Want the best job in

the World?

Want to help feed

the World? Christopher Bowler

Tells you how you can enjoy

making a difference.

Who is Christopher Bowler

The Bowlers

• The Bowlers picture

Let me introduce you to team Bowler.

L to R . Just peaking out of the big wombat hole is

Pip, then my eldest sister Katherine, Nick in the other

wombat hole and me. Whilst we don’t see the

wombats too often. Its

pretty hazardous driving a

tractor where they dig their

burrows especially if they

are hidden in the grass.

Lots of good info on wombats here: www.sherryfelix.com/Creatures/wombat/wombat

My Hobbies

• I play hockey in Albury. I have played since I was 10 years old. Last season I started playing in senior division and won the Coaches’ Award for my club which was exciting.

• I breed and show Muscovy Ducks, and a few other types of poultry, at Sydney Royal and Canberra National Poultry Show

• I have competed in a number of junior judging and junior handler competitions for poultry, waterfowl, merino sheep, meat sheep, grain, fleeces and beef cattle.

• I also like to make things out of metal and have been studying Metals & Engineering at TAFE as part of my HSC.

My Show Successes

2009

• Qualified for the NSW State Finals in merino sheep, merino fleece and beef cattle junior judging and in beef cattle parading.

• Competed in the NSW State Junior Poultry Judging.

• Reserve Champion in the RAS Junior Waterfowl Judging.

\

Its pretty nerve

wracking speaking on

the mike during

judging competitions

but it’s a great skill to

learn and gives you

confidence

Sheep judging is a

popular activity for

students. The state

finals are held at the

Royal Shows in each

capital city. The

purpose is to judge the

appearance of

animals and then to

place (rank) them

based on how they

look. Judging activities

help young people

learn to make sound

decisions and to

defend them by an

oral presentation of

their reasons.

Where is Holbrook

• Holbrook is a small town located

in Southern New South Wales

• It is located on the Hume Highway,

356km NE of Melbourne and

491km SW of Sydney between

Tarcutta and Albury.

• In 2006 Holbrook had a

population of 1,336 people.

• The district around Holbrook is

renowned for local produce

including merino wool, wheat and

other grains, lucerne, fat cattle and

lamb.

Source: Wikipedia

Where did Holbrook get its name?

• The area was originally inhabited by the Wiradjuri people.

• The explorers Hume and Hovell were the first known Europeans in the area. They travelled through in 1824 when looking for new grazing country in the south of the colony of New South Wales.

• The town was originally called Ten Mile Creek and the first buildings erected in 1836. A German immigrant, John Christopher Pabst, became the publican of the Woolpack Hotel on 29 July 1840 and the area became known as "the Germans". By 1858 the name had evolved in to the official name of Germanton

• Ten Mile Creek Post Office opened on 1 January 1857, and was renamed Germanton in 1875 and Holbrook in 1915.

• During World War I, the town name was deemed unpatriotic. On 24 August 1915 the town was renamed Holbrook in honour of Lt. Norman Douglas Holbrook, a decorated wartime submarine captain and winner of the Victoria Cross. Lt. Holbrook commanded the submarine HMS B11.

Source Wikipedia

Our famous submarine

The Story of the Submarine

• To honour Lt. Holbrook the town's namesake, the Holbrook council acquired a portion of the hull of HMAS Otway, when it was decommissioned by the Royal Australian Navy in 1995.

• The Navy gifted the fin from the submarine to the town. This resulted in a drive by the town and district to bid on the whole submarine. This drive for the purchase of the submarine, was successful in raising $100,000, almost all a gift from Lt Holbrook's widow GundulaHolbrook.

• However, this amount was insufficient to purchase all of the Otway. Through negotiations with the scrap yard in Sydney, the town did succeed in purchasing all of the outside skin of the Otway above the waterline.

• This part of the Otway is now displayed in Germanton Park in the heart of Holbrook, having being dedicated on 7-8 June 1997.

Why Young Farmers are so Important.

It is very important for Australia to attract young

people into agribusiness careers as the world

faces complex challenges such as:

• Feeding an ever-increasing world population.

• Farming with less resources that will become

more and more expensive.

• Maintaining and improving the environment in

which we live.

Did you Know?

• Over 3 billion people now rely on food grown somewhere else and transported to cities, a number likely to grow to around 7 billion by 2050.

• In the next 50 years we will need to produce as much food as has been consumed over our entire human history.

ww.csiro.au

Do you know how many people go

hungry?

• It is estimated that 854 million people in the world suffer from chronic hunger and malnutrition. This means that 1 in nearly 7 people do not get enough food to be healthy and lead an active life, making hunger and malnutrition the number one risk to health worldwide.

• About 24,000 people die every day from hunger or hunger-related causes. Three-fourths of the deaths are children under the age of 5.

www.globalissues.org

Do you know how scarce water is

becoming?

• Logically most freshwater is used to grow food

and other agricultural crops.

• Worldwide, agriculture accounts for 80% of

global water consumption, and in Africa and

Asia it accounts for 90%.

• To feed a growing world population, it is

estimated that 14-17% more fresh water will

be needed for irrigation by 2030.

http://whyfiles.org

•Today, 31 countries face chronic freshwater shortages.

• In 2025, 48 countries are expected to face shortages affecting more than 2.8 billionpeople,

•Countries likely to run short of water in the next 25 years are Ethiopia, India, Kenya, Nigeria, and Peru.

• Other large countries such as China, face chronic water problems.

www.Overpopulation.org

And there is more!!!

Add to this the world faces increasing pressure

from

• Population growth.

o currently the world population is 6.8 billion. It is

predicted to be 9 billion in 2040 - a 33% increase

• Rapid urbanisation.

o It is predicted up to 60% of people will live in

urban areas by 2040 compared to 13% in 1900

http://en.wikipedia.org

The challenges.

• Firstly we will need to achieve this where

carbon and water have a price.

• And we can no longer simply clear more

forest and farm even more marginally.

• Secondly this is happening at a time when

we are seeing the greatest migration of

people to urban centres.

Scary stuff indeed.

“An estimated 4.3 people are born every second

around the world.” Population Reference Bureau's 2006 World Population Data Sheet

• Population growth means houses now occupy

prime agricultural land

and as I said before

• Over 3 billion people now rely on food grown

somewhere else and transported to cities, a

number likely to grow to around 7 billion by

2050.

So on top of feeding the world we have the challenge of housing the world.

• All of these influences - not to mention

shortages of irrigation water, oil prices, poverty

and civil unrest

Challenging and Complex.

Agriculture not only feeds us • Australian agriculture not only provides food and materials for domestic consumption, it also provides significant export revenue.

• The agricultural and mining sectors (10% of GDP combined)[1]

account for 57% of the nation's exports.[2]

http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/http://www.rba.gov.au/Statistics/

• Let me share with you why it’s important and

the opportunities I have had at Billabong High

School to prepare me for a career in

agriculture.

Farmers can make a difference and this

is why I study agriculture at school

Landcare Farming at Allawah

It is the continuing teaching of

agriculture that is vital to the future of

Australia.Our school farm provides a hands-on environment where we are able to observe and actively participate in its running.

My studies include

• Understanding how a basic farm operates and how a small sheep stud works.

• 70 hours of work placement in the agricultural industry of my choice.

• preparing sheep and cattle for shows.

• Showing school cattle and sheep as well as working with sheep studs.

Our school farm.

• The farm is about 1.5ha in size, with a feed lot system that can hold up to 10 steers.

• The school runs a small South Suffolk sheep stud with 15 ewes and 5 breeding rams.

• We grow oats to be used as greenfeed for the sheep.

• The sheep also have the use of a number of small paddocks and sometimes the school oval for grazing.

Our school farm

cont..

The school farm also

supplies

opportunities for us

to grow and

harvest our own

crops and to

conduct

experimental trials.

Showing Sheep

• We show South

Suffolk Sheep.

• I am Team Leader for

the Billabong School

show sheep team.

• I am in charge of

feeding and general

care of the sheep.

Lets talk about sheep

South Suffolk Sheep The South Suffolk

breed was created by

crossing a Suffolk with

a Southdown.

The South Suffolk first

appeared in New

Zealand during the

1930s in response to

an overseas demand

for leaner meat.

www.nzsheep.co.nz/southsuffolk

South Suffolk

Southdown Suffolk South Suffolk

So where did original Suffolk Sheep

come from? - Suffolk off course

Norfolk Horn Southdown Suffolk

•The Suffolk was developed in England by crossing a variety of horned sheep,

the Norfolk Horn, with Southdown sheep.

•The Southdown gave the breed conformation (its shape and build) and its quiet

temperament, while the Norfolk Horn gave taste and quality to the meat.

Time line of Suffolk Sheep Origins

• 4500BC Neolithic farmers take their livestock, including the

Soay breed, to Britain

• 43AD Romans occupied Britain and took with them their

livestock, including some large, long-woolled sheep

• 1300's Brought another new breed - the Norfolk Horn, a

descendant of the Soay

• 1600's Norfolk's were crossed with Southdowns and originally

known as Southdown Norfolks or Blackfaces.

• 1810 Accepted as purebreds. The name Suffolk was used for

the first time in the early 1800's

www.suffolks.com.au/breedinfo

Important dates for Suffolks in Australia

• 1886 The first Suffolks were bought to Australia by Rev.

Samuel Marsden.

• 1887 The breed recognised by the English Royal Society.

• 1903 Suffolks imported from England by Albury sheep

breeder Mr GR Jackson.

• 1904 Flock imported from England by Mr FE Thorneman of

Yarra Junction, Victoria.

• 1914 No 1 Registration was held by "Victoria Stud" of the

Dept of Agriculture Research Farm at Werribee Victoria.

• 1959 Classes introduced at the Suffolk Agricultural

Association Show.

www.suffolks.com.au

Things to look for when judging Suffolk

sheep

Catch up on your sheep lingo

• Lambs are young sheep which still have their baby teeth.

• Ewe - a female sheep is called a ewe.

• Ram - a male sheep is called a ram.

• Wether - a castrated male sheep is called a wether. Wethers

are less aggressive than rams.

• Hogget - a young sheep which has cut its 2nd teeth but is not

yet mature.

• A group of sheep is called a flock or a mob.

Catch up on your sheep lingo cont..

• Lamb and muttonLamb is also the term for the flesh of a young domestic sheep eaten as food. The meat from a sheep that is older than 12 months is called mutton.

• WoolThe fibre that most sheep grow is called wool. The wool from one sheep is called a fleece. Many fleeces from the same farm, wool pool, region, or state are called a clip.

• Lambing

The process of giving birth to lambs is called lambing. Another word for birthing is parturition. Another word for pregnancy is gestation.

Sheep are smarter than you think.

•New research is suggesting that sick sheep could actually be smart enough to cure themselves.

•Australian researchers believe that sick sheep may actually seek out plants that make them feel better.

•There has been previous evidence to suggest that animals can detect what nutrients they are deficient in and can develop knowledge about which foods are beneficial or toxic.

Some fast

facts about

the Australian

Sheepmeat

industry

courtesy of

MLA.

Some more

fast facts

about the

Australian

Sheepmeat

industry

courtesy of

MLA.

The school shows beef cattle as well.

The school show team attends Sydney, Melbourne

and Canberra Royal Shows, as well as a

number of local shows, each year for stud

cattle and steers.

Lets talk about

beef

www.mla.com.au

Some more

Aussie beef

fast facts

http://www.mla.com.au/

Major school achievements Billabong High School has won the Grand Champion Led

Steer at Melbourne Royal Show for last 2 years.

More success at Melbourne Royal Show

Mandayen Limousin and Billabong High School joined forces to win the prestigious Borthwick Trophy at the 2008 Melbourne Royal.

The three limousin steers bred at Mandayen were prepared by the school students and they dominated the steer showing.

The steers were awarded:

• Grand Champion Steer on hoof.

• First place Borthwick team on the hoof and hook.

• 2008 Borthwick Trophy winning team for three purebred steers.

www.mandayen.com.au

Billabong

success @

Melbourne

Royal in 2008

Limousin Cattle

Origins of the Breed:• The Limousin breed originated in a region of central France - rugged,

granite country - where the summers are hot and winters are severe.

• The documented history of Limousin goes back more than 15,000 years to

an area surrounding the French city of Limoges where rough cave paintings

showing the characteristics of the breed have been discovered and carbon

dated. The Limousin herd book was established in 1886.

• Today the Limousin breed can be found in seventy countries from the

northern-most herds of Finland and the Commonwealth of Soviet States to

countries such as Cuba, South Africa and China.

• The Limousin breed is:

o the largest breed in the UK

o the third largest breed in the USA

o the fifth largest breed in Canada

o the seventh largest breed in Australia

www.limousin.com.au

Billabong High School at Canberra Show

in 2008.

Learn more about judging beef cattle here:www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/agriculture/livestock/beef/breeding/general/objective-measurement-showing

We won grand

champion pure

bred steer.

Not a bad effort!!!

Lets talk about ducks.

Remember I also said I breed and show Muscovy Ducks

Here is some info on the breed:

• Breed: The Muscovy

Temperament: females make the best pets

Cost: $15 - 25 for adult female, $30 for drakes, $100 for stud

Muscovies .

• Lifespan: 7 to 8 years.

Recommended for: anyone wishing to keep ducks.

Maintenance: low.

• Muscovies are easily distinguished from other breeds by their

faces which are devoid of feathers, bright red, flashy and

carnunculated (lumpy). Source www.burkesbackyard.com.au/2000/archives/2000/roadtests/birds/muscovy

Muscovy Ducks

&

Ducklings

My sister Katherine is studying

Agricultural Science at Charles Sturt Uni.

Katherine will be going into station

management when she finishes.

Farmers are VIP’s

So as you can see:

oFarmers will play an increasingly important role

in ensuring world food security in the future.

oStudying agriculture at school opens lots of

doors and takes you lots of places.

So why not consider an agriculture education

pathway like Katherine

Acknowledgements

• School show photos supplied by Mr. Stephen Trickett

Billabong High School Agriculture Teacher

• Dr John Williams, NSW Natural Resources

Commissioner “Our Landscapes, Our Future:

foundations for a democratic civil society”HUNTER VALLEY RESEARCH FOUNDATION September 2009 LECTURE SERIES

GOLD SILVERPLATINUM

BRONZE

Gerringong

& Albion Park

Vet Clinic

MEDIA SPONSOR

This is a

Christopher Bowler

presentation for the

2009