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My first Sydney Royal

I posted below on Art4agricultureChat this morning and thought the readers of Clover Hill Dairies diary might enjoy it too.

I remember my first Sydney Royal Easter Show ( bet you do too Dad and Kerrie and Aunty Bet) All of 8 years old and two horses and a second prize first class in the ring. How proud was I in my first grand parade. You had better find those photos Dad I am feeling nostalgic.

Camden Haven High School first Sydney Royal

Hi my name is Paige and I attend Camden Haven High School. I love my school and I want to tell you what makes it special. Agriculture that’s what!!!!.

Agriculture is compulsory for years seven and eight. I think this is a great idea as it gives students who do not live rurally or who do not have the opportunity to live with animals and have agricultural knowledge the chance to experience and enjoy what agriculture has to offer young people of today.

Our agricultural department focuses on a ‘paddock to plate’ experience giving the students in years nine and ten the option of electing two courses unique to Camden Haven High School; Vet studies and Agrifoods. From year nine to twelve, agriculture is also available for students to elect for study . In years eleven and twelve we have the opportunity to do both primary industries and senior agriculture, along with a new horticulture course.

The agricultural department not only has strong links with local farmers but also supports local businesses by buying their produce. The Camden Haven High School Agricultural Department has also formed a sub branch of the Camden Haven Show Society and we are are actively involved in preparing, organising, giving ideas and helping out with local events.

Agriculture has become so popular at our school the number of students who attend the agricultural plot before school, at recess and at lunch times has tripled in as many years. We have a very diverse range of animals that we care for including chickens, sheep, ducks, rabbits, turkeys, budgies, guinea-fowl, pigs, donkeys, cattle (including three breeding heifers), a water buffalo, guinea-pigs and two national park certified brumbies.

What is particularly special about the ‘ag plot’ is it is also a safe place for students who do not fit in with the rest of the school or are having a rough time or just enjoy the peace and quiet as there is always a great student/teacher support network to found in the agriculture department

I am personally involved with the school cattle team. Being the leader/captain has helped with my personal development and taught me many life and team work skills.

It has improved my ability to speak publicly, organisational skills, give directions confidently and have learned that it is important to make the wisest decisions even if they are not the most popular.

Currently there are forty students actively involved in preparing and showing the school cattle for the Sydney Royal Easter Show. I must admit directing such a large team gives me a positive sense of satisfaction and confidence.

The animals we are showing come from our agricultural teacher Mr Hickson, he grows Limousin and Limousin cross steers and heifers. They are also donated to our school by our long-time supporter Robert Rule.

We selected these animals as they both have the muscle development and fat coverage for their weight classes; they are also wide through the top line from the shoulders through to the rump. They are the pick of the animals from this year’s show team as they display the best attributes.

Students in the Sydney Show team this year are mainly year 10 students who have been constantly involved in showing cattle from year 7 onwards and they make up the bulk of the senior students in the team and basically run it.

We have been preparing our animals since October 2011, when they were first brought in to be broken in. This involves daily walking, brushing, leading and feeding our animals.

They are also tied up daily to get used to long periods of being in one place; we also wash and blow-dry our animals to prepare them for cleaning at the show.

This is our first royal and it will be a new experience and all the students are so excited and highly appreciative of having this great opportunity.

and to top it all off one of their students is a finalist in Cream of the Crop Competition with the winners presented with their prizes on April 14th at the Show in the RM Williams Stables

How timely these photos came through late last night of Olympic Park preparations for the Royal Easter Show from an excited George Davey General Manager, Agriculture at Sydney Royal

The Beef Cattle Ring Hocker

The Beef Cattle Sheds

Turning heads

This is Desert Pea our new bovine masterpiece at the entrance to Clover Hill

and this is internationally renowned Australian artist Peter Griffen

and this is Peter painting “Desert Pea” at the Sydney Royal Easter Show in 2008 as part of the Art4agriculture “Picowsso Art in the Park Exhibition”

and this is Desert Pea four years later gazing over the rolling green hills and the “sea for miles view” at her new eco gallery home.

As you can imagine she is turning a few heads.

On behalf of the Clover Hill Dairies team I would like to say a big thank you to Peter Griffen and his gorgeous wife, the equally talented Denise Lithgow who I had the pleasure of spending five days with a the show whilst Peter with Denise on hand lovingly created Desert Pea. BTW There is a great story behind the name see Peter on Landline here http://www.abc.net.au/landline/content/2008/s2670983.htm

Peter Griffen and Denise Lithgow ham it up at the Sydney Royal Easter Show – two wonderful Australians doing wonderful things in the community. We salute you both

The wounds are still raw

It is now 7 days since the double whammy of one farm being covered in flood water and the other the scene of a spine chilling tractor accident. Read the original post here

Today is the day that the tractor recovery session begins

We got off to an early start with the sun shining, the birds singing and some very VERY fit people braving the Clover Hill mountain on their bikes.

I was exhausted just watching them

By 7 o’clock the team of experts were in place.

By 7.30 everyone was starting to get very nervous with the recovery truck now bogged and a second tractor called in to pull out the truck failing to do so.

That then required more machinery to un-bog the truck

Nick was starting to think we should call the whole thing off and Michael and I were quick to agree. A quick call to our insurance broker and he was on the scene. After a long conversation with the recovery team we were assured this was a piece of cake compared to the places these experts often find themselves in such as recovering semi trailers that had gone over cliffs. So we reluctantly agreed to let the process continue and we all busied ourselves doing whatever it took to keep our minds off the task at hand and let the experts handle it.

We were all very relieved to see 4 hours later not only had the tractor returned to the top of the hill so had the gator which had been bogged at the bottom of the hill with the tractor for 7 days.

So the next trick was driving a tractor with one operational tyre onto the tow truck.

Its soon became obvious backwards wasn’t going to work

Finally the tractor is loaded

As you can imagine a lot of people will be very pleased when that tractor incident is just a faded memory

Little Miracles

Last month I wrote a post titled “ A Friend in Need” about a badly hurt baby wombat Michael found on the side of the road and bought home

Wires informed us Dunlop (named Dunlop by Tweep @beeso) was very seriously hurt and they didn’t expect her to survive. Dunlop is roughly 12 months old and weighs just 6kg. On top of this it is believed she had originally being attacked by foxes. The legacy of this was numerous wounds including a very deep maggot filled injury to head, severe injuries to her feet, a large area of her back stripped of flesh and now she had been clipped by a car.

We left Dunlop in the care of WIRES angels Lorraine and Kay and kept our fingers crossed.

Last week I had a call from Lorraine and Kay inviting Michael and me to visit “Amazing Grace”

Bandage Bear

Lorraine and Kay said they had said so often this wombat has the most amazing will to survive they thought it fitting to call her Grace.

How much is Grace loved. Let me show you. Firstly Grace lives with Kay and this is where Kay lives

This is the view from Kay’s front verandah. We thought we lived in paradise

Everyday Kay and Lorraine lovingly dress Grace’s wounds and feed her milk bottles

Grace has to be held like this for her bottle otherwise she chews the teat to bits ( they discovered this hold after Grace had bitten through 12 teats)

Grace’s back has fresh new skin

The nasty wound on her head is healing nicely thanks to “Solugel” applied with love

Her feet need a lot of attention

With staples assisting the torn soles to heal

and lots and lots of cuddles

What next for Grace. Well we will keep you informed but things are looking very promising. Little Miracles do happen

Seeding season begins with a bang and a whimper

Growing pasture is an art form and dairy farmers are pasture specialists because our cows demand (and so they should) the best quality pasture our soils can grow.

We have a highly intensive dairy farm system with the home farm having an effective milking area of only 50ha (actual land available to graze cows). Our key management strategy is to grow as much pasture as we can and this allows us to have a high stocking rate. We currently run 5 to 6 cows/ hectare. ( FYI this is 2.5 x the industry average)

The home farm has a pasture base of kikuyu – a South African grass that thrives (sometimes too well ) in our climate. Well managed “Kik” can be a very effective summer feed for our cows but it becomes almost dormant in the colder months. To ensure the cows have plenty of energy dense highly quality autumn/winter pasture we sow oats and annual ryegrass at Clover Hill. See footnote

Seeding season begins on 1st March every year and lasts for eight weeks and tends to be a very stressful period with two tractors operating around the clock.

One with a direct drill (above) on the flatter landscapes and one with a super spreader (below pix) broadcasting seed on the steep slopes.

These days we start with a light “knockdown spray” which stuns the kikuyu and allows the ryegrass and oats to establish well

We then broadcast the seed and let the dry (cows not milking) cows in to walk it in.

It doesn’t take long and the ryegrass and oats is just starting to poke through.

Its going to be a challenge in the next couple of weeks The farm is waterlogged and after the accident yesterday we are now short one tractor, so we are well and truly under the pump to deliver the best quality pasture on time for our girls.

“Walking on eggshells”

You can find out more information here

Footnote: When we have reviewed all of the perennial pasture trial results from Lemon Grove we hope to be able to translate that research into on farm action at Clover Hill

The Good the Bad and the Ugly

The Good

Take it from me farming has many great positives. For me its the mental intensity, the constant review process, the drive to get up each day and do it better For our team its about the cows and growing the best quality pasture we can to feed them.

For Louise its taking care of next gen

The Bad

But lets be honest there can be some serious negatives. It is well known farming is one of the most dangerous occupations in Australia. Only one in 10 workplaces are farms, yet they account for one quarter of all work-related deaths. Children under 15 years and adults over 65 years are more likely than others to be injured or killed on farms. Males are more likely to be injured than females via http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Farm_safety_risks_and_hazards?open

Yesterday’s post The big wet has left us a little worse for wear in more ways than one was a timely reminder to stay safe on farm

The Ugly

Farming is also very physical and pretty hard on the body

These are farmers knees – not a pretty site. Plenty of bone on bone here and shortly Michael is having a double knee replacement and they tell us that’s not much fun. Michael has a condition called traumatic arthritis which is a legacy of altercation 15 years ago with a bull who ploughed him into a concrete trough

Michael isn’t having much luck lately as he was the person somersaulting down the hill in the tractor yesterday

Russell has now come and inspected the damage after the tractor lost traction on the water logged slope and slid down the hill at a rapidly increasing rate of knots and hit a tree amongst a few other things with the “old boss” on board

Russell has declared this the worst bent roll frame he has ever seen yet the drivetrain and all the castings are intact as is the driver.

No oil leaks and even the front axle is still intact

And it looks like the GPS is still functional and the radio works

Yes we are taking the good with the bad and the ugly and early next week we will be having a team meeting and reviewing our Farm Safe procedures.

Stay safe Michael

Don’t tell the cows but yoghurt grows on trees

This story by Saffron Howden “Cultural cringe: schoolchildren can’t see the yoghurt for the trees”made the front page of the Sydney Morning Herald and not only that it was the most read article nationally. I am not sure I should tell you this but the whole world is talking about it. If you Google “yoghurt grows on trees” you get almost 1.7 Million hits on the web on this story line

At the farm we have decided that we wont tell the cows that 27% of children surveyed think yoghurt comes from trees. It will break their hearts.

It was bad enough to learn that most people didn’t know cows had four teats let alone this latest travesty.

But seriously what is it we want people to know about agriculture. I am sixth generation farmer. I grew up on a beef and sheep farm not returning to the dairy industry until I was 22. I will readily admit I had no idea how many teats a sheep had until I looked it up the other day. They have two by the way

Sydney School students visit Clover Hill Dairies

Today farming is diverse, its complex, underpinned by the latest science and research and is highly technical. Its also dynamic, innovative and can be a very rewarding career pathway.

One of my next door neighbours is an engineer and for quite sometime taught advanced engineering at Sydney Uni. He loves living on the farm and being part of a working dairy landscape. We have had many many discussion about educating people about agriculture. He tells me its not so much about educating but building an appreciation. He uses the mobile phone as an example. He tells me the mobile phone is the most technically complex device on planet but it is not necessary for people to understand how it works they just appreciate it works and he believes this is where agriculture should focus.

For agriculture I like use the Sydney Harbour Bridge as an analogy. We value it as an Australian icon. We appreciate its a complex structure, but we don’t need to understand the intricacies of how it is put together. When we cross from one side to the other with our most precious cargo, our families, on board we just need to have confidence in the people who designed it and trust who the people who built it .

My neighbour is right. The key is for farmers to actively engage and have two way conversations with urban Australia to build trust and appreciation of Australian agriculture so the community will value the hands that grow it and the land that produces it.

There are many ways to do this and Art4agriculture was conceived for agriculture to have these conversations as early as we could.

On the farm we have taken every opportunity to share the Clover Hill Dairies story and its definitely a highly rewarding experience having two ways conversations with the people who not only love yoghurt but also know it is made from milk from happy healthy cows

ICE-CREAM DELIGHTS

I was like an excited little kid waiting for Christmas Day and arrived early for day 3 of the Sydney Royal Cheese and Dairy Show judging. It is widely recognised the Sydney Royal Wine, Dairy and Fine Food Shows set the standard in Australian wine and food judging and offer producers a platform to benchmark their products within the Australian market. Only the most exceptional quality is recognised with gold and silver medals providing a perfect platform for marketing exposure.

All dressed up and ready to work

Today I was to have the ultimate sensory ice-cream experience stewarding the ice-cream judging at the Sydney Royal Cheese and Dairy Produce Show. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like ice-cream and there I was eyeing off the best the country has to offer.

The Sydney Royal does everything with style and the day started with a yummy breakfast for judges and stewards.

I had a birds-eye view of the massive upgrade being undertaken on the arena

I had the pleasure of meeting international legend that is Herve Mons

Herve Mons discusses the day’s duties with Chairman of the Royal Dairy Produce Show Gerry Andersen

My mentor for the day was RAS Councillor and former chairman of the Sydney Turf Club Bill Picken. Bill is all personality and with lots of wise advice I soon got into the swing of things.

Racing Identity Bill Picken

Ice-cream judges Susan Burns, Craig Davis and Mark Livermore.

The steward’s role is to ensure the judging process runs smooth and effectively. This includes ensuring each entry is presented to the judges at the correct temperature.

A scoop of each ice-cream is placed on a separate plate behind the entry so the judges can view its melting profile. The judges then take numerous samples for tasting.

Ice-cream is judged on Flavour, Texture, Appearance and Melting.

Susan closes her eyes and mind to the world about her and holds each sample approximately the same length of time in her mouth,

As the ice cream melts on your tongue there should be a pure taste

To evaluate the flavour a small amount of the frozen ice cream is placed directly into the mouth and quickly manipulated between the tongue and palate and the taste and odour sensations are noted. By pressing a small portion of the frozen ice cream against the roof of the mouth the smoothness, the coarseness, the sandiness, and the relative size of the ice crystals can be determined

Mark clearly enjoys the task

The experts can get a fairly accurate impression of the ice-cream’s body and texture characteristics by dipping the ice cream. The judges notice the way it cuts and the feel of the dipper or spoon as its cutting edge passes through the ice cream.

You may have heard that the overall quality of an ice-cream line can be judged by tasting its vanilla. True. Simple and pure, a scoop of vanilla should have a distinctive but delicate flavour that lets you experience the texture of the ice cream without masking other quality indicators.

There was no shortage of flavours on offer

Appearance/Presentation – Ice cream should look freshly made. Icy crystals on the surface or around the edges of the tub indicate either that the ice cream has been melted and refrozen or that it’s old.

There was even a Banana and Vegemite Flavour

Texture –There has to be some “air” in ice cream or else it would be hard as ice. But you also don’t want it to be all fluffy. The surface of the ice cream should be smooth. There should be some heft to a cup of ice cream, and when you dig in your spoon, you should feel a little resistance.

A team of 5 RAS staff ensures everything runs smoothly and double and triple check every score card

Once the individual classes are judged and the gold medal winners decided the top four gold medal winners are bought out in each section to determine the champions in their respective categories

The judges from all the sections come together to decide the champions. One of the finalists was a Lamington flavoured ice-cream. Not surprisingly this was a flavour our French judge was not familiar with

Fellow judge Rob Elliott describing the Ozzie icon the “lamington” to Herve Mons

AND THE WINNER IS

Champion Ice-cream

Entry 413 Class 49 Premium Ice Cream or Gelato, any flavour, minimum 12% fat content. GUNDOWRING FINEST ICE CREAM GINGER

Don’t quote me but I got the impression that our Aussie Gelatos and ice-creams could compete with the best of the best world wide

And a great day was had by all including me. I look forward to doing it all again next year

See here for a full list of the Gold Medal Winners

Great follow up from ABC

http://www.abc.net.au/rural/content/2012/s3435882.htm#.T0Q-_9OKIDc.twitter

Determining the ultimate in dairy excellence

My family has been showing dairy cattle and judging dairy cattle for over 110 years. When I was girl ( mmh I do remember that far back) I began showing horses when I was seven and by this time we had moved from the dairy farm to a beef and sheep farm at Cowra and we showed steers as well at the Cowra Show.

The highlight every year has always been taking the show team to the Sydney Royal Easter Show.

“And nothing beats getting a blue ribbon at the Sydney Royal Easter Show. Its Royal. Its blue. Its beautiful.”

RAS Councillor Downes, the blue ribbon winner Tangalla Leduc Fond and proud Nick Strong

Winning a champion ribbon well that takes the cake

Since we have been milking three times daily finding time to prepare our cattle for a show is pretty tricky

But this doesn’t mean my involvement in the judging arena has ceased. For the past two years I have been a judge of the Junior District Exhibits at the Sydney Royal Easter Show and how clever are these kids

LtoR Runner Up and the winning Junior District Exhibit at the 2011 Royal Easter Show

You can see it wasn’t easy to pick between these two, Just as well I have my good friend Wendy Taylor who designs the Central District Exhibit to “train me up” to do the role justice

Wendy is the genius behind this display in 2010

This year I have an exciting new gig and I am officiating as a steward in the Royal Cheese and Dairy Produce Show This competition is held annually in the second week in February. Attracting between 900 and 1,000 entries in 130 classes, the Sydney Royal Cheese & Dairy Produce Show hosts the most prestigious and competitive events on the dairy show calendar. As well as butter, milk, cheese, cream, dips, dairy desserts, gelato, ice cream and chocolate, products judged also include sheep, goat and buffalo milk….

The judges start with mild cheeses in the morning and leave the likes of chilli cheese to the very last.

Cheese judges chew and then spit into buckets, just like their wine colleagues.

Because cheese is so “cloying” on the palate, green apples and olives help freshen the tastebuds.

This year the world renowned French Fromager and Affineur Herve Mons will be doing the honours. This is his first ever visit to Australia

The ‘big cheese’ when it comes to this art of affinage, is French Fromager and Affineur, Hervé Mons

The art of affinage, or cheese maturing, is gaining momentum in Australia as cheese lovers demand quality food experiences. Those who are serious about cheese want to know how, and for how long, a cheese has been cared for to maximise its flavour potential. Artisan cheeses are complex and unique depending on the conditions in which they are made and kept.
.

And how excited am I just love Australian cheese and I cant wait to tell you all about my experience . But my lips will be sealed about who wins what (I probably wont be be told anyway – it will be a big secret)

Young people telling it like it is

I caught up with the dynamo Mike Stephens at the NFF Roundtable last Friday and introduced him to Stephanie Coombes. We were then lucky enough to catch up with Associate Professor Peter Sale from La Trobe University over dinner where the conversation centred on nurturing young people in agriculture and how we identify them, engage them and provide them with the skills sets to empower them to lead Australian agriculture into the future.

Mike sent me this quote this evening. Don’t you just love it

I crave human beings who understand the world, who gain sustenance from such understanding, and who want–ardently, perennially–to alter it for the better. Such citizens can only come into existence if students learn to understand the world as it has been portrayed by those who have studied it most carefully and lived in it most thoughtfully; if they become familiar with the range–the summits, the valleys, the straight and meandering paths – of what other humans have achieved; and if they learn always to monitor their own lives in terms of human possibilities, including ones that have not been anticipated before. Source: Gardner, The Disciplined Mind – Penguin – pages 19/20

This week Art4Agriculture Young Farming Champion and Clover Hill Dairies team member Emma Visser is one of “ 36 young, thoughtful and opinionated Australians who will come together in Canberra today, February 5th to attend Heywire – a “Tell It Like It Is” Regional Youth Summit. The 2011 Heywire winners from across regional Australia will engage in a five days of discussion and project idea pitching. They will speak directly with government decision makers, Australian youth sector leaders and key ABC staff.”

Emma and fellow Heywire winners tackling the Marshmallow Competition

Emma joins talented young people of the ilk of Melody Pedlar for this once in a lifetime opportunity.

The challenge for agriculture is how do we build on these opportunities our shining stars are being given.

Bindi Turner commented on my previous post “The world is run by those who show up” by saying “I struggle with a) the apathy when its an open invitation and b) who gets the tap on the shoulder when its not”

Bindi you have inspired me to put this forward. I would like to suggest to all those people out there who get a tap on the shoulder – ask if you can bring a friend. Then identify an exciting inspiring YOUNG person in agriculture who deserves to be heard and take them – you have nothing to lose and agriculture has everything to gain.

The National Farmers Federation Blueprint is our chance to define the farming landscape. Lets make it a legacy we can all be proud of

Emma’s winning Heywire video can be watched here