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Partnership facilitates saleyard upgrade

Mount Gambier Saleyards continues major redevelopment projects

A new livestock effluent disposal pit at the Mount Gambier and District Saleyards is now available to all livestock transporters. An official opening was hosted by the District Council of Grant last Tuesday.

Assistant Minister for Road Safety and Freight Transport Scott Buchholz said the new site was a huge win for the region’s livestock industry.

“This practical and sustainable disposal facility here at Mount Gambier will benefit the entire livestock production chain including producers, transporters, processors and of course other road users throughout the community,” Mr Buchholz said.

Mr Buchholz said this new effluent disposal site demonstrated that there is the opportunity for further sites to be developed around the country. “Hopefully this new site at Mount Gambier will be a prototype for future rollouts of similar effluent disposal facilities, to help complete a map of facilities across the national road network, supporting our livestock and transport sectors.” he said.

Federal Member for Barker Tony Pasin MP said the Mount Gambier disposal pit was funded by the Australian Government through the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator’s (NHVR) Heavy Vehicle Safety Initiative.

“The facility is positioned to help countless heavy vehicle drivers transporting livestock to access the disposal site situated along a major cattle route on the Australian road network,” Mr Pasin said.

“The livestock transporters, the quiet heroes of the Australian Livestock industry, will be able to enter the site, discharge tanks and resume transport in a safe, efficient and productive manner.”

Saleyards manager David Wallis said the project was a joint initiative of the Australian Livestock and Rural Transporters Association (ALRTA) and the District Council of Grant (Council).

“Together, we agreed to deliver this project to effectively provide an opportunity for livestock transporters to dispose of effluent in eastern South Australia and we thank ALRTA for the opportunity,” Mr Wallis said.

“The newly installed pit means transporters can dispose of accumulated livestock effluent either at the end of their journey to the saleyards, or on their way to deliver a consignment further afield.”

ALRTA president Scott McDonald, said that managing effluent in transit is a significant challenge for their members.

“Effluent capture tanks installed on purpose-built livestock trailers do a reasonable job of containment however there is a need for transporters to access suitable facilities for disposal when tanks become full in transit and at ‘end of journey’ facilities,” Mr McDonald said.

“Disposal facilities benefit the livestock supply chain and the community. They improve safety by ensuring cleaner roads and improved animal welfare outcomes and help to reduce the risk of non-compliance with biosecurity, environment and load restraint laws.

“That’s why the ALRTA is actively engaging with industry stakeholders and governments to develop a national network of effluent disposal points.

“Our association greatly appreciates the support of the livestock transport industry demonstrated by council and saleyards management, by building an effluent disposal pit on their site at Mount Gambier.”

Local ALRTA member Peter Edmonds said Mount Gambier saleyards was an ideal location for installation of a livestock effluent disposal facility.

“It’s just off the Princes Highway, not a big detour into the site, and it draws in livestock trucks driving through Mount Gambier from the north as well as trucks from the west heading to Midfield Meats and beyond,” Mr Edmonds said.

Mr Edmonds recently trialled a B-double over the grids and commented that the facility is ideally set up to empty tanks from both crates into the two large grids.

“There are four floodlights installed, one on each corner of the facility, so the effluent pit can be used after dark,” he said.

“The short hoses have good pressure and are ideal for washing down tyres, mud flaps and plugs, but won’t stretch to clean out crates, so the effluent pits should be relatively quick to use and won’t become just another truck wash queue.”

Mr Edmonds also said that he commends the council for the work they have done to make the facility user-friendly and for matching the funding provided by ALRTA to ensure a good quality facility.

NHVR CEO Sal Petroccitto said the Heavy Vehicle Safety Initiative had so far allocated $22.8m through 89 separate grants over the past five years.

“Heavy vehicle safety and safety for all drivers is the top priority of the NHVR,” Mr Petroccitto said. “These grants enable the NHVR, industry and other stakeholders to deliver innovative solutions for heavy vehicle safety and those that operate them.”

Naracoorte Market Report - CATTLE

Numbers climbed last week as agents yarded 830 head of liveweight and open auction cattle. These sold to a smaller field of trade and processor buyers with feeder and restocker orders also present and active over the offering. Quality was generally good with this being helped along by a number of supplementary fed pens as the smaller number of trade buyers didn’t stop the demand for cattle as the others competed strongly for the cattle on offer in a mainly dearer market.

Yearling steers to the trade made from 460c to 500c to be 5c to 10c better in price with similar heifers ranging from 400c to 490c/kg. Feeders were active on steers from 420c to 523c and heifers from 425c to 510c/kg. Restockers paid to a top of 528c on steers and to 470c/kg on heifers. Grown steers and bullocks to the trade made from 402c to 425c, while feeders paid from 412c to 450c/kg. Grown heifers to the trade ranged from 330c to 420c with feeder activity from 360c to 440c/kg.

Heavy cows lifted 10c as they ranged from 305c to 352c with the lighter types to the trade making from 220c to 285c and feeder support also to 285c/kg. Bulls made from 230c to 284c/kg.

After a 15-month hiatus due to COVID, South Australian primary producers will again be able to come together to learn financial skills essential to manage a farming operation. Marking the first face-toface Financial Skills Workshop since the beginning of the pandemic, with workshops run virtually during COVID, it will be held in Coonawarra on Tuesday, July 13. Spearheaded by food and agribusiness banking specialist Rabobank’s RaboClientCouncil – a group of the bank’s farming clients who implement programs that contribute to the sustainability of rural communities – the initiative is being offered free of charge to farmers in the South East region. The interactive workshop – run over one day – provides practical skills for understanding financial statements and banking requirements, and explores topics such as taxation versus management accounting, essential business management ratios and understanding key components of a business’ financial profile.

Rabobank South Australia and North West Victoria regional RaboClientCouncil chair Claire Catford of “Middle Range”, Balaklava said it was exciting to be able to launch the face-to-face workshops again, with the “round table discussion format” allowing farmers to learn from each other. “We often learn a lot from people in similar situations and the workshop is designed so participants can learn from each other as well as ask questions of the facilitator and banking staff on the ground,” she said. Mrs Catford, who participated in the virtual Financial Skills Workshop last year, encouraged others to register and attend the workshop regardless of their level of financial literacy. “In our workshop we had participants from all backgrounds and even those highly experienced in the financial side of their business got a lot out of it,” she said. “For me, it was a good opportunity to further expand my financial literacy in terms of business performance, the key components of accounting and calculating diagnostic ratios. It proved to be a catalyst to review our business by running through the ratios and ensure we are thinking strategically about our business.”

Rabobank head of relationship management for South Australia and North West Victoria Adam Moss said the program helped put farmers in the driver’s seat of their business. “Using realistic case studies as the basis for understanding what makes up a balance sheet, profit and loss statement and cash flow, the workshop also delves into how to calculate financial ratios and how to use them to make informed business decisions,” he said. “Participants will also walk away with a better understanding of what banks look for when assessing a loan and the financial profile of a business.”

Funded by RaboClientCouncils, the workshops are open to clients and non-clients of Rabobank and there is no cost for farmers to attend. To register visit https://www.rabobank.com.au/about-rabobank/clientcouncils/ or contact Rabobank Mount Gambier on (08)8726 2500.

Hamilton Market Report - SHEEP & LAMBS

WEDNESDAY

The quality of the offering was mixed compared to the previous week. There were more heavy sheep on offer, however the sheep offering was very plain overall. A near full field of regular buyers were in attendance but not all were fully active and restocker competition was restricted.

Despite the lack of quality, the market was very good for trade weight score 3 lambs and the limited number of heavy weights sold $10/head dearer in places. Good trade lambs made in excess of 900c to average around 860c/kg cwt.

Light 12 to 18kg lambs made from $81 to $163/head to average from 743c to 846c/kg cwt. The light trade weight lambs weighing 18 to 22kg sold from $167 to $207/head. Medium trade weight lambs made from $163 to $239/head, averaging from 860c to 880/kg cwt. Heavy trade weight 26kg and over lambs, made up to $244/ head to average 732c/kg cwt. Score 3 hoggets sold to $244/head.

Sheep despite the lack of quality were firm to be $5 to $10/head stronger in places. Shorn wethers made to a top of $231/head while the general run of Merino mutton averaged from 650c to 725c/kg cwt. The best of the heavy crossbred ewes sold to $240/head, averaging around 600c/kg cwt. Terminal sires sold to $74/head.

Mount Gambier Market Report - CATTLE

Numbers eased a little as agents yarded 358 head of liveweight and open auction cattle. These sold to a slightly smaller field of trade and processor buyers, with feeder and restocker orders also active over the offering. Quality was very mixed with something to suit most orders.

After the previous buoyant sale, the market sold to mixed results last week.

There were insufficient yearling steers to provide a quote and yearling heifers were very low in numbers. The trade paid 350c for a solitary beast while feeders sourced a hatful from 400c to 420c/kg. Grown steers and bullocks to the trade made from 400c to 430c with feeders active here mainly from 385c to 445c and an isolated sale on lighter weights to 461c/kg. Grown heifers to the trade made from 350c to 440c with feeder activity from 412c to 432c/kg. Manufacturing steers sold from 300c to 330c/kg.

Heavy cows eased up to 10c, ranging from 310c to 358c/kg. Lighter weight cows destined for the trade made from 240c to 290c with restockers active from 280c to 300c/kg. Bulls ranged from 240c to 290c/kg.