tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88146660065635226822011-09-16T13:24:11.129-05:00This originally started out as my Nuffield Scholarship blog to let anyone that was interested see where I was and what I was doing. Now that Im home Im trying to keep going including topical information about beef production and outcomes of my study. I wont miss the opportunity to comment on anything else thats going on that you need to know about too! My study topic is "scientific selection in the beef herd" and covers the use of EBV's, Genomics, etc and how to use them.William Hairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03935021150663032466noreply@blogger.comBlogger571100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8814666006563522682.post-80935362152052816582011-02-14T07:30:00.004-06:002011-02-22T05:08:03.503-06:00

Were getting ready for the commercials to start calving in little over two weeks. Its not like me to be this well planned but Im really excited about the commercial calves this year. More on that in a bit though. Calving time is the continuation of the production cycle which started last year when the bull was turned out. It has been quiet as the calves have slowly developed inside their mums but

William Hairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03935021150663032466noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8814666006563522682.post-55006413097244441512010-12-19T15:39:00.002-06:002010-12-19T15:56:11.502-06:00

Well it has been a very long time since I have put a new post here but hopefully this will be a fresh start for me. We are covered in snow, with up to 30cm's in places. Fortunately it snowed before it froze so we have no frozen pipes at the moment but that could be different bt morning.I think to say it has been a busy year is putting it mildly. Ther has been so much going on here on the farm in

William Hairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03935021150663032466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8814666006563522682.post-79995497880656190532010-10-25T12:35:00.000-05:002010-10-25T12:36:11.516-05:00

Miss the deadline for applications for 2011 Nuffield Farming Scholarship Awards and you could miss out on the chance of a lifetime. The closing date for applications of November 15th is fast approaching, so don’t pass up your opportunity to travel the world in search of new experiences, new ideas and more profitable ways of doing things. “Anyone with a worthwhile individual project, who is keen

William Hairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03935021150663032466noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8814666006563522682.post-47013302326190565442010-07-19T02:30:00.002-05:002010-07-19T02:47:53.483-05:00

I cant believe its been so long since I last posted here. It has been a hectic spring here, with so much to do. Why so much? Well its always quite busy here but we have had an exceptionally dry year (until the start of July anyway) which has allowed us to get a lot of jobs done that we havent been able to because of the last two wet summers. Lots of barbed wire and electric fencing up now but

William Hairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03935021150663032466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8814666006563522682.post-23934690926642426512010-04-25T13:50:00.002-05:002010-04-25T14:20:26.196-05:00

I appologise in advance for the title but it seems pretty accuate to some of the things I have seen this week. Eating disorders suffered amongst the human population are getting quite a bit of discussion thankfully bringing these awful problems to the attention of the wider world.The disorders Im talking about are those involving obesity in breeding bulls. We regularly see programmes on the

William Hairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03935021150663032466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8814666006563522682.post-55975134146803410342010-04-06T13:18:00.003-05:002010-04-06T13:35:52.327-05:00

Having thought a bit more about my last post I remembered I had missed out a teny weeny bit that has been on my mind all day (grantd it has been a wet day so Ive been looking for "alternative " farming things to do).The management of the cow up to and at calving probably has more bearing on whats going to happen when the contractions start than anything else. Monitoring the cows body condition

William Hairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03935021150663032466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8814666006563522682.post-52361393533586657982010-04-05T02:25:00.007-05:002010-04-05T03:06:43.769-05:00

So hear we go into the first full week of April. Normally by this stage of the year I wouldnt be expecting to pull on a few extra laers and a wooly hat but that just seems to be the normal this year. What is spring? It looks like last summer given the amount of rain and snow that fell last week. We can get over the weather but grass growth is way behind where it ought to be. How much is out ther,

William Hairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03935021150663032466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8814666006563522682.post-79346249828532591552010-04-01T07:36:00.003-05:002010-04-01T07:40:14.523-05:00

This is just devistating! What an announcement on the latest piece of legislation from our beloved Brussels. Our MEP's need to get on to this Lari Polof MEP and get some sense knocked into him before the 1st of April deadline. I really cant imagine Why they would want to scrap our beloved guinea and replace it with a Euro. Make sure you read the article thoroughly so you understand whats going on

William Hairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03935021150663032466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8814666006563522682.post-50098333525879577272010-03-27T02:46:00.006-05:002010-03-28T03:08:31.630-05:00

Heres a great learning opportunity for school kids and their parents to learn about some of the elements of farming. There arent many parts of agricultural production that you can bring into the classroom. Many would make too big a mess on the floor like cattle or are so slow in developing like grain crops. But potatoes are different and provide an opportunity for teachers to integrate many

William Hairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03935021150663032466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8814666006563522682.post-75628538356223752102010-03-26T15:38:00.004-05:002010-03-26T15:54:35.835-05:00

This is a bit of a ribute to my friends that were in Papua New Guinea whilst I was charging around NZ. My arrival in Sydney coincided with there return too so I got to meet up with Alison and Leona. I was chuffed to see friends, whilst they were pleased to just have running water. The Royal Agricultural Society of the Commonwealth is a unique organisation being the only commonwealth NGO to

William Hairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03935021150663032466noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8814666006563522682.post-37095921183404411632010-03-26T02:26:00.006-05:002010-03-26T02:46:35.615-05:00

AS Alec admits he likes watching this video himself, even if it is for reassurance of green matter returning tio the field. Alec Jack is one of the NZ Nuffield Scholars from my year whom I had the chance to visit whilst in NZ in the Autumn. The link takes you to video made for the World Hereford Conference in 2008 when Alec and family had won the NZ Balance Farm environment award. You can find

William Hairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03935021150663032466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8814666006563522682.post-9450995014993453392010-03-23T05:40:00.004-05:002010-03-23T05:43:57.244-05:00

The search is on to find the National Beef Stockman of the future. Follow the link to the Farmers Guardian website to find out more.

William Hairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03935021150663032466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8814666006563522682.post-34252438601374734622010-03-17T06:28:00.004-05:002010-03-17T06:35:58.266-05:00

I was checking out some of our bulls EBV's the other night and thought I would share some of them with you, more specifically this one. Ive never seen an EBV spread quite like this and I can honestly say Im quite proud of the information it contains. As I keep whining on though having a trait leading bull isnt the holy grail its matching the traits you need and not forsaking the ones you have

William Hairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03935021150663032466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8814666006563522682.post-82100733146657832062010-03-03T15:10:00.002-06:002010-03-03T15:24:50.030-06:00

The day after the first NI Beef Expo has arrived, thankfully, in the nicest possible way. It think I can safely say it was a great day and a roaring success. Im not sure of the exact numb ers yet but it was definately over 2000, which we think for a first time event that the majority of beef farmers havent heard tell of was pretty good. The crowds were rolling in from eight o'clock and we didnt

William Hairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03935021150663032466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8814666006563522682.post-79816553777959745702010-03-01T15:13:00.003-06:002010-03-27T02:44:25.514-05:00

Its hard to believe thats its a year since I was in London for my Nuffield briefing and the contemporary scholars conference. Sitting in a room in the farmers Club hearing about everyones study topics then rushing around London trying to stay awake during some of the meetings was a challenge for this country boy. What was the feeling I most reflect on, being humbled by the people around me. The

William Hairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03935021150663032466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8814666006563522682.post-27423011352413040512010-02-22T12:07:00.003-06:002010-02-22T12:11:12.161-06:00

The time has come for a change of name. The Nuffield adventure is about over but my blog lives on to continue sharing my thoughts on what Ive learnt and anything interesting that comes along. Be warned that includes anything that might get up my nose too!

William Hairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03935021150663032466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8814666006563522682.post-40671492834693648152010-02-17T03:20:00.004-06:002010-02-22T12:11:52.619-06:00

The NI NBA's first Beef Expo takes place on Tuesday 2nd of March at Dungannon farmers mart. This is the NI council of the NBA's first event of this type and the start of more to come. There are already 14 beef cattle breeds being represented as well as over 75 trade stands all focusing on beef production. Throughout the day there will be seminars running covering three themes- Technical, business

William Hairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03935021150663032466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8814666006563522682.post-51489456085889704262010-02-12T05:29:00.001-06:002010-02-12T05:30:50.886-06:00

You gotta have a read at this and definately watch the video.

William Hairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03935021150663032466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8814666006563522682.post-71600174019832026782010-01-28T14:17:00.004-06:002010-02-22T12:12:20.674-06:00

This is a link to the review of the LMC in Northern Ireland that was commissioned by the NI agriculture minister in the summer of last year. It makes interesting reading and as is typical with NI farmers they highlight that they dont know what they want from their submissions and demonstrate that they want to have their cake and eat it. Click on the title to go to the link page.

William Hairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03935021150663032466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8814666006563522682.post-77069690290541619982010-01-25T03:30:00.003-06:002010-02-22T12:13:05.152-06:00

After a break of nearly two months Im back on line at last. To be honest I couldnt face the computer or try and string a sentence together so Its good to be getting back on form. Im just heading out through the door to the British Cattle Breeders Conference which is being held in Telford, Shropshire. It has a fantastic line up of speakers from the UK and farther afield. Im looking forward to

William Hairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03935021150663032466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8814666006563522682.post-47688375564162490182009-12-03T02:48:00.005-06:002010-02-22T12:29:35.119-06:00

This is too funny not to share

William Hairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03935021150663032466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8814666006563522682.post-66781501006220543352009-12-01T16:49:00.004-06:002010-01-28T14:16:14.975-06:00

William Hairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03935021150663032466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8814666006563522682.post-74542307294570755442009-12-01T11:56:00.009-06:002010-02-22T12:15:28.678-06:00

This is quite ironic, sitting in Rainy NI talking about the last part of my visit to Australia. The 40 degree days are long gone now. Last night it was -4C here. It was quite shocking at the time to think that the danger of fires was so great.The combination of high temperatures and high winds had the potential to be catastrophic if a fire started. The weather service did issue one warning to

William Hairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03935021150663032466noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8814666006563522682.post-6324444230322671372009-11-21T15:22:00.005-06:002010-02-22T12:16:54.338-06:00

Time flies when your having fun has certainely been the case for the past two weeks. I dont know where the time has gone. Week before last I based myself in Armidale 5 hours north of Sydney and the centre for almost everything regarding livestock research, teaching and commercialisation. The University of New England is home to ABRI, AGBU, the NSW DPI, and the Beef CRC ( I will get their weblinks

William Hairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03935021150663032466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8814666006563522682.post-438803146701388822009-11-09T03:51:00.003-06:002009-11-09T04:33:13.824-06:00

The final round has begun. With my all too brief visit to NZ now behind me Im getting the opportunity to now reflect on what I saw and learnt there. For a country small in size it produces 9%of the worlds beef, punching well above its weight and In my very general and inexperienced opinion producing a product that would be th envy of the world in terms of image and quality. I dont believe that

William Hairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03935021150663032466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8814666006563522682.post-37209631024005998162009-11-05T14:51:00.003-06:002009-11-05T15:34:46.693-06:00

I have covered a lot of distance this week in terms of learning as opposed to geography. On Monday morning I visited the Allflex tag printing facility near Feilding where they turn out 12million cattle and sheep tags annually. I now know why tan order sometines takes a little longer than expected! All the tags are loaded manually into the machines. There is a logical swing to a visual /EID set

William Hairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03935021150663032466noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8814666006563522682.post-72481261278489169302009-11-05T03:33:00.006-06:002009-11-05T04:54:21.234-06:00

Im not actually sure how best to approach this as I have a week to update here so I will maybe do two entries to make it easier for me to follow. My next stop from Rotorua was to visit the Ardo Poll Hereford herd near Marton. It was a few hours from Taupo which is a bit of a tourist and adventurer trap sitting on the edge of lake Taupo which is beautiful to say the least. Whilst a tee-shirt was

William Hairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03935021150663032466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8814666006563522682.post-46093910827792356502009-10-28T14:10:00.002-05:002009-10-28T14:37:08.926-05:00

Im on the road once more after camping out with Mandi and Ant for a few days when I was doing my visits around Hamilton. I had a great time with them and learnt a lot about grass production and the trials and tribulations of milking dairy cows in NZ. Unfortunately I had to move on much as I was enjoying my stay and their company, it was great to relax for a while again after the big push

William Hairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03935021150663032466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8814666006563522682.post-83655761330112443662009-10-24T15:52:00.004-05:002009-10-28T14:08:29.274-05:00

I have been in NZ for a week now and thankfully come to terms with driving on the left again. Having driven on the "right" side of the road all my life it seems ironic that I had to start and think about driving there again after my time in the USA on the "wrong" side.Having been in Pakaraka for a few days I headed south again to the Waikato area famous as being the home of dairying in NZ but

William Hairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03935021150663032466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8814666006563522682.post-43117717777900009442009-10-20T13:58:00.005-05:002009-10-28T14:10:27.084-05:00

After my lapse in posting for a couple of days heres a quick update on life in NZ. Fortunately I slept most of the 10400 miles from LA to Auckland, lets face it, it was dark so I wasnt missing much. When day light did erupt and we approached Auckland it was a welcome sight. Im back to green fields and woodland with cattle scattered everywhere. Im in Northland which is the area North of Auckland.

William Hairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03935021150663032466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8814666006563522682.post-38197864278472538422009-10-16T11:20:00.003-05:002009-10-16T12:01:52.859-05:00

So this is it, 5000 miles, and 32 days and I'm off on round two of my Nuffield study. I have a lot to reflect on my visit here in the USA. From a cattle industry view point there is nothing easy about beef production here. Cost is the big driver here with continuing pressure being exerted on price. The scale of production is extremely hard to come to terms with. Within 50 miles of where I'm

William Hairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03935021150663032466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8814666006563522682.post-85228143219894836742009-10-15T21:49:00.003-05:002009-10-16T11:10:51.193-05:00

Last night in the USA and it seems only a few days ago that I was sitting in this same Motel 6 in Aurora wondering what I had let myself in for. 5000 miles later and Im tired, confused and looking forward to seeing a new country. First I have a couple of days activities to catch up on.I think I need to go back to Monday when I visited the Noble Foundation at Ardmore Oklahoma. I had checked them

William Hairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03935021150663032466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8814666006563522682.post-72129135554325539362009-10-12T21:13:00.004-05:002009-10-16T11:00:41.752-05:00

My last weekend in the USA has been and gone. After leaving Starlake I made the 200 mile trip to Pratt Nebraska for the night, to be a bit closer to my Saturday visits. Unfortunately it didnt suit to visit the Gardiner Angus Ranch which was a real loss to my study as it is an amazing operation and one of the oldest established ranches in Oklahoma. I went to visit the famous Dodge City the Queen

William Hairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03935021150663032466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8814666006563522682.post-5193185929715876352009-10-11T21:05:00.002-05:002009-10-11T21:14:05.394-05:00

British agriculture is once again being sacraficed by the organisation allegedly there to take care of it. DEFRA ( Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs-note the lack of farming in the name) is once again championing the extermination of the family farm all "to deliver lower food prices for consumers, significant savings for taxpayers and a competitive agricultural industry’ not

William Hairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03935021150663032466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8814666006563522682.post-66594302742305512912009-10-11T10:03:00.003-05:002009-10-11T10:04:39.975-05:00

This is an interesting article I found and a must read for any purebred breeders out there. You have been warned!!http://www.drovers.com/news_editorial.asp?pgID=678&ed_id=5674

William Hairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03935021150663032466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8814666006563522682.post-29951644778414671182009-10-11T09:01:00.004-05:002009-10-11T09:29:41.129-05:00

I went back to Tulsa State Fair on friday morning to see the sale of the junior steers that I had seen judged the previous day. After the overall champions had been picked in each breed the day before the judge carried on selecting the animals that would be sold in the auction, in that order. It was interesting to watch the sale, with the supreme champions of each species selling first then the

William Hairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03935021150663032466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8814666006563522682.post-39931577737768093692009-10-10T08:19:00.002-05:002009-10-10T08:28:20.550-05:00

The survey has closed for last week so here are the results.82% said assess my herd and match acccordingly.9% said what are EBV's/EPD's.9% said buy the most suitable bull they could afford.Id like to know what part of the world the 82% live and how quickly you answered the question! This is just like everything else involving cattle breeding as there arent any wrong answers, unless you are doing

William Hairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03935021150663032466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8814666006563522682.post-48262391218634966522009-10-08T22:50:00.005-05:002009-10-08T23:25:30.579-05:00

If you were to listen to all the speculation regarding the cow herd in the USA without attending a cattle show you would believe that all that glitters is an Angus. The Angus breed have created such a powerful brand that in an effort to capatilise on it most of the other coloured breeds have gone and joined them and lost their identity. I watched the steer show today at the Tulsa State Fair. With

William Hairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03935021150663032466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8814666006563522682.post-33947372196912686162009-10-07T08:15:00.003-05:002009-10-08T22:50:31.886-05:00

Busy day again yesterday. Had a great morning in the Ag science dept at Oklahoma State University with the teaching/research and extension staff. There is so much work being conducted on beef cattle improvement throughout this country its embarasing how little we have going on. Thank goodness what we lack in quantity we compensate for in quality. Long live SAC and AFBI.The extension service

William Hairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03935021150663032466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8814666006563522682.post-31206002705046877222009-10-05T22:07:00.002-05:002009-10-05T22:27:55.021-05:00

Another day in Oklahoma and another day of contrast. Why do I make life difficult for myself. Today was the Express Ranches fall bull and commercial female sale which would have totaled 1000 lots. I made an early start to their sale "palace" just north of Yukon OK. What a joint! Trophies, Banners and pictures adourne the walls surrounding the bleachers and carpeted floors, yes carpeted floors,

William Hairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03935021150663032466noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8814666006563522682.post-23720608279905450832009-10-04T19:47:00.004-05:002009-10-04T21:18:56.450-05:00

Whilst at the AHA and AAA I heard about their latest moves into promoting their breeds and breeders through video media, so without going into too much im going to post some of their creations here but there are more on youtube if you want to visit.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1Zojc8fopkWhen I find the Hereford ones I will add a link.

William Hairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03935021150663032466noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8814666006563522682.post-48635374884737142052009-10-04T18:54:00.006-05:002009-10-04T19:46:04.274-05:00

Name that tune and the singer and theres extra points.For all the travelling and excitement over this past almost three weeks I have embarked on something entirely new tonight. "What could William be doing" I hear you say. "It must be exciting or he wouldnt be writing about it", so I have got you interested. Well here are a few clues, Its warm but not uncomfortable (not bed), theres water but Im

William Hairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03935021150663032466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8814666006563522682.post-38863078468346515192009-10-02T08:02:00.004-05:002009-10-02T08:47:00.474-05:00

I had a real treat on Tuesday evening/Wednesday morning at Sydenstricker Genetics, one of the most well known Angus herds in North America if not the world. Their herd bull line up is a who's who. Although to modest to admit it they are widely said to sell more Black Angus semen than many of the AI companies do here! This really is an impressive herd with a true grasp of EPD's. I have long been a

William Hairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03935021150663032466noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8814666006563522682.post-20045497413375233952009-10-01T21:30:00.006-05:002009-10-02T16:37:44.213-05:00

Back in business tonight in my motel room in St Joseph Missouri. I will hopefully learn a bit more about the area tomorrow morning before I head off east into Kansas. What I can tell you for now are a few facts. Don't drive in Kansas City without a satnav for one! Next is that this was a major trade route for the pioneers and settlers that moved west during the 1800's and settled beyond here.

William Hairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03935021150663032466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8814666006563522682.post-44598220046809046282009-10-01T08:16:00.002-05:002009-10-01T08:26:23.557-05:00

Im back on the air again and today Im in Mexico Missouri. I had a great weekend in Iowa thanks to Steve and Penny. On Friday night I went to a Earlham High School's football game part of the homecoming celebrations. Over the weekend I got a chance to step away from the vehicle for a welcome break and had a chance to find out about life in Iowa and the RCC breeding philosophies. I also had a

William Hairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03935021150663032466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8814666006563522682.post-34606115937691748612009-09-25T17:33:00.002-05:002009-09-25T17:42:35.478-05:00

Another day and Im off into Iowa. Im 25 miles outside Des Moines in a rest area doing this on my laptop. Arent the DoT considerate offering free wi-fi.Iowa is already a real contrast to where I have been. I have seen all the expanses of Nebraska and Kansas over the last 10 days with wide open fields and irrigation pivots covering up to quarter sections and hidded creeks, draws and rolling hills

William Hairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03935021150663032466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8814666006563522682.post-80990755824598437772009-09-24T21:41:00.005-05:002009-09-24T23:03:41.149-05:00

Well a new week has begun and see the start of my second week in the USA and my study. I seem to have been back and forward across the Nebraska and Kansas state lines just about every day so far. I spent Sunday in the Kearney Nebraska area as I already mentioned finding out about the history of the area and and how the pioneers made their way across the country in the 1800's suffering at the

William Hairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03935021150663032466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8814666006563522682.post-84220826400277491072009-09-20T21:24:00.008-05:002009-09-24T23:03:18.553-05:00

Now I have a few things that I should have had in earlier posts to update you on. Not only do Delta not care about delaying flights they also charge you $25.00/bag for luggage! they are as bad as BA. I think I will be sending some stuff home from here before i head to the southern hemisphere. Number two. Lady luck was shining on me in Denver " unfortunately Mr Haire we dont have any compacts left

William Hairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03935021150663032466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8814666006563522682.post-21892578440343835542009-09-20T20:26:00.006-05:002009-09-20T21:14:13.863-05:00

Decatur County Feed Yard is my next stop on the trail. Located just north of Oberlin Kansas it is ideally located for both cattle and feed supply access. The place itself is a real credit to the staff and owners, being absolutely immaculate and odour free. A lot of feed yard operators could learn a lot from these guys!I was treated like a king here! I cant go any further without thanking the

William Hairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03935021150663032466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8814666006563522682.post-60220242981503961202009-09-20T20:01:00.002-05:002009-09-20T20:13:51.776-05:00

Theres no reason for this entry other than to show off a few pictures taken along the way from Denver to Oberlin! Hope you enjoy them as much as I do. Sun set approaching Oberlin KS Your know your in cattle country when.............. Spraying a

William Hairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03935021150663032466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8814666006563522682.post-80835975750716216942009-09-20T18:47:00.006-05:002009-09-20T20:24:22.805-05:00

My second day in Atlanta to me to the HQ of Igenity, the animal genetics business of Merial. I had a great day with everyone there a massive thank you for making all the arrangements and hosting me. I got a real insight into the companies accomplishments to date and had the opportunity for some great debate and to get some idea of the cost/benefits attributable to the use of marker technology. Im

William Hairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03935021150663032466noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8814666006563522682.post-60921141515190196032009-09-16T06:36:00.001-05:002009-09-20T20:26:15.837-05:00

Well if the rest of the trip continues to be as interesting as day one Im certainely in for a treat! First visit yesterday was to Leonard Polled Herefords near Chatsworth in Georgia. When I left home I thought I was leaving the rain but unfortunately not. There is a big storm sitting over Texas and we got a little of its rain and lightning yesterday. I had a tour of the herd and found out about

William Hairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03935021150663032466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8814666006563522682.post-61458493376403959192009-09-15T05:40:00.001-05:002009-09-20T19:31:12.160-05:00

Well I have made it this far. Got through the airport with a guide. Atlanta airport is no simple place to navigate through, collecting and depositing luggage and then jumping on a shuttle to change terminals. Thank goodness I had a super guide to help me negotiate the whole process. Its thought Atlanta is now the busiest airport in the world and I can see why.Hats off to British Airways too.

William Hairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03935021150663032466noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8814666006563522682.post-60039468010030040532009-09-14T08:45:00.000-05:002009-09-14T08:49:09.965-05:00

I'm sitting on the plane at Heathrow trying to squeeze this in. I can't believe that I'm here and actually doing this. Butterflies are disappearing and being replaced by birds, chickens more precisely, the ones I had between two pieces of brown bread. Next stop Atlanta and I will be typing with an accent.

William Hairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03935021150663032466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8814666006563522682.post-79868143651447503712009-09-11T02:05:00.001-05:002009-09-13T13:05:10.704-05:00

Friday morning that means is only days till the main adventure begins! I dont know about life changing but it will certainly be a change of pace for a while. This summer seems to have been hurry up and slow down. After weeks of finding things to do on a wet day it has dried up and now were all running around like headless chickens. We mowed second cut silage on Wednesday, just taking the headrigs

William Hairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03935021150663032466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8814666006563522682.post-24718084930474586112009-09-05T02:55:00.000-05:002009-09-08T12:12:33.652-05:00

The start is in sight now. Only a few more days till I set off. With another week of extremely wet weather past everyones fingers are crossed for a dry one coming in, mind you it is so wet it will be difficult to get the grass harvested without doing a bit of damage but needs must. Our weather forecaster were so confident of a long hot summer, Im glad I didnt believe them and had all the plans

William Hairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03935021150663032466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8814666006563522682.post-67904837154730323762009-08-31T01:41:00.000-05:002009-09-09T07:39:08.237-05:00

31st of August and its dark dreary and wet in the midle of Northern Irelands summer. This is my first post as the countdown to my departure to the USA for the start of my Nuffield adventure is getting smaller. Two weeks today I will be jumping on a plain destined for Atlanta Georgia to commence my ten week trip which is going to take me to some of the leading beef cattle breeders and cattle

William Hairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03935021150663032466noreply@blogger.com3