28 April 2008 Happy cows highlight of President's Lincoln University visit

Getting up close and personal with Lincoln University’s dairy herd on the University’s state-of-the-art dairy farm was a highlight of a visit to the campus  yesterday (27 April) by the President of Singapore, Mr S R Nathan, and his 30-member official party.

The Lincoln University visit was the second port-of-call by the President during the opening day of his first state visit to New Zealand. Later in the afternoon he flew to Wellington and a formal reception dinner at Government House.

The dairy farm visit, during which the President and his party watched part of the afternoon milking session, followed a welcome and presentation in the Stewart Building on the central campus by the Vice-Chancellor Professor Roger Field.

In his presentation Professor Field commended Lincoln University’s teaching and research strengths to the President’s attention, including its work in Tourism, Landscape Architecture and Biosecurity.

During that part of the programme the President and his wife also met Singaporean students studying at Lincoln University, most of whom are doing Landscape Architecture.

For many of the party the dairy farm visit was the first time they had seen cows, and the milking end of the New Zealand dairying chain that delivers so many milk-based products to international export markets, including Singapore, greatly interested them.

The President had the milking process and other aspects of the farm described to him by the Executive Director of the South Island Dairying Development Centre, Richard Christie, while Professor Keith Cameron outlined research activities at the farm including the nitrification inhibitor work that led to the development of the eco-n technology.

However, it was the cows that stole the show as they gathered in the holding pen then moved forward in orderly fashion into the bales of the rotary milking platform.

“The cows seem so happy,” was one comment. “How do they know to come in for the milking and get into line,” was another remark?

Cameras clicked and smiles and laughter erupted as the visitors took their first close-up look at the ambling, cud-chewing bovines, the fundamental unit of the New Zealand dairy industry. With equal curiosity the cows eyeballed the large party of observers.

For Kris Wilson putting on the cups and sharing the milking operation with colleague Ryan Moffatt on the other side of the platform it was a high pressure session under the gaze of presidential and international scrutiny, but they coped professionally.

The President’s Media and Communications Manager, Ms Ong Lim Tim, said the President was clearly “very happy” with the visit.

Ian Collins, Communications Group, Lincoln University