Don't Just Thank a Farmer, Thank a Shearer Too!

   Many of you won't know what I mean when I say shearer, but my experience here in Australia has made me very familiar with shearing. Australia is the world leader in wool production, and has been for over a century. There are over 72 million sheep in Australia compared to 23 million people, and the ironic thing is that sheep numbers are at their lowest since 1905. A big part of that is because of long years of drought, but also because the type of sheep has changed into a bigger sheep with more wool.

    Australian wool is generally regarded as some of the highest quality wool in the world, and the best of it comes from the Merino breed. Merino sheep have been bred for hundreds of years to produce extremely fine wool and have been selected to have wrinkly skin as this allows more surface area for wool to grow. A mature Merino ewe can produce over 15 pounds of wool per year, a pretty impressive feat considering wool doesn't weigh very much and they are usually only shorn once per year.

    The main point I wanted to drive home was the fact that although many other professions in agriculture have changed drastically in the past 100 years, sheep shearing is still largely the same. Although machine shears are used today, shearing is still a very physical, tiring job for shearers who are expected to shear on average 150 per day. As they are paid by the sheep, it is in their best interest to get them done as quickly as possible, but this is a job that is alot harder than it looks.

   One notable story involves Jackie Howe, the world-record holder for sheep shorn in a day, who sheared 321 sheep in 7 hours and 40 minutes! The scary thing is, he did this in 1892 with HAND shears, and his record hasn't been beaten to this day!

   Last week, I tried my hand at shearing a few Merino ewes. After getting a brief lesson on how to position the ewe and hold her so that I didn't hurt her and could still shear effectively, I had a go at it. While most shearers take 3-4 minutes per sheep, I was still going at 20 minutes and sweating like crazy! I had similar results on the second sheep I attempted, after which I looked at shearing completely differently. I swore that I would never take for granted the hard work that goes into shearing a ewe and I think it is important to recognize the hard-working sheep shearers out there in the world who are alot tougher than I am!

Thank a shearer next time you put on your wool scarf and coat!

Cheers,

Hyatt

Red Meat - Green Facts

That's a fun little way of saying meat is sustainable and environmentally friendly. It's also the name of a website, which was created by Meat and Livestock Australia, that aims to "discuss the issues of sustainable farming practices." On the site you can further explore information about the "impact of farming on our environment and the proactive initiatives undertaken by farmers and processors across Australia."
One of my favorite features is a visual aid that helps consumers better grasp the supply chain from farm to fork. Check it out below:

Image courtesy www.redmeatgreenfacts.com.au

Other links include facts about reducing water usage, myth busting (similar to this post), responsible land management and school projects. The myth busting tab is one of my faves.

 

For anyone looking to delve further into the facts behind food production, I highly encourage you check out this site. Although it was developed in Australia, many of the same principles and practices apply to farmers and ranchers here in the U.S. Furthermore, it's always a bonus to learn about agriculture in other countries, because it fosters critical thinking on how the global agriculture industry can improve worldwide.

 

Until next time,

~ Buzzard ~

 

I thought the world was supposed to end in 2012.....

"Both the Hopis and the Mayans recognize that we are approaching the end of a World Age...in both cases, however, the Hopi and Mayan elders do not prophesy that everything will come to an end. Rather, this is a transition from one World Age into another." - Joseph Robert Jochmans


I definitely don't want anyone to take me for a person truly believes the world is going to end in 2012. However, I think many people may believe that the world could end tomorrow considering the onslaught of natural disasters that have ravaged Earth so far in 2011. The floods and cyclones we've seen here in Eastern Australia, the combination of wildfires and floods in the US, and the chilling aftermath of Japan's earthquakes have certainly made me wonder what the good Lord has in store for this world next.

These disasters have certainly taken a toll on world agriculture as well. For the three months I've been in Australia, I haven't eaten a banana yet because they're probably one of the most expensive fruits here, at a price of about $5.00 a pound since the crop in Queensland was almost wiped out. Then when I call home to Ohio, my dad still hasn't put a crop in the ground because the ground is saturated. With the supply of corn tighter than ever before, food prices across the board have risen over 3% since 2010, according to USDA statistics.

Even with these somber tones, I suppose there is a silver lining. I know that my wife and I, with our limited budget here in Australia, have really come to appreciate the cheap food costs we enjoyed back home in the US. We've learned to budget accordingly, and only treat ourselves to a rare meal away from home. When I talk to people in the US, they complain about rising food costs as well. I believe that in times and situations where food costs are high, each and every one of us gains a better appreciation for the 'good life' and the amazing food production system we have at our disposal in the United States. At least in the sense of food costs in the US, perhaps WE ARE looking at a New World Age, by joining countries like Australia that have to pay more for the food on their table.

Right, wrong, or inevitable, it's something to consider the next time you go to the store....

Bananaless in Australia,

Hyatt Frobose