We are all still trying to adjust to the right handed driver seat and the opposite driving directions!! It all looks so weird.

Flight Day

Hey everyone! Not too much has happened today, we have had two great flights so far. We are waiting for our long flight now in Los Angeles. The flight is a  long 16 hours, but we are hoping for comfy chairs so we can sleep a little bit at least. When we arrive in Melbourne, we will hit the ground running. We will be seeing Australian mammals first thing Wednesday morning before we even check into the hotel!! Have a happy May 22nd and think of us while we are in the air!!! The next blog will be coming to you from Australia!!!!

Much love,
~Kaycie

Flight Schedule

It's getting closer!!!! I can't believe it =) Here are the flights I will be on heading to Australia and coming back to the States:

May 21
Depart Kansas City 2:35 pm
Arrive Dallas 4:15 pm

Depart Dallas 6:15 pm
Arrive Los Angeles 7:35 pm

Depart Los Angeles 11:30 pm
Arrive Melbourne 8:20 am May 23rd (I will never see May 22, 2012!!!)

While we are in Australia, we will be flying from Sydney to Cairns on May 30th.

After a fun-filled, busy trip, we will be returning home on June 1st.
Depart Cairns 5:30 am
Arrive Brisbane 7:35 am

Depart Brisbane 10:35 am
Arrive Los Angeles 6:40 am (seeing June 1st for the second time!)

Depart Los Angeles 10:40 am
Arrive Dallas 3:40 pm

Depart Dallas 5:15 pm
Arrive Kansas City 6:45 pm

It is required that we blog daily, so be sure to check back here to see what we have done and seen that day!! I will also commnicate with family via Skype, so be sure to check with my parents and Johnnny, too.

The next time I blog will probably be THE BIG DAY, until then I plan on soaking up as much family and friend time as possible!! Have a great weekend!!

Much love,
~Kaycie

Cram Time!!!

Hello Mates! I can't believe it is almost here!! The countdown is already down to 4 days.... Eeekkk!!! This week has been filled with packing my suitcase, organizing my things for my summer internship, and trying to spend as much time around home as I can. Monday was consumed by laundry, laundry, and more laundry! Of course I had to re-wash all my clothes I brought home from Manhattan, because I convinced myself they somehow got dirty in the move home.

 Tuesday, I spent some time getting my hair colored then I went with a good friend, Kaitlyn Bressie, to watch her little sister play in the regional softball tournament in Ell-Saline..man that girl can pitch!! Yesterday, I spent the day at the house picking up outside and mowing the yard. What a nice afternoon!! This afternoon, Johnny and I are going down to Wichita to spend some time with Grandma Janet and Rose before the busy summer gets away from us.

I will try to get my flight itinerary uploaded tomorrow, because I know some of you are just as excited as I am about grtting there.......FINALLY!!!!!

Much love,
~Kaycie

Three Weeks, Mates!!

I can't believe it's already May! Where did the time go?! As of today, there are three weeks left until we board the plane to go to the Land Down Under! Over the semester, the class split into groups to cover many different aspects of Australia.  Here's a brief overview of all the things we've learned since January:

Australia has 6 states and 2 major territories, as you can see above.  Most of the agriculture industry is focused around the east coast.  The western side of the country is known to be very dry and desolate, with hardly any people living there.  Despite the sparse population, Western Australia is definitely the largest state in Australia.

Australia was primarily started by a group of convicts that arrived in central Australia around 25,000 years ago, these people were later known as the Aborigines.  They were the main settlers of the country, until the Europeans begin sending explorers down to the area. Now, the population is a very diverse group of cultures.

The picture above is from the Wellington Farm Lamb operation in Australia.  Sheep are to Australia, as cattle are to the United States.  The Australian sheep herd is about 72.75 million, while the cattle population is just over 27.9 million head.  The most popular breeds of sheep are the merinos and suffolks, and the dominant cattle breeds include Angus, Shorthorn, and Simmentals.

The Great Barrier Reef is another quite exciting places we will be seeing on our trip.  The biodiversity of this area is absolutely incredible, over 1500 species of fish live on the reef.  The reef is about 5 million years old!! How awesome is that?! It is also one of the 7 Wonders of the World!!!!! Fun Fact: 6 billion Australian dollars are generated by the tourist attraction of the Great Barrier Reef alone!

Sydney, Australia is one of the places we will be visiting.  I'm looking forward to having a night to take in the Australian culture along with the rest of the KSU mates.  Hopefully, I will blog again before we leave on the 21st, but if not please check back on the 21st for travel details and pictures!

Much love,
~Kaycie

Sale Update, Vilsack, and Tornadoes

Happy Sunday!!
It's been awhile, so I have LOTS of info to share!
Last weekend, we had our sale and it was definitely a SUCCESS!! We had two bulls over $10,000 this year, THANK YOU to the Dockter family and the family for their purchases. Our averages were up by a significant amount from last year.. what a great time to be in the cattle industry! After the sale, we had a barn party featuring a live band.  The party was way too much fun!! Sunday we celebrated my cousin's first birthday. She's absolutely adorable.. I can't believe she's already 1!

On top of two tests and a presentation on Tuesday, I went to listen to the United States Secretary of Agriculture, Senator Tom Vilsack.  His lecture was very inspiring.  As an Pennsylvania orphan 61 years ago, he could only dream of the educational and rewarding lifestyle that rural children experience on the farm. Today, he is promoting the rural communities, and more importantly the US economy and how it depends on the agriculture industry.   Here is a link to the K-State newspaper article that covered the Landon Lecture speaker on Tuesday.  Senator Vilsack Comes to K-State

President Schulz introducing Secretary Vilsack as the 160th Landon Lecture Series speaker.

Thursday night my co-ed softball team was scheduled to play a double-header softball game; however, we only ended up playing one game due to the other team forfeiting the first game.  We won our second game 15-0!! 

The weekend brought many severe storms threats across most of Kansas from mid-afternoon until late into the night.  I've seen numbers as high as 97 tornadoes being reported during that time yesterday! Luckily, all of my family and friends (that I know of) are safe with little to no damage.  

Australia Update: We leave 5 weeks from tomorrow!! Time to get serious about this trip! Luggage has been ordered, the last payment has been sent, and presentations are finished! I can't believe it's almost here!! 

Good night friends and have a great week!!

Much love,

~Kaycie

Already April?!

Hey friends!
I can't believe it is already April 3rd! It seems like yesterday we were just getting back from Denver..wow! Where do I start? Well, the beginning of March brought the K-State Legacy Sale and a weekend of fun with a good friend from home.  A few weeks later on March 16th, my brother and his girlfriend, Roxie, and Garrett and I went to see Luke Bryan and Jason Aldean. That was AWESOME!!

 

The following week was Spring Break for us at K-State.  I chose to work in Manhattan until Wednesday that week.  I went home to help get ready for the sale, and then I had an eye appointment on Friday.  Well long story short, I went in for a yearly check up to see what prescription I needed to get for my new contacts, and I left with some of the worse news I thought I'd ever hear.  On top of bad allergies in my eyes, the doctor told me my retinas were coming in from the brain higher than expected due to possible pressure on the brain. As you probably guessed, I freaked!!!! The retina specialist I went to the following Monday confirmed that it was only allergies and a bent, swollen optic nerve. I had never been so happy in my life to have allergies!! :)

After getting caught up in work and school, I can finally enjoy some time to relax....until the end of this week that is.  Our 5th annual production sale in Saturday in Canton, and this year's cattle are the best offering to date.  All the hard work does pay off, and it is so rewarding to watch genetics go from "way back when" to where they are now.  If you are looking for some good purebred Gelbvieh cattle, check us out in Canton this weekend! There will be a live band and a barn party where we will party until the cows come home that night!!

Here's a link to view this year's catalog.


I hope you all have a blessed Easter weekend!!
Much love,
Kaycie

The Natural Beauties of Eastern Victoria

Over the course of the next few weeks, I am going to describe some of the places we will be visiting while we are in Australia.  But first let me describe the Eastern Victoria area in depth, as this was the area assigned to me for our prerequisite "learning about Australia" class.

Eastern Victoria is home of the largest inland lake system, among many other natural beauties, such as wildlife parks, the Alpine National Park, and the 90 Mile Beach.  Many of Australia's best cool season vineyards are within the Eastern Victoria boundaries. The most prominent wines coming from this area include sparkling wines, Chardonnays, and Pinot Noirs.  The picture below is a vineyard in the Yarra Valley, located in Eastern Victoria.

For the animal lovers, Phillip Island is the most attractive place to visit.  A natural tradition happening every time of the year will show tourists the penguin parade.  At sunset, penguins come along the Summerland Beach and preen themselves or take care of their young chicks.  There is also a koala colony on Phillip Island! Here's a photo I found taken on Phillip Island in July 2007:

http://journals.worldnomads.com/stowaway/photo/1715/116454/Australia/Phillip-island-Penguin-Parade

I'm not sure that we will be able to visit all of the natural beauties of Eastern Victoria on this trip.  If I ever get the chance to go back to Australia  on my own time, I know that Phillip Island will be a must for me to see!!


Good night mates, 
~Kaycie

Spring Fever

Well, as most of you know tomorrow is the first day of Spring!! I can't wait... last week was WAYYY too nice, especially for us to still be at work/in school.  The first day of spring makes me think of so many things: spring break!, pretty flowers, beautiful weather, and OUR SALE!

Yikes.. our annual production sale is April 7th which is less than 3 weeks away now.  Yesterday the crew spent all day cleaning pens, painting pens, sweeping floors, and going through calves in an attempt to begin the "get ready" process.  It seems like we are always running around last minute trying to get the little things done, hopefully this year will be different! This year is our 5th annual sale, and with cattle prices being how they are, we are hoping for the best one yet! I'll be sure to keep you posted as to how it goes. 

Today, I got exciting news about the internship I will have this summer at JBS Corporate Office in Greeley, CO.  I will be an intern with the Beef Sales Division, with my manager being the director of Natural Beef Sales.  This is such an awesome opportunity! Working in the sales field for an international company, the number one meat processor in the world!!! I CAN'T WAIT!!!!

 I will be posting more information soon about where exactly we are going to in Australia!

Much love,
~Kaycie

Weekend Shenanigans

Well, it is finally Friday, friends! I can't wait to get this weekend started!! Some of my closest friends will be up here all weekend, for the annual festivities in a local business district (Aggieville), and I'm so very excited!!

Last night, we started the weekend a little early with activities at our apartment and then over to a friend's house. Tonight, we will begin the weekend off right, by helping our meats judging coach celebrate the end to his Master's program at K-State.  I went to watch him defend his thesis this morning, and he did great.  Tomorrow will begin early with breakfast and the fun will continue until dark, I'm sure!
 

I hope you all have a fun, safe "holiday" weekend (if you're in Manhattan). Here's something to look forward too..... 70's and beautiful is the forecast for next week!! Wahoo!!!!

Happy Friday!!
~Kaycie

Cattle, Ag, and Sports

For those of you that don't know me well, let me explain my life in a nutshell.  I have many passions, but what mainly drives me are cattle, agriculture in general, and sports! I have been around Gelbvieh cattle since I was 9, and I wouldn't change it for the world. Agriculture is the driving force of the nation/world, so it's pretty obvious why I strive to learn everything there is to know about ag.  By the way, it's Kansas Ag Week, so be sure to thank a farmer today! =)

 I have grown up playing sports, not because my parents made me, but because I wanted to.  Being the tom-boy I am, I used to play football with the guys after we got out of elementary school, and a pick-up game of basketball wasn't too bad either.  Now, I'm not saying I know everything there is to know about sports, especially football, but I know a fair amount.  Well today in class, my professor mentioned being from Indiana and how he's been keeping up with the latest news of the football team there.  He sarcastically mentioned that Peyton hasn't done anything for the team, and that he should get booted.  The class, of course, giggled in unison, because basically everyone (or at least I thought so) knows about Peyton Manning being released from the Colts. He went on to say, "if you don't know Peyton Manning, then get out".  The girls in front of me seriously didn't know him! WHAT?!?!?! I still can't fully believe it, but I guess I have to get used to it...not everyone has their TV set to ESPN 24/7/365 like we do at our place. My only hope is that he goes to the Cowboys and replaces Romo?? I love him to death, but jeesh he just can't ever seem to get the job done.

For all of you that still don't know who I'm talking about, I've provided a picture and a link.

Here's a link to Manning's Release


Now, that I'm off my rant, I guess I better get busy. I've got to study for my Feeding test and Genetics test, right after we go to a celebration dinner for my roommate.  Sarah Jane is going to be in Texas for her Master's program!! Congrats SJ!!

Much love, mates.
~Kaycie

Breaking the Ice

Hey guys!

This is my first ever blog, so please bear with me!! Getting this darn thing set up was a chore in itself, the basic settings wouldn't work, uploading a picture wasn't even an option, and to top it all off we were on a time limit. I'm sure it gets easier, but for now I'm going to have to take it step by step.  Let me explain the basic use for this blog.. I'm going to AUSTRALIA!! Jealous? Well, you should be!! I'm super stoked about it!!  About 20 students and staff from Kansas State University are taking a trip to Australia to specifically see agriculture in a different area of the world, along with experiencing the culture in the Land Down Under. We will be keeping everyone back in the States updated with daily activities via our own personal blogs.  The trip is from May 21 to June 1, so we all still have a little bit of time to get used to this way of communicating with our family.  Until I leave on the 21st, I plan on using the blog to keep everyone in the know about life at K-State and all of the shenanigans happening in my world!!

For now, all I have to look forward to are two tests on Thursday, an online quiz, a sales presentation, and, of course, a weekend filled with friends and Fake Patty's Day!!!!!!  I'm going to have to pace myself on Saturday, because drinking too many stubbies (Australian for beer) will definitely not end well!

Best wishes until next time, mates.
~Kaycie