Jeff Huddlestone
The weekly Wednesday morning cattle and sheep sales at the Mount Gambier and district saleyards at Glenburnie are also a good barometer of community feelings and issues.
Livestock prices, the weather, land values, neighbours’ wellbeing and the latest gossip.
They are are just some of the myriad of concerns discussed in the yards or over a catch-up meal and drink in the canteen.
The saleyards, 10 kilometres out of Mount Gambier, are owned and operated by Grant District Council and are a major livestock sales and purchase centre in the South East, attracting clients from all sides of the border.
Local grazier, Trevor Little, has been buying and selling sheep and cattle at the yards since they opened with the help of the Dunstan Labor government in 1972.
The 82-year-old has farmed for almost all of his life in the district.
His family raised border merino ewes crossed with Poll Dorset rams for a “nicely viable” operation on the Kongorong sheep farm for 70 years, before selling up and buying a cattle property in Mount Gambier about four years ago.
“The Mount property is set up for cattle and that suits me,” he said.
“We have had our ups and downs with sheep, don’t worry about that – and the same with cattle.
“But the sheep job particularly over the years has been very stable.”
He added that the Glenburnie saleyards are ideally located. They draw cattle from Hamilton and Portland which come this way and it’s a massive, competitive market.
“In the prime October-Christmas period the place is packed and you would be battling to get a seat,” Mr Little said.
Holding capacity at the moment is around 22,500 sheep and 4500 store cattle.
The saleyards’ operation is guided by the ten-year master plan 2018-28.
The facility is a member of relevant saleyards, livestock and agent associations, operates under a national livestock tagging system and is accredited to sell under the European Union prime market.
Mr Little said the saleyards are in need of extension. The transformation project is the subject of local, State and Federal Government funding.
Within 72 hours of being elected in March this year, Premier Peter Malinauskas and his Labor cabinet colleagues visited Mount Gambier and had discussions with key industry groups including the Glenburnie saleyards, Grant District Council CEO, Darryl Whicker, said in a statement.
“With both council and State Government funding secured, the transformational project remains reliant on federal funding.
“Council staff and stakeholders have put in the work to present a strong case for this once in a generation transformation opportunity,” Mr Whicker said.
Trevor Little agrees.
“Glenburnie is a very big centre and you need government money to do these things,” he said.
The weekly livestock sales are assisted by five stock agents on a rotational roster system.
The agents are Elders, Miller Whan and John, Nutrien Livestock, Green Triangle Livestock, and O’Connor and Graney.
And selling prices are strong at the moment, with 700 kilogram bullocks realising $3700 each.
Mr Little said the social aspect on sale days is very important and when he comes to buy cattle, he catches up with people he knows.
“What are the prices like, have we had enough rain, how much is land selling for?
“How’s so and so doing and what’s the latest scandal are some of the questions asked on sale days,” Mr Little said.
He believes the livestock industry in the South East has a solid future.
“This is a garden of Eden, Mount Gambier,” he said.
“Our seasons are so sure, we are virtually guaranteed rain, generally over the last 100 years or so it has always been very stable,” he said.
However, the veteran grazier sounded a warning about foot and mouth disease, if it enters Australia.
“It’s a big concern, particularly with the mosquito in an Indonesian northerly wind.
“The mosquitos move with the wind and they hit New Guinea, which isn’t far from Australia.
“If foot and mouth reaches us, our livestock contracts would be cancelled immediately,” Mr Little said.
Hopefully, that issue will be kept at bay during next week’s saleyards conversations.
