Livestock
Cattle on the Farm
There are 2 types of cattle on farms. One is Dairy cattle, where cows are milked twice per day at a dairy. The milk can then be used to make all of those delicious dairy products that many people like to eat - butter, cheese, yoghurt, ice cream etc.
The other is beef cattle, where cattle are raised to provide us with beef products, such as steak, sausages and mince.
There was a dairy on the farm for over 100 years, but it is not operational at the moment, so we don't have many Dairy cows on the farm. Most of the cows you see on the farm today are beef cattle, but are actually involved in a very important project that will last for 10 years! Expect to see these cows going about their cow business on this farm for quite some time!
Right now, there are 5 different breeds of cattle living on the farm.
Angus
Angus originated in Scotland and are usually all black in colour, sometimes with a tiny bit of white underneath.
Charolais
One of the oldest French breeds of cattle, they are white/light straw in colour, grow quite large and most of them have horns.
Shorthorn
Originated in the North-Eastern part of England in the 1700s, and was one of the first pure bred breeds introduced into Australia in the late 18th Century.
Hereford
Originated in Herefordshire in South-West England and is one of the most common cows in Australia. They have a rust brown to deep red body colour, with a white face.
Wagyu
Originating in Japan, Wagyu simply means "Japanese Cow", and are normally Japanese Black, Japanese Brown and Japanese Shorthorn.
Sheep on the Farm
The sheep on this farm are very special Merino sheep, and much like something you might see in a musuem, except they are alive and running around! The reason they are so special is because these sheep are decendants of the very first sheep that arrived in Australia, that formed the foundation of John and Elizabeth Macarthurs farming operations, and ultimately, Australias Wool industry. They arrived in Australia as Spanish Merino, but the Macarthurs used these sheep to develop their own particular type of Merino, the "Macarthur Merino". The Macarthur Merino had very good quality wool, so good in fact, that other countries wanted it!
Wool is used in many products that we use in our lives, from jumpers, slippers, socks, soft toys, blankets, beanies, gloves, scarves, rugs, carpet....the list goes on!
Every August, our sheep are taken to a large Shearing Shed, where they get their yearly haircut! They go in the shed as Baaaaabara, and come out as Shawn...get it??
The wool is then sold as it is, and the companies that buy it clean it, process it and use it to make different products.
A Merino Ram displaying its fleece (wool).
A shearer hard at work shearing one of the many Ewes on the farm
What is in my fridge?
Take a look inside your fridge and freezer.Write a list of all products you can find that you think may have come from a cow. Make sure you are thinking of both kinds of cattle!
Warm and Wooly
Take a look around your classroom or home. Try to find as many things as you can that have wool in them. You may need to look in wardrobes or cupboards to find that old pair of slippers or long lost teddy bear.If you aren't sure and find a label, see if you can find the word "wool" anywhere on the label.
Write a list of everything you find.