Taking up challenges was how I wrapped up 2018, but little did I know that theme would definitely continue this year, not just for me but for most the people within NSW.
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While it started off with a lot of hours spent on the road and at events with all of The Land's dedicated readers, I hit a road block towards the end (at least this time it wasn't another one of those darn roos).
But lets start with a few of the highlights!
Being the proclaimed cow lover I am, I jumped at the chance to attend my first Wodonga annual January weaner sales and, boy oh boy, they weren't lying when they said it would be hotter and busier than a normal sale. This followed by coverage of the Royal Canberra Show before heading to the big smoke.
Spending nearly three weeks at the Sydney Royal Show was at the time a bit over-rated and crazy to say the least, but it would yet again be one of my personal highlights.
There is something about the people in rural communities across the state and other parts of Australia coming together to celebrate what they love and the products they produce on their farms.
Although it was long this year, it was extremely rewarding as I interviewed producers on the cattle lawns or on the sheep mat, and witnessed the emotional moments and well-deserved wins that culminated years of precise breeding and countless hours of hard work.
This year marked the 100 years of Angus Australia celebrations and I was lucky enough to attend nearly all of the feature shows and many of the functions .
Angus breeders and enthusiasts from across the country travelled hundreds to thousands of kilometres to be a part of one, if not more of these events, and it is a huge credit to you all for the time and effort you put in to get your animals there in a trying year, not to mention the long hours slaving away at home.
Yet while there was a number of high-quality, extremely impressive animals that stood out throughout the events, there is one female that stuck in my mind.
Making her show debut this year as a rising 17-year-old was Bulliac Wilcoola X9, an Angus cow that travelled 11 hours from Queensland to the Sydney Royal Show to take part in the Angus feature show.
It was a special moment for exhibitors the Hill family from Bulliac Angus of Wandaloo, Miles, Qld, who were pulled up into the top line of what was described as one of the best showings of Angus females in the world.
The stud matron had 10 years on the closest aged female in the class, while others were 12 years her youth.
What a cow! And what a true representation of longevity, soundness and relevance to the commercial cattleman.
I did not make it to as many sales or events towards the end of the year, but from what I heard the drought challenged results. Good animals still sold well, but the lack of volume buyers hurt clearance rates.
In August I had an unfortunate accident where I crushed my right thumb and nearly lost it. Thankfully the hand specialist team at Royal North Shore worked their magic and two surgeries later I have a thumb that is stuck in the thumbs up position and a gnarly scar.
Now while a thumb injury might not seem like much, and at the time I was more upset about the fact I wasn't going to go on my Angus Youth University of Illiniois Scholarship, but have you ever thought about how much you use your thumb?
Buttoning a button, or pulling a zipper, carrying anything, brushing your teeth, or probably most important with my job - writing. They all involve the use of your thumb.
From being an independent person, to not always being able to open my own water bottle, do anything I used to do in the gym or open a gate and even lead a cow properly, it was an extremely confronting experience. Not only because I was told I could be a thumb transplant candidate, but it was changing the way I did life and the thought of losing the ability to do what I loved seriously scared me.
But early on I got some tough love when I was told "its character building", and as many of you may have seen I've soldiered on, adapted and came up with some weird and wonderful ways of doing things.
Looking back at what my hand injury taught me over the past months, I learned you cannot change the past, have patience and listen to your body, and celebrate the little wins - I now celebrate anytime I get a fraction more feeling and movement.
Maybe most importantly consider the risks involved when doing things. I mean who would've thought moving a bit of furniture on your day off would results in you nearly chopping your finger off?
In saying that, it is always surprising how quickly you adapt when you are challenged, and I believe we as farmers are doing that every day or week as this - what seems like never-ending - drought continues.
The daily feed runs and dust storms, buying in water, and watching your stock waste away is challenging and definitely beginning to wearing thin, but I'm hear to say stay strong. Remember to check in with yourself and the people around you.
Before I was not allowed to drive I had the opportunity to attend a range of conferences, seminars and forums throughout the state, and while there I was exposed to the resilience and enthusiasm of producers in all areas of agriculture who wanted to learn and improve their systems at this time.
It is a credit to all that are thinking outside of the box and being innovative in finding what works best for you in this drought.
This same innovation and drive to learn is what I found during my time in North America with Jack Laurie from Breeder Genetics.
Covering over 5600 kilometres (not including flights) we same hundreds, possibly even thousands, of bulls and females in stud and commercial operations across 15 states in America and more in Canada.
We even got to see the famous Baldridge Isabel Y69, and wow wasn't she impressive. Stay tuned in Angus News in the coming months for a great profile and insight into this female and her impact on the Angus breed world wide.
I caught up with friends that are more like family overseas, and ran into a good friend from university on the way. I'm always so appreciative to be involved in the beef and agriculture industries worldwide, and thankful for their hospitality.
As 2019 winds down, I want to finish by saying a big thank you to all The Land readers, supporters and clients - you're the best! To our team - what a year! Thanks for helping me learn along the way, and pushing me to succeed.
I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas. Wishing you all a safe and prosperous new year.
May rain be on the cards for you all. Onwards and upwards in 2020!
