Class Summary on Australia

Its official only 21 DAYS until we leave for our exciting adventure to Australia! We have worked all semester learning different pieces about Australia so we will be informed travelers when we arrive.

We started out the semester by learning about the geography of Australia, with emphasis on the areas that we will be traveling in. First of all the capital of Australia is Canberra. We also learned that there are 6 different states and 2 territories that form Australia.

After we were familiar with the area we would be traveling in, we were introduced to the history of Australia. Leaning that convicts founded Australia, was relatively interesting. This was because King George IV sent them there after they were convicted. This fell under is Transportation act, and the first fleet arrived in Australia in 1788. Once they arrived it was up to everyone on the fleet to make a livable area, which is out the convict colonies were established.

Next we moved on the government and economy of Australia were we learned that the current prime minister is Julia Gillard, and the Current minister of Agriculture is Joe Ludwig. When studying the economy of Australia we observed that they have a relatively stable economy when compared to the United States. In addition to this when we hit the recent recession so did they, however, it was not a drastic and they bounced back faster than we did.  

From there we started to focus on the agriculture industry in Australia. Wheat is Australia's most important grain crop, because it is the largest grown crop. In addition to this we have learned about Angus, Shorthorn, Simmental, and Hereford cattle in Australia. After we learned about cattle in Australia which they are very similar to American cattle we moved on to sheep.
Finally, we learned about how JBS and Cargill of Australia function. They operate differently than they do in the United States, for instance, when cattle are brought to the slaughter facility they have to be free of mud and need to be clean or they are turned away. This is a major difference from the united states. In addition to this, we learned about the Sale Yards in Australia. They are also different than what we are use to because they sell are pen of cattle out in the yards, where in America we usually sell cattle in a Sale Barn where the animals are ran into a pen individually or in a small group. Along with this in Australia they Auctioneer walks down a cat walk located above the pens and auctions the pens off. While in America the Auctioneer stays in their stand and the animals are brought to them.
There are many things to look forward on this trip besides experiencing the country in general. I am looking forward to being able to see how other cattle operations functions and what they focus on. Also I am looking forward to being able to see the Great Barrier Reef, the city of Sydney, and also the unique animals that inhabit Australia. Now that the countdown has began there are many things to do before we leave!