Best by a country yard

THE Koonwarra saleyards were purchased by Victorian Livestock Exchange (VLE) in 2006 as part of a large purchase of saleyards throughout Gippsland.
Now referred to as VLE Leongatha, the saleyards are proving popular with both producers and purchasers.
Chief executive officer Wayne Osborne said soon after the yards were purchased, the roof was erected and the soft floor model was adopted.
“This site, as far as IT goes, is more advanced than Pakenham. This makes it fairly unique in Gippsland and probably the rest of Australia,” he said.
“We have in place a failsafe system that can sort out any documentation mishaps itself. It is more effective and easier for the saleyard staff and for the farmers as well.”
Mr Osborne said the saleyards have seen a lot of cattle come through from interstate in the last six months, from as far away as Broken Hill, New South Wales
“That is a testament to the facility, as well as the region as a selling point. South Gippsland is a premier place to produce cattle as far as fattening goes,” he said.
“One thing that is becoming important is the impact of lifetime traceability. There are a lot of certification programs around now and one of the key elements lifetime traceability.
“The impact on saleyards is the necessity of the staff to be absolutely diligent and accurate.”
Mr Osborne said it was vital for saleyards staff to maintain lifetime traceability and accuracy was of growing importance to farmers.
“We have a record of being in the top one percent of all saleyards as far as accuracy goes,” he said.
“We are starting to see farmers from other regions of Victoria with their own saleyards sending their cattle to come through here instead due to our level of accuracy.”
This Koonwarra site has seen an increase in stock numbers each year since 2006, which Mr Osborne said strengthens the value of the asset to the area.
“We are starting to see an improvement in prices now, particularly on the back of rain in northern Australia and the tightening supply up there, which is good,” he said.
One of the interesting aspects of the VLE’s saleyards is the roof and soft floor combination.
“The roof and the floor are related to each other,” Mr Osborne said.
“The roof provides greater comfort for the people who come to the sales; it helps to keep the yards cleaner and protects the animals.
“Standing on concrete floors for 12 hours or more can cause foot soreness and joint swelling. The soft floor means the cattle are more comfortable.
“The whole concept is designed to improve animal welfare and improve results for producers.”
Mr Osborne said the whole site was environmentally friendly. The wood chips used on the floors are a specific by-product from a wood mill.
“Once used, the woodchips are sold to a company to be made into compost. The manure washed from the trucks is treated with anaerobic bacteria, dried and is added to the woodchips as well,” he said.
“The only thing that leaves the site is evaporated water.”
In the next two to three years, Mr Osborne said the roof was likely to be extended which would increase the selling capacity of the facility.
“We always expected we would have to extend the roof due to the demand on the saleyards,” he said.
“We will probably look to get the yards further accreditations in the future as well, including EU accreditation.”
The facility also includes sheep yards, which Mr Osborne said are going well.
“The prices in this last month or so have been good and the throughput is solid. There hasn’t been an increase as such, but it is ticking along,” he said.

Great yards: Wayne Osborne from VLE said the saleyards at Koonwarra are growing in popularity as a livestock buying and selling venue.

Short URL: /?p=10951

Posted by Sarah Vella on May 27 2014. Filed under Rural News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry