Da Daaaa. ALL DONE!

Here she is. All FINISHED.

Introducing......................................

WOOL I AM

 

 



Steph .... What a farming Champion Compulsary Blog edition 2

Steph had a big impact on the class. They interviewed her on the day of her visit, it was so much fun.

 

We put together a power point presentation that tells her and the wool farming story.
 

Of Life on The Farm told By FARMER STEPH.

 

 https://www.dropbox.com/s/m7as0q1mnyk9xyx/wool%20powerpoint%20finished.pptx?m

An almost Finished Cow

After months of work the cow is now complete.
We love that our cow tells a story - that different viewpoints are independent of others and have their own entity.

We LOVE she is a super cow.
We LOVE that she represents us, we have all had some input into her creation, whether it be us painting, knitting, sewing, gluing or cleaning up the mess the others left. We have all had a role to play.

The cape and mask shows the cow is all about the wool, the craft of knitting and involvement of the community. her super hero powers are all about sustainable farming.

The Head section reflects the farm, the pastures and the sheep on their fields.
The wool at the end of the head symbolise all the bales of wool that are ready for export.

The Middle section represents the label you find on the cow and all the important information that helps us want to buy the product.

The open interior of the middle section identifies the body parts - all made of felt (wool) and describe their functions.
The back section reflects the business end of the wool industry once the wool has left the farm and is a fibre used to make products. The smoke in the form of words tell us of some of the products.

The embroidered end demonstrates the processes the farmer and his life from shearing the sheep, wool types and export of bales.

WE HOPE YOU LOVE WOOL I AM AS MUCH AS WE DO

The cow so far.

A few pics to show our students hard at work.

 Almost Finished

sewing ....gluing

one more coat!

We just love that hot glue gun........

FUN FUN FUN

What does it take to Sustainably Feed and Clothe your Community

Australia is the world’s largest supplier of wool, producing 80 % of the world’s wool.
Australia has about 120 million wool producing sheep alone.
Australia sells 3.3 million bales of wool per year.
Australia exports 786 million kilos of wool per year.
The major wool buying countries are:
1. China
2. Italy
3. Japan
4. Germany

More than 75% of the total wool produced in Australia is produced by just 40% of wool producing farms.

 

So what does it take to produce enough wool to meet demands of not only our small community, but also the wider community.

 

There are 3.7 sheep for every person in Australia.

 

 

Sheep are big business in Australia. We are the leading producer of wool in the world, accounting for around 25 per cent of global woolclip and account for approximately 10 per cent of world production.

The gross value of Australian wool is $1.9 billion.

Australia produces eighty per cent of the world’s fine Merino wool and the major export market for our wool (by value) is China.

An article we found about one farmer dedicated to the wool industry and keeping standards high.

Keeping superfine wool alive

WA Country Hour

By Olivia Garnett

 

Posted Fri 11 Oct 2013, 11:01am AEDT

Photo: The shearing and fine wool classing team in action at Serena Park WA (Olivia Garnett)

As some shearing sheds across rural Australia fall into disrepair, there's one man who's determined to keep the superfine merino industry alive.

Since Peter Huston took over 14-hundred acres in Western Australia’s Avon Valley six years ago, he's been set on breeding sheep with the finest wool possible.
Sarina Park, 60 kilometres east of Perth, is a well-known superfine merino property and Peter has worked hard to maintain its reputation, focussing on boutique, rather than bulk.

If any sheep blow out in micron or get excessively strong then they are usually culled out, we select only the finest ones

Harry Wilson, artificial breeding specialist

Artificial breeding specialist Harry Wilson uses an electronic tagging system to track the fleece and breeding information of each animal.
"It just makes identification of individual animals so easy, compared to visually reading the tags.
"If any sheep blow out in micron or get excessively strong then they are usually culled out, we select only the finest ones."
Mr Wilson then advises the wool classer what the micron is on each sheep so they can put the wool in the appropriate bin in very tight micron ranges.
About 1,600 ultra fine merino sheep are being shorn this time around, with the average micron estimated by Mr Wilson to be 15.5.
"That’s come down an average of 1.5 micron in the last 6 years.".

He’s aiming to get the average micron down to as low as 13.
"We’ve got fleeces that go down to 12.5, which is probably the finest we’ve got so far, but the next session is going to be the hard bit."
Lindsay Hill from Kojonup has been in the shearing game for about thirty years.
He says there’s a knack to working with superfine merinos.

Some people that live in the city and have a professional job like I have want to grow grapes, some want to race racehorses. Oddly enough I want to raise ultra fine merino sheep

Peter Huston, owner of Serena Park

"We’ve got to take our time here... these are a lot softer cutting, it makes it a lot easier on our gear, it’s bloody good.
"You’ve got to go steady so you don’t cut the fibre in half and de-value the fibre."
A lawyer by trade, Peter Huston says without another job he’d find it difficult to stay in the wool industry.
"Some people that live in the city and have a professional job like I have, want to grow grapes, some want to race racehorses. Oddly enough I want to raise ultrafine merino sheep.
"What I’m trying to do here is boutique, rather than bulk.
"It’s very hard to make money out of wool, particularly what I’m trying to do."

The first Merinos in Australia produced about 1.5 kilograms of wool per fleece. Today’s Merinos can grow a fleece of more than 8kg. This is as a result from better breeding and more sustainable grazing methods i.e. producing more from the same animals and land.

About 7% of Australian wool is sold by private treaty on farms or to local wool-handling facilities.

Australia produces a large variety of primary products for both export and domestic consumption. The forecast top ten agricultural products by value are listed for year 2006-07, with production figures from previous years.

Commodity	2001-02	2002-03	2003-04	2004-05	2005-06	2006-07
Cattle and calves	6,617	5,849	6,345	7,331	7,082	6,517
Wheat	6,356	2,692	5,636	4,320	5,905	6,026
Milk	3,717	2,795	2,808	3,194	3,268	3,245
Fruit and nuts	2,333	2,408	2,350	2,640	2,795	2,915
Vegetables	2,269	2,126	2,356	2,490	2,601	2,715
Wool	2,713	3,318	2,397	2,196	2,187	2,138
Barley	1,725	984	1,750	1,240	1,744	1,624
Poultry	1,175	1,273	1,264	1,358	1,416	1,461
Lambs	1,181	1,161	1,318	1,327	1,425	1,348
sugar cane	989	1,019	854	968	1,037	1,208

Model Farms bloopers.

Even the most experienced performer, or in our case, inexperienced performers struggle in front of the camera. Its all about the moment and those hard hitting questions.
Steph demonstrated a great knowledge for her industry and was happy to give as much info as possible about it........

but when one started to giggle, there was a snowball effect. It only takes one look, one wrong word and, well, have a look!

wool and knitting

Part of the project was bringing together the various crafty elements that are built on tradition. The question was asked   
WHO CAN KNIT OR CROTCHET?

 
A few hands went up and some responses were..... MY MUM CAN.......... MY NANA CAN!
So this got us thinking, maybe we should learn a craft.
 
Each student was asked to try to either, knit a square, crotchet a square, or cross stitch a sheep.
 
An interesting result.
Some students just hated the whole idea.
Some students started but struggled to finish.
A few loved the whole process of knitting and  sewing.
A few I heard started but passed on the task to their grandma who not only finished that one square, but also made a few more. Some clever nanas even added some borders and more fancy stitches.

As a result we created a great cape for the cow and a few developed knitting skills that are slowly becoming lost in a ready made society

Our Final Plan.

You've seen us do some ridiculous things with cow, so just in case you didn't believe the last post, with photos of a cut up cow, we've used them again. This time we have explained why!

The cow will be divided into 3 sections.
This not only separates the ideas we want to convey, but will also give the cow some movement when it is put back together.

We are taking on a super hero persona, with the strong name of 
WOOL I AM.
The cow in 3 pieces will create movement which will help emphasise the strength of his love of the wool industry, the power of his commitment to working with a sustainable farming commodity and hopefully the possibility of flight.

We then put the cow back together with some fibre glass and a strong pole supporting its back.

Thanks Mr Craglietto for your help.

Now the cow is standing again, we can get on with business.

 

     

Standing?, Now that's just silly.... where is the rest of him!
(just you wait and see)

 

What to do when there is a hole in your cow.

You simply walk through it!
 

 

 

 
Now we need to put that cow back together

 

 

OH MY ...........

Well, we decided to do it.
The idea of chopping up our cow really does have some purpose. We are developing an idea that allows our cow to tell a story of the  SUPER WOOL INDUSTRY.

Thanks Mr Craglietto. Please be gentle.

 


looking through a cow. Interesting view from the teacher's desk!

 

Rural vs Urban Challenges in Australia

Biodiversity is the variety of all life forms on earth - the different plants, animals and micro-organisms and the ecosystems of which they are a part.

Farmers, Indigenous communities, and other private land managers manage approximately 77 per cent of Australia's land area.
Conservation of biodiversity on private land is recognised by the Australian Government as an important way to protect Australia's environmental assets.

The Australian Government is investing more than $2 billion in 2008-2013 to achieve a real and measurable difference to Australia's environment through its Caring for our Country initiative.

Caring for our Country supports communities, farmers and other land managers to protect Australia's natural environment and sustainably produce food and fibre.

Conservation on private land

The Australian Government recognises that conservation of biodiversity on private land is an important way to protect Australia's biodiversity.

State and territory governments and local governments also provide conservation incentives to private land holders.

 

Australia's land is used for a variety of reasons.The competition for the use of land can reflect the needs of the community.

Primary Industry                                                                                     These industries produce raw materials like wheat, wool and meat and make use of natural resources such as minerals and forests.

In the past:Primary industry was the leading sector in Australian industry. People used to say that Australia's economy was `riding on the sheep's back'.

Right now: Natural resources are no longer viewed as limitless and the industry is trying to balance using resources and looking after them so they will still be around in the future (sustainable development). There is also a trend to lower employment in farming.

SecondaryIndustry                                                                                                   This is the manufacturing industry, where basic materials are turned into saleable products, such as the production of clothing from cotton or wool or the manufacture of electronics or machines.

In the past: Secondary industry played a powerful economic role, fuelled by the waves of migration of the 1950s and 1960s.

Right now: Increased overseas competition, trade, and the phasing out of tariff protection has reduced this industry. Employment has been reduced, but there is growth in `sunrise industries' such as computer manufacturing and bio- engineering.

TertiaryIndustry                                                                                                  This industry is concerned with the framework and foundations of business and the provision of services. It includes such things as banking or transport as well as the direct marketing or selling of products.

In the past:Tertiary industry serviced the needs of the secondary and primary industries.

Right now: Massive growth in information-based services, hospitality, tourism and personal services. `Post-industrial economy' is the term used to describe the expansion of service industries as the major area of economic activity and employment.

What are the cultural impacts as a result of the competition for land?

 Social
There are approximately 134,000 farm businesses in Australia, 99 percent of which are family owned and operated.                                             Economic
The agricultural sector, at farm-gate, contributes 3 percent to Australia's total gross domestic product (GDP). The gross value of Australian farm production in 2010-11 was $48.7 billion.
 Environmental
Australian farmers are environmental stewards, owning, managing and caring for 61 percent of Australia's land.

Our farmers are at the frontline of delivering environmental outcomes on behalf of the Australian community, with 94 percent of Australian farmers actively undertaking natural resource management.

 

 

What are we going to do with this cow

We have worked hard on this blog and have had so many ideas about the cow, we are struggling to decide what to do.
WOOL 


* We have looked at various aspects of the wool industry and brainstormed.



* We looked at other arty cows to be inspired.

We found this website about fibre glass Sheep art. www.kaniva.info 
 

* We have considered art making options that cater to the STRENGTHS and WEAKNESSES of us students working on the cow. Some of us paint ok, while others have helped with knitting and embroidery tasks.
 
* We also found some interesting imagery that might inspire us.



We have decided to combine crazy ideas with some traditional arts and crafts that reflect the wool industry.

Time to have some fun.............................................................................

Steph......... What a Farming Champion!

We had a great day with Steph. She started the day with a great presentation about her life, living and on a farm. We were very interested in all the people who work with her, the size of the farm as well as the process of shearing sheep and packing and checking the wool.

We had an opportunity to show Steph our farm, our young bull and new lambs. My Neville, our Ag teacher, wandered through the library and overheard her great stories. Before we knew it, he had his yr 12 class with us who were relishing the opportunity to ask the serious questions for their HSC.

 

Our babies always need a hug.

 

This is how you hold a lamb correctly.

 

 

Our young bull meets Steph

 

The audience is listening intently to Steph. A great presentation.

Mr Neville also enjoyed the morning

 

 

During question time, Steph encouraged us to speak up. Little presents. Thanks Steph

 

 

 

 

Check out more info about Steph's visit next week. We had lots of fun on the farm and asking the big questions!!

 

 

 

Name that Cow, Introducing our winner

Hannah and Tayla were pleased to present Ms Leach from yr 7 with her ItunesCard as a reward for her efforts.

 

 

Name that cow.

We had many entries for our competition.

It was difficult to decide, as the name needed to suit the theme and personality of the cow.

some suggestions were.........

remember, the name needed to be wool related........

woolly goldberg ????

 

wool oo ware ??

 

fleecy ??

 

woolamina  ??

 

mittens ??

 

just to name a few...........

 

After some deliberation, we decided on ................................................

            WOOL I AM.

 

It is contemporary as it plays on musician

Will I Am .... as well as having that powerful, superhero strength that our cow will also pocess.

Congratulation to our winner.

 

Our next assembly will present her with the good news.

 

 



The Importance of Agricultural Exports to Australia

Australian farmers export around 60 percent of what they grow and produce.

Each Australian farmer produces enough food to feed 600 people, 150 at home and 450 overseas.
Australian farmers produce almost 93 percent of a Australia's daily domestic food supply.
As of 2010-11, there are 307,000peoplpe employed in Australia Agriculture. The complete agricultural chain, including the affiliated food and fibre industries, provide over 1.6 million jobs to the Australian economy.

Value of Australian farm exports, by commodity, 2011–12.

Our farmers are doing well in Australia........
SO, why is it important to export food and fibre products???????

In the agricultural sector farmers contributes 3 percent to Australia's total gross domestic product (GDP).
The gross domestic product (GDP) is one the primary indicators used to gauge the health of a country's economy. It represents the total dollar value of all goods and services produced over a specific time period - you can think of it as the size of the economy.
 
*  Australia’s farm exports earned the country $32.5 billion in 2010-11 while the wider agriculture, fisheries and forestry sectors earn the country $36.2 billion in exports.
*  The value of our farm exports, and indeed the future of Australian agriculture, depends largely on conditions in overseas markets, due to our high level of exports.
*  Australian farmers continue to face the challenge of declining terms of trade in agriculture, yet remain internationally competitive through efficiencies and productivity growth.

FACT: Australia is a leading agricultural producer, and exports around two-thirds of total production to the world. Australia actively seeks to lower agricultural trade barriers, which improves Australia's opportunities to export. Food imports provide Australian consumers with greater choice, including food which we don't produce.

 

It is important to export

* There are also non-economic reasons why exports are good for Australia. Exports create closer links between Australia and the rest of the world.
* They help create personal as well as business relationships between Australians and people overseas. By doing so they can assist Australia’s international relations.        
* Similarly they create opportunities for Australians to work and live overseas and learn about other cultures. This broadens Australia’s skill base, educational experience and cultural diversity.
* Immigrants come to Australia with ready-made export markets for future business growth and it has also contributed to the growth of Australian entrepreneurship.

Why don't we just look after ourselves

Production chains are very important to Australia on the whole, simply because we are exporters of a large amount of raw materials. The chain of production helps those raw materials get to where they can be processed, while we benefit from the proceeds.
We farm and produce products in Australia that meet a demand in other parts of the world. All these supply employment opportunities, help our economy and relations.
As each country will be able to produce different kinds of raw materials, trade is a necessity and production chains make that trade possible. For instance, Australia produces a large amount of uranium but uses very little, so it can sell that resource and use it to buy products that we do not produce a lot of.

Waste - Why so much

 As a community, we should be aware of the what we need and what we dont. On a large scale we can look at industry, purchasing and country by country statistics to see how we waste.
 
I wonder where Australia fits in this table????

The average Australian wastes 200kg of food a year......yet two million of us also go hungry.

How can that be?

 

So on a much smaller scale, our school, what do we waste????

 

1.The Canteen - look at the counter at the last bell. Are there hot or cold foods left over and what happens to them??

2. The Home Economics Departments - How well do they purchase?? (i have been informed very carefully as they are on a strict budget!)

3. The Average Lunch box -  How many lunches are eaten or binned??

 

The RESULTS- We investigated these three areas by interviewing and asking the big questions.

So what do these areas of the school do to control and prevent waste.

 

1. The Canteen.

The canteen is advised on any excursions or change of routines that may affect student numbers and in turn, lunches made.

The ladies encourage before school ordering so not too many extra lunches are made.

The canteen will make less hot food rather than too much.

Our students are always hungry, so not much is generally left over!

2. HOME ECONOMICS

 A very strict budget and ordering. Any products that can be frozen, are frozen, to prolong their life and the staff work on planning a head when organing prac lessons.

3. The Average Lunch Box.

This was the most dissapointing as far as wastage goes.

The students were asked about their food and whether they ate it, binned it or shared it. 

All students asked at one time have thrown their lunch out.

Most students have given their lunch or swapped it.

Most students eat their own lunch, well most of it anyway.

Fruit and crusts off sandwiches were the largest item binned.

 

What are some simple strategies could be implemented to reduce food wastage?
1. Shop wisely. Create menus for the week, incorporating leftovers and foods that might spoil if not used up.
2. Don’t be duped at the store. Some of the biggest problems at the consumer end, the report noted, is that we’re suckers for sales and promotions, meaning we often end up buying stuff we don’t need and won’t use. 
3. Ignore the dates. Though "use by," "sell by," and "best by" dates show up on everything.   A recent study from the UK found that roughly 20% of food is wasted because of confusion over these arbitrary labels. So don't toss food based on label dates; use your nose and your eyes.
4. Organize your fridge. Make sure everything is visible so nothing gets shoved in the back and forgotten.
5. Put your freezer to work. Frozen fruits and veggies are smart options if your fresh produce tends to spoil before you use it all. 
6. Eat on smaller plates. The size of the average American dinner plate has increased 36% between 1960 and 2007, and that leads people to load up on food they can't finish.
7. When you must, compost. Food waste makes up 25%, by weight, of all garbage that gets sent to landfills, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. There, it decomposes and creates methane, a greenhouse gas that's 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide. Find a corner of your yard and start a compost heap, where unused food and scraps can decompose without producing methane.
Recently.............in the media.......an article
'Time to stop food wastage', say Aussie farmers
5 June 2013  the article went as follows.
2013’s World Environment Day is seeking to share the message ‘Think. Eat. Save’, encouraging people to be mindful of food wastage – a message that Australian farmers can relate to, as the producers of almost 93 percent of the nation’s food supply.

Australians throw away approximately 7.5 million tonnes of food every year – some 361 kilograms per person – a staggering amount that contributes to the 1.3 billion tonnes of food that is wasted globally, as estimated by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

“Food wastage is a growing issue in Australia and globally. As farmers, we work hard to nurture and grow food to sustain our population, and it is important to us to ensure that that food goes towards nourishing people, rather than ending up in our rubbish bins,” NFF CEO, Matt Linnegar said.

“And that’s not taking into the account the wastage that occurs between paddock and plate – approximately 40 percent of fruit and vegetables are discarded before they even reach supermarkets because of high consumer standards about appearance. That’s perfectly good produce going to waste for no good reason.”

 

 

 

or

As students what can we do??
In the bigger community, what can we do??

One such charity organisation  Foodbank looks at reducing waste.
.............. one charitable hostel in Sydney serves 47,000 meals every month to hungry men. All these meals are donated. Consider donating surplus stock for charitable use. Even if this may involve some extra work and incur some extra cost.

We need to create a more sustainable and healthier environment for current and future generations. If achieving this objective simultaneously reduces superfluous waste while providing nutritious meals to the needy; then it is to our universal benefit.