Ice, Ice Baby
Below freezing temperatures this week meant that there was ice everywhere – it certainly made walking to class a challenge! Classes just keep getting better and better, this week was no exception!
Livestock & Meat Eval and Livestock Sales class were fortunate enough to host Mark Gardiner as guest speaker, he provided some fascinating insights into business and beef – no topics were off limits, an incredible opportunity for students!
Feeding class took a tour of the K-State on-campus feed mill. The facility produces approx. 70 tonnes of custom feeds per day – not the same scale as a commercial facility, but an incredible resource to have right on campus! The tour started in receivals, which is also load out, then onto grinding, mixing, seeing micro additives and pelleting – all computer controlled! Later in the week, my livestock and meat eval. class looked specifically at pig EPD’s, using our newfound knowledge to interpret data and assist in a physical assessment of 8 gilts. I have had limited exposure to the pig industry prior to this, and find the depth and complexity of data collected by this sector fascinating! It is also interesting to see how competitive pork is in the consumer meat market. Our beef systems class this week welcomed Lorna Marshall, from Select Sires – what an incredible wealth of knowledge this lady has! It was an absolute pleasure to hear her insights into the world of AI and genetics marketing. Running through different genetic traits and indexes and using real world examples of selection pressure on a line up of potential sires.
Friday saw me drive home with one of my class mates, stopping through a town called ‘Home’ on the way – couldn’t miss the photo opportunity there!
But then it was full steam ahead until we arrived at their farm. I was excited to be out and on a family farm – and noticed the differences between this and our farm back home, the first was before we even got out the door!! Thick coveralls and muck boots were required for work, something we don’t have at home, particularly at this time of year!
I was shown around their Angus cow/calf operation, which included checking their spring calving cows, tagging calves, seeing their small feed yard and fall calving cows. Luckily I was there on Friday night, and was able to join in their traditional Friday night movie night – complete with popcorn, and some giggles about my ‘Australian’ questions! Saturday saw us yard a cow and calf for some treatment, was a little tricky with the icy weather conditions – I never thought I’d see an F350 get bogged!! In the afternoon I was able to travel over to another extended family farm, where they run hair sheep. Although not the Australian Merino’s I’m used to, it was great to be able to chat through the US sheep industry and current trends. It was also the first time I had seen guardian animals at work, both dog and donkey – which I particularly enjoyed! Sunday I ticked more ‘to see’ items off of my list, including pest’s ranchers deal with, a coyote and a wild turkey. I also visited the infamous Kansas ‘shoe tree’.
The weekend flew past, and before I knew it we were on the road back to Manhattan, I can’t thank the Pfrang’s enough for opening their farm and family to me – a weekend that I won’t forget in a hurry!
