2023 SDSU South Africa Adventure

 Hello everyone!  The SDSU South Africa class arrived in Sioux Falls safe and sound on Monday March 20th in the early evening.  We had an excellent  time.  Thank you to all of our family, friends, and supporters who read this blog during our trip.  We hope you found it interesting.  I am looking forward to the next class we take to South Africa!

  Today was bittersweet, yet full of adventure. Today we headed to Pilanesberg National Park to go on a 3–4-hour safari! This park is approximately 55,000 hectares (or approximately 136,000 acres). We encountered African elephant, white rhinos, zebras, hippos, vultures, a warthog, blue wildebeest, kudu, impala, and birds. Sadly, another year of seeing no big cats. During the Safari we experienced quite the South African traffic jam with a male African elephant. Cars were backing up as he walked freely down the road. It was pretty amazing to watch and stay quiet while he stopped and ate grass every few minutes. We managed to capture some beautiful shots of the African elephant as well as Natalie capturing shots of all of us with him in the background! Our tour guide was exceptional with giving us information about the unique wildlife there. Some fun facts we learned about this safari is that African elephant ears are the shape of Africa! Hippos are scared of elephants and stay a...

Apartheid Museum  Looking down from the Voortrekker Monument Voortrekker Monument  Inside Voortrekker Monument  Walking to entrance of Apartheid Museum  Group photo at Voortrekker Monument  Today was a very cultural learning day for our group! Our first stop in the morning was the Apartheid Museum in Pretoria. The museum included many different views of how people were treated and artifacts from the time of Apartheid.  It also had an exhibit about Nelson Mandela, his roles in Apartheid and how he became president of South Africa.  We also got to experience and watch videos from people who were a part of movements to stop the  racially segregated laws that were put into place and to change the way the government was run. In a small part of the museum they showed what was happening around the world during Apartheid like when the US first got a man on the moon, and when JFK was president of the United States, along with other world events. The museum...

Learning about forage research Learning about South African dairy production Group photo at the University of Pretoria dairy Picture with an expert on forage plant ID. What a great day!  We first visited the ARC- Animal Production, Range, and Forage Unit. The forage part of the ARC was mainly focusing on indigenous grasses and how to improve the native forage.  One of the main research projects that they are working on right now is improving  teff  (a grass) for both livestock and human consumption.  The interesting fact about  teff  is the fact that it can be used in the production of gluten free meals.  We also went out to see their nursery and saw the difference between irrigated and non-irrigated grasses.  At the ARC, we were able to see their library of genetic material found from plants in the  Bushveld .   After looking at the forage side, we went over to the  Biosystem  department to learn more about the  bios...

Visiting a family farm raising Bonsmara cattle Hartbeesport Dam Yogurt drink we tried at the dairy! Jersey cattle being milked Today’s farm  visits  started down a  literal rocky road.  We ended up taking a wrong turn ,  but rather than it  screwing  up our day, we took it in stride and were able to take in the rural and local agriculture  through our detour . Once we got back on the right track, we met a female farmer  named  Ipeleng  Kwadi-Seboni,   w ho originally was a school teacher, and now grazes one hundred head of  Bonsmar a  cattle on 75 hectares of land.  Also on the same land, there  stands a lake that they hope to implement aquaculture into their practice one day.  This lake is also used for recreational fishing and camping by the local people.  She is also involved  in Youth in Agriculture and Rural Development,  a mentorship program that helps local youth explore different ...

The medical clinic visited by our nursing students. Students observing Nguni cattle. Cotton lecture at the cotton gin. Nguni cattle Damara-Dorper goats Today started in the early morning at 7:00am for breakfast at Trekpad before we went on a long and very bumpy dirt road ride that reminded many of us of how South Dakota gravel roads are. Our first stop was at Leadwood Game Ranch. At Leadwood, we met a couple that were game hunters and farmers. A large part of their income comes from game hunting where many people from all over the world, including many from the U.S., go to hunt. They also have cattle and sheep for supplemental income. The cattle they have on the ranch are a very adaptable and hardy breed called Nguni. These cattle have adapted to the environment very well, being able to eat the vegetation that most cattle would not be able to eat, including trees. A fun fact about this breed is there is eight different color patterns. You can see some of the patterns in the pictures. T...

Carrying a nyala that has been tranquilized to the truck. Campfire at Trekpad! Our trip up the mountain to see Afrikaner cattle. Trekpad selfie! At the top of the mountain! Soybeans Palpating Afrikaner cattle   It’s our first day of staying at Trekpad Safaris! This morning we woke up at the crack of dawn to go out and dart an Impala and Nyala. The purpose of darting the deer was to relocate them in order to prevent inbreeding throughout the herd. We all got to take pictures and learn about some veterinary practices as well. Afterwards we had some amazing breakfast and learned about Trekpad’s crop farming. They grow maize, soybeans, sunflowers, barley, wheat, and different beans. We learned about how they irrigate their crops as well as store them. They irrigate their fields with a center pivot and use water from the nearby Crocodile River. We learned that Trekpad and other farmers deal with a lot of theft including their crops and livestock. Due to the increase in theft, every fiel...

After a good night’s sleep, we started off the morning with enjoying the hotel’s buffet breakfast! It was very extensive and allowed us to try some more local foods including their version of bacon which actually comes from the pork loin. We packed up our things and checked out of the hotel in anticipation of heading to Trekpad Safaris tonight. Before heading there, we had a full day of learning with the Agricultural Research Center (ARC)- this organization plays a similar role to the USDA. A short drive got us to the ARC complex where we got settled in for a variety of presentations. This was in coordination with the ARC Animal Breeding and Genetics program so various graduate students and professors of the department attended. Top on the list for presentations was the SDSU students presenting a brief slide about themselves and their background! Next the ARC graduate students introduced themselves and two of them presented on their research. The first presented on Wet Carcass Sy...

                 Our group started off their warm, sunny morning with an early breakfast before heading out to participate in some tourist attractions. Our first stop was the Ann Van Dyke Cheetah Center where we got to see an assortment of animals, not just cheetah. This variety of animals, which included endangered species, consisted of African wild dog, hyena, blue crane, meerkats, African wild cat, wildebeest, caracal, and zebra. The Ann Van Dyke Cheetah Center is known for rehabilitation and breeding of cheetah to release back into the wild along with some of the other endangered species that reside in the center. We spent most of our morning at the Cheetah Center where we got to be part of different wildlife activities. One of the first activities was watching a cheetah spring after a toy connected to a zip line; they are much faster than you would think! After meeting a handful of the cheetahs and viewing the cheetah on their run...

 Good evening everyone back in the USA!  It is the early morning here in South Africa.  Everyone has safely arrived and hopefully had a good night's sleep.  We are heading to our first stop this morning at 6:30 AM.  We are looking forward to our first full day in South Africa and will update the blog once the day is done!

 We are getting ready to board our flight!!  See you in South Africa!!!

  We made it to Chicago!  Our flight to Newark, New Jersey is on time.  Once we land in Newark, our next stop is Johannesburg!  Everyone is excited!  Above are some of our happy students waiting at the Chicago airport.  Although hanging out at the airport is not fun, it sure beats the cramped airplane!!  If we have time we will update you once more in Newark.  Please feel free to comment below, family and friends!

  Welcome to our 2023 SDSU South Africa Trip Blog!  We are excited to keep everyone informed about our travels.  We will be blogging once per day, starting tomorrow March 10th (when we leave for South Africa) and ending when we return to Brookings on March 20th.  Please feel free to follow along and comment! First picture above (L to R): Mackenzie Henning, Michael Gonda, Prairie Retzer and Garrett Bailey Second picture below (Back row, L to R): Braden Waldbeser, Sydney Sheffield, Bailee Anderson, Emily Gerber, Emilee Schuetz, and Natalie Howard.  (Front row, L to R): Allisyn Baker, Reagan Sevigney, Haley Maday, Taylor Stout, Erin Schelling, and Megan Sievers