March 15th, our final day in Brno and with Mendel U, was filled with cows (krava), cheese (syr), and good eats!
We started the morning at the residential mess hall for our usual self-serve breakfast table. Available choices included Greek yogurt parfait, cold slices of deli meat and cheese with rye bread, and a bowl of vegetable medley. MendelU’s very own Dr. Daniel Falta, Vice-dean for the Faculty of AgriSciences, picked us up in a university van and brought us to the main campus for a few errands.
Our first stop was to the Faculty of AgriSciences’ main building, where Daniel gave us the opportunity to purchase MendelU branded merchandise. Our next stop on campus was back to the fisheries and aquaculture research facility, where we fulfilled the team’s wish of getting our very own purple and gold painted thumb-fish. The facility has a mural of fish along the walls of the hallway, with painted thumbprints to represent the members of other visiting groups. Lastly, we wrapped up our time on campus with a walk-through of Mendel University’s graduation hall, which featured a statue of Gregor Mendel, for whom the university was named for.
The main event had finally begun. We all climbed back into the Mendel University branded passenger van and took off to the greatly anticipated AUTOMATED. COW. FARM. As a city boy, who has recently gained more agricultural experiences, this was pretty cool, as for my pre-veterinary animal science colleagues, they were having themselves a hay day (lol) at this facility. This dairy farm accommodates approximately 200 cows, which is a fairly small herd compared to other Czech dairy farms. We spent roughly 45 minutes walking around the facility, talking to staff, and admiring the mechanics of the automated machines. Both the feeding system, which is on autopilot to distribute and nudge hay toward the fenced cows, and the always-operable milking station were impressive feats of engineering to admire. At the end of that tour, Dr. Daniel was gracious enough to buy a plastic bin’s worth of cheese varieties and some quark, a yogurt-like treat that is actually a type of creamy, very young sweet cheese, for dessert.
We boarded the bus again, and drove around 20 minutes away, touching down in Žabčice at the university’s large animal reproduction and research farm for students. This is where the other 400 or so cows are housed. There were also about a thousand Rock Doves (Pigeons) patrolling the area for any leftover cattle feed. After walking through these barns, and hearing more about the genetic breeding studies being conducted, we stopped into a classroom where we finally got to indulge in the variety of cheeses on slices of fresh bread. While snacking, Dr. Daniel gave a presentation on the advanced technology features of the farm. Everything from how the cattle each wear collars with GPS, heart rate, and heat sensors to monitor their health and productivity, to using cameras with facial recognition software to calculate a pig's weight based on body dimensions. After consuming what felt like a pound of cheese and bread, many of us napped on the way back to Brno and the residence hall.
After an hour-long break, we rallied back to the lobby of the dorm and headed toward the closest tram stop. Even on day 4 of this journey, we still struggled to operate the payment machines on these darn tram cars! Once again, we met Dr. Daniel in the city, but not at a university-owned building. We instead got a glimpse of Brno’s history with Mendel and genetics through the Gregor Johann Mendel museum. The museum contained sheets of Mendel’s notes and calculations, his birth certificate, and some of his personal tools like reading glasses and microscope. After strolling through the museum, we walked a short distance to our dinner reservations at the Starobrno brewery and restaurant. We ate large dishes of meat and vegetables, while Dr. Daniel entertained us with the extravagant places he’s had the pleasure of visiting while on business. The story that stuck out to me most was his description of the methods that Kenyan tribes use to preserve their milk and dairy products without access to electricity and refrigeration (hint: it’s in the potting material). We thanked Dr. Daniel for his hospitality over the past week and took a group photo one last time.
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