IFYE Program Newsletter

Since my last letter I have been moving around quite a bit. I went to a sheep farm outside of Wynarka. My host family and I kept busy moving the sheep and getting them ready to be dipped. It took a whole day to drench all of the sheep in order to protect them against lice and flies. I kept busy raking hay; it seemed like I was raking more rocks than hay. The area I was in had an abundance of limestone, and all through the paddocks (fields) were piles of rocks that someone had painstakingly picked up and put there. The rocks became a real nuisance. Another day was spent pulling and repairing a windmill.

I then went to another farm where they had sheep, but the family used the land mainly to hold sheep that were going to the abattoir (slaughterhouse), so the farm was basically a holding area until the sheep were needed.

I went from there to the Bathtub Drags. At this rural youth function, clubs from all over the state have competitions with bathtubs that have wheels, and are pushed. I was chosen as a driver for the lower north team. Let's just say I think bathtubs are better suited for bathing than driving. This is an example of an activity that brings youth from all over the state together. It was a fun and crazy time that I won't soon forget.

From there I went back up near Gawler where I stayed with a schoolteacher. It was kind of a relaxing week. We had all sorts of strange weather. On October 31, five inches of rain fell. The storm caused many problems. There were trees down, power outages, mudslides, and flooding. People said they had not had that much rain in 20 years. I joked that the strange weather might be a result of not celebrating Halloween. Everyone had a laugh about that. The next couple weeks saw more rain than ever. I questioned everyone about it, because I had been told me that this was the driest state in the driest continent, which is true. This year is unlike any in 100 years.

I transferred to a dairy farm outside Riverton. That was a real learning experience, since I had never worked with dairy cattle before. The schedule was kind of hectic. The cattle have to be milked twice a day, at 5 a.m. and again around 4 p.m. It took nearly three hours to milk all of the cows. At the same time, construction of a new dairy was going on that would reduce milking time to one and a half hours. Between that work and cutting hay, life was busy.

An opportunity came up for me to experience a true Australian event-- a B&S ball, short for Bachelor and Spinsters' ball. A couple of mates and I ventured up to Hay in New South Wales, where the ball would take place. The trip took us a little over seven hours. I used to think seven hours was a long trip in a car until I traveled in Australia. Seven hours is like going across town to people here, because everything is so spread out.

Our travels took us through beautiful country. Hay is almost in the middle of nowhere, it seems. The land around it is so flat that it looks as if the sky blends into the ground. I have never seen country so flat and vast. When we arrived at Hay, we spent the day at the horse track watching the races. It was small compared to the Melbourne Cup, which all of Australia stops for.

On the trip back we stayed in Echuca, which is in Victoria. It was the third largest port on the Murray when river travel was the main method of transportation. Echuca is an aboriginal word that means "meeting or joining of rivers." I took a cruise on the Murray in a paddle steamer called "The Pride of the Murray," and learned some history about the town and about the river.

My next host family lives in Auburn; they are apiarists (beekeepers). There I did all sorts of work--everything from dressing up in a bee suit and gathering swarms to extracting honey. There is a lot of work involved in coming up with the finished product. I also spent a day at Gilmac Hay Products, where I learned how big square hay bales are prepared for export to Japan. I did some fieldwork that involved going out into farmers' paddocks to test for moisture and get core samples. To obtain a core sample, you attach a hollow rod to the front of the ute (truck) and ram the bale with the ute. I came close to getting whiplash that day!

I stayed with a family on a Merino stud farm for two days. I was given the grand tour of the nearby town of Burra, which was established when a mining operation was started after copper was discovered there. The town is filled with lots of history about the different people who came there to work. I spent half a day out in the bush. The colors of saltbush and bluebush are amazing--beautiful blues and greens as far as you could see. I was informed that everthing was green because of the recent rains. It was interesting how dramatically rainfall dropped off. Beginning at Goyder's Line, it drops off two inches every mile. The main use of the land is for grazing; it is not suitable for cropping.

Another day I traveled around with a stock inspector. I learned regulations on selling animals and transporting them interstate. We inspected sale yards for proper tagging and made sure the stock were in good condition. For example we checked the sheep for lice.

The next day I accompanied an agronomist. We checked crops of canola for insects and diseases, such as bud mites and powdery mildew. If any of these things were found, it was the agronomist's job to help the farmer find a solution, and also to help prevent future problem.

I usually try to point out things that I have noticed to be different in my travels. I have found that it is getting harder to notice those differences. I have been on this exchange for a little over two months. In this time, I have grown accustomed to how things work. What was once strange and different to me has almost become second nature. I remember my arrival here; I wondered if I would ever catch on to all the new and interesting things I was experiencing. It is going to be peculiar to return and readapt to how things work at home. Even though my time here has been short, my experiences have been fantastic. I can't wait to share them with everyone.

See you later. From your 4-H "mate down under"

Alli