With over 180 million cattle Brazil is a giant and yet is restricted by poor traceability and a history of FMD. The farms I visited were in the top percentage and so represented Brazil 's potential to become even more competitive in the global beef market.

The farms I visited were in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul which borders Argentina and Uruguay . The state includes the eastern edge of the legendary Pampas and is a center of high quality beef production. The region is characterised by the Gaucho culture which identifies very strongly with cattle and horses. I visited several breeding farms that supplied 18 month old, finished steers to the local export abattoir at a sale price of AUD 130c kg lwt. The cattle were grazed on native pastures as well as ryegrass and clover. Calves were usually weaned at 6 months and steers were finished on cracked corn and legume based pasture. Some farms were very sophisticated using kg beef/ha and cents cost/kg etc. All farms I visited supplied nutrient supplements to the cattle as well as regularly drenching and dipping for ticks. The cattle in Rio Grande do Sul were predominately Angus or Hereford , some with a small amount of Bos Indicus influence.

For the first month I stayed on a farm where no English was spoken and so had to get by with hand gestures and the few Portuguese words I could say. Although it was difficult at times the language barrier certainly produced some good stories. At all stages of the trip my hosts were fantastic and looked after me very well. I had my 20 th birthday on one of the farms and the stockmen killed a lamb and roasted it on the fire. Carnival was celebrated during my stay and is when Brazilians rack up a few sins before lent. Carnival for me involved finishing work early and riding into the pub with the workers. It was very strange that despite being unable to talk we become mates by the end of the month.

The Brazilian working day was quite different to what I was used to; we woke at 6am and worked till 11am , had lunch and went to bed for “siesta” till 3pm and then worked till about 9pm . We ate dinner at 10.30pm and we got to bed around midnight . Most days I worked with the stockmen who at that time were vaccinating for FMD and managing the AI program. Mustering was done on horseback and was a bit of a stretch from the 4-wheeler I was used to. The AI programs were run similar to those in Australia however all heat detection was done through observation only. The FMD vaccination was a requirement for all farms in the FMD Free zone and allowed for export. In terms of traceability I found that there were certain requirements for farmers who wished to supply export abattoirs but there wasn't a general system such as the NLIS.

I found that what most separates Brazilian farming systems to those in Australia is the low cost of labour. In Brazil it is often cheaper to employ men rather than buy machinery, in fact I visited one farm that had over 75 workers ranging from stockmen to maids to sawmill operators. The workers are paid around AUD$80 a week including food and board and although this seems low, the cost of living is much less. At all farms I visited the employees seemed to be treated very well despite what is said in the media.

I was very privileged to see the production system of our largest competitor first hand. I have returned more aware of what challenges we face when competing with Brazil as well as what can be gained from their example. Thanks to the Australian Angus Society, particularly Jim Klarner for all his work, as well as the Brazilian Angus Society and COALAR for allowing me this fantastic experience.