Sale Day online by auctionsplus

Sale Day INSIDE AUCTIONSPLUS

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Letter from the editor

Table of contents

I am Harriette, Graphic Designer and Content Coordinator for AuctionsPlus. The team and I have pieced together the 'Sale Day' magazine as a way to share stories from the industry and recognise the amazing community we are a part of. We know the key to our success is our users and their stories.

p 2 - What's on the Box with Anna Speer p 3 - AuctionsPlus at a Glance p 5 - AuctionsPlus Year in Review p 7 - Photos from the Box p 9 - The Big and Impactful World of Tech p 11 - True Blue Aussie Legend p 12 - Top 40 Assessors p 13 - Is Biosecurity Important? p 15 - CEO for a Day Survey Results p 18 - The Power of Social Media p 19 - Out with the Old, In with the New p 21 - Meet the Team p 22 - Ask Anna

In this edition, you will be able to meet members of our small team, see pictures of vendors from all across Australia and read about some awesome changes that are happening across the industry. If you have any thoughts or feedback you would like to share, please send them through to hspork@auctionsplus.com.au. Regards, Harriette Spork

Editorial Contributors Anna Adams, Anna Holcombe, Anna Speer, Angus Street, Harriette Spork, Emily Porter

Social Media https://www.facebook.com/auctionsplus/ https://www.instagram.com/auctionsplus/ https://twitter.com/auctionsplus/

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Terms & Conditions Opinions expressed and statements made in Sale Day Magazine (here on referred to as SDM) are those of the contributors and advertisers and do not necessarily represent the views of the publisher. SDM contains general information only and does not purport to be a substitute for farming advice. SDM, on behalf of itself and the authors, asserts copyright on all material appearing and none shall be reproduced, wholly or in part, without the prior written consent of the publisher. The publisher reserves all rights in respect of all material received and accepted for publication. SDM reserves the right to edit or abridge all letters or other material accepted for publication.

To receive a free copy of Sale Day email info@auctionsplus.com.ay

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WHAT'S ON THE BOX

Upon reflection of the past 3 years as CEO, the industry and AuctionsPlus has seen some huge positive changes, not just in the way we buy and sell, rather, in the way we engage, support, challenge and evolve. The barriers that have historically existed are lowering and collaboration between key stakeholders is happening with conversations and customer centricity front of mind. Networks, ecosystems, big data and how we can work together are the topics that are driving us into a shared future.

WITH ANNA SPEER

AuctionsPlus key milestones from the past 3 years: Mobile platform New catalogue New customised user dashboards Assessor ratings Moved to cloud New assessment entry

For AuctionsPlus the past 3 years was about setting the base. For tightening the platform, improving the tech and for understanding how your businesses tick. Thank you to our customers, our assessors, the teachers, the arbitrators, the buyers and the sellers, those up for a chat late at night to solve a problem or simply debate a wicked industry challenge, you all know who you are and your assistance doesn't go unnoticed. We feel the future is about growing that trust, accountability and facilitating “best practice” across the entire supply chain. We are excited to continue to discuss and debate change with respect and authenticity for the betterment of the entire industry.

The future? Ecosystems Assessment entry evolution Buyer education

We hope you enjoy the magazine and as always, keep the dialogue flowing. Regards, Anna Speer, CEO

NOMADIC

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AuctionsPlus at a Glance NSW While the blues were yet again unable to grasp the State of Origin title, the online livestock market definitely picked up the slack. In 2017 New South Wales (NSW) listed 1,900,171 sheep and 211,035 cattle, with Riverina Livestock Agents being the largest agency for cattle with 9,439 head. Landmark Bourke listed the most sheep seeing 55,532 head on the box. Let’s hope 2018 is the year for the Blues, bring it on! QLD Queensland (QLD) has an area of 1,727,000 square kilometers, that's nearly five times the size of Japan. In 2017 QLD listed 251,384 head sheep along with 125,762 head cattle. Bob Jakins from Elders Goondiwindi listed 7,770 cattle while Peter Prosser from Prosser Hutton, listed 25,624 head sheep, a huge effort to both assessors! Brodie Agencies were the largest agency listing 4,587 cattle listed and Prosser Hutton taking out the sheep with 25,624 head listed. SA In 2017 South Australia really turned up the heat listing 387,023 sheep along with 14,495 cattle. Of these numbers the largest agency listing was taken out for both sheep and cattle by Elders Kingston with 2,334 cattle and 57,971 sheep. A massive congratulations to assessor Bruce Cameron who listed 2,078 cattle and Greg Cobiac listing 35,670 sheep.

VIC Victoria (VIC) is Australia’s second-smallest state, covering just 227,600 square kilometers. Although small, there is obviously grass as 394,530 sheep and 41,344 were listed on the box in 2017. A line of 12 to13-month-old Angus Future Breeders were sold from Wangaratta, VIC in early 2017 and made the 1,000km treck to Uralla in the Northern Tablelands. Towards the second half of 2017, the seasonal conditions in NSW were dry, allowing VIC buyers to utilise feed and we saw large numbers head from all parts of NSW and Southern QLD moving into VIC.

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NT The northern quarter, or the “Top End”, listed 4,665 head cattle in 2017, all of which were listed by Elders Katherine, with Paul McCormick completing every assessment! We think 2018 is the NT’s year, and we are looking forward to seeing the “Top End” cattle at the “top end” of the market with auction competition and a national buying audience! Get in touch today!

WA Perth (Western Australia's capital) is the most isolated city in the world, with its closest, Adelaide being over 2,200 km away. In 2017 we saw some stock “on the move” with 235 feeder steers located in VIC, were purchased from a vendor in WA, making the short 3,218km trip across the Nullabor! We have also seen stock come from WA over into VIC and NSW this year.

TAS Hobart is Australia's driest capital, on average it get's 626mm of rainfall a year. Tasmania has been experiencing an abnormally dry season with large numbers being shipped to Victoria to be sold on the mainland, both on AuctionsPlus and privately. We hope that Tassie gets some wet feet soon and look forward to the year ahead!

Photos from the box "Photography is the story you fail to put into words" Destin Sparks Looking back on 2017 we have fond memories. Looking forward we are excited to be sharing the stories of our people and your community. Keep the pictures coming!

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'Some call it the middle of nowhere... we call it the center of our world'

Left Page Top - Pat Wilson, Big Springs Pastoral Co, NSW Middle - Sheedy Family, RE & JA Sheedy, NSW Bottom - Todd Cranney & John Cranney, Bonyi Trading, QLD This Page Left Top - Russel Hiscox, Peter O'Conner, Jamie Stuart, at TFI Tamworth, NSW Left Bottom - Cameron Burtenshaw with children Logan & Taylor, High Country Pastoral, QLD Right Top - Jamie Katlin, Snow Merrett, Sam Hill & Jamie Gray, Krongart Pastoral, SA Right Middle - Phillip White & George Henderson, Green Creek, NSW Right Bottom - Al Commins, Bruce Commins & Peter Rollason, Meringo Pastoral, VIC

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THE BIG AND IMPACTFUL WORLD OF TECH The Aussie Ag-Tech sector has seen significant growth in innovation, investment and technology. As a sector, there is a clear passion for emerging technologies. We are all watching how the digital world is evolving at a pace where world-leading economists now struggle to use their traditional forecasting models, because what we are talking about now will likely already be happening somewhere in the world. One of the reports AuctionsPlus follow closely is the Future Today Institute’s annual “Tech Trends Report.” In its tenth year, the report outlines in great detail the emerging technology trends, which will influence business, education, politics, government, education and society in the coming year. In an age where technology has the power to disrupt and transform a marketplace overnight, the 'Tech Trends Report' acts as an early warning signal to organizations. So, in anticipation for the 2018 report release, we wanted to take you back to the beginning of 2017 to see how the predictions panned out.

now connect with each other on a network for a variety of reasons, from monitoring traffic to creating immersive videos. Engineers at the University of Washington have developed a system of networked cameras that can automatically track people as they move. Combined with facial and object recognition algorithms and artificial intelligence, smart cameras will provide unprecedented opportunities for a myriad of industries. Recognition algorithms will do more than spot people, they’ll be capable of distinguishing between animals, objects and sudden movements. Think about what this means for the AuctionsPlus assessment. It will not only increase the integrity by improving the subjective measurement of the livestock but it may also transport the buyer into the pen of livestock. Allowing them to immerse themselves in the lot they are thinking of purchasing.

Smart Dust

We decided to highlight the top 3 takeaways extracted from the 155-page report that are most relatable to AuctionsPlus.

These are computers, no larger than a grain of dust, that are light enough they can suspend in the air. (Or in your brain.)

Intelligent Cameras

Sound too farfetched, well for years, researchers have been hard at work on miniaturization, as they try to shrink computers as

Cameras themselves are getting smarter. They can

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much as possible, down to the size of sand or dust. Each particle-computer consists of circuits and sensors capable of monitoring the environment, and even taking photographs. Scientists at the University of California developed what they call “neural dust,” which are microscopic computers that work alongside remote ultrasound to send and receive data about the brain.

As humans, we are able to master a new concept from just one or two examples; for machines, this

Beyond now, this technology will dramatically change our approach to medical imaging think about if trillions of smart dust particles could be released in the wind to measure air quality or take photos. Or if we fed them to our livestock to measure meat quality and estimate carcase yields.

One of the biggest takeaways from the 2017 Tech Trend Report is vast growth of technological trends. This year’s report identifies more than 150 notable trends, a whopping 85% increase from the 80 trends highlighted in the 2016 Tech Trends Report. As innovation and advancement of technology continues at an exponential rate, we see the increasing pattern of one technology giving life to the next. Bring on 2018 we say!!!

Artificial Intelligence Artificial intelligence has now advanced to a stage where it forms a key component for the majority of trends outlined within this report. As such, it’s of crucial importance to decision-makers that they familiarize themselves with AI. As the next layer in technological advancement, AI will be integrated into everything organizations do professionally. The field of AI is exceptionally broad with many facets that offer significant benefits to organizations. Take Deep-Neural Networks as an example: The relatively new branch of machine learning will soon be an invisible part of every organization. Programmers can utilize deep learning algorithms integrated with terabytes of data – images, text, video and speech etc. So systems can be trained to learn on their own. Generative Algorithms For Voice – another branch of AI – looks at how children learn new words in order to train computers on automatic speech recognition.

is a more difficult task when it comes to language. We are excited to see where this trend goes and how it could help streamline our assessment entry, from being manually inputted to an abbreviated dictation which would reduce data input errors.

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True Blue Aussie Legend Bob 'Jako' Jakins We are lucky to work with a range of passionate 'true blue Aussie legends'. Each individual character in our network is an integral part of the AuctionsPlus family and we want to share their stories with you. The words passion, honesty, drive and loyalty all come to mind when we think of Bob ‘Jako’ Jakins, one of our legendary assessors. In the last two years alone, Jako has assessed 18,758 head of cattle and 15,491 head of sheep nationally. Having grown up on a property between Bourke and Cunamulla, his love for the industry started from a young age. Jako joined agency in 1987 and doesn’t believe that he ever thought about doing anything else. His amazing pool of knowledge is the result of working on a number of different cattle and Merino stations across NSW and the NT. In the last 7 years, Jako estimates that he has covered about 600,000kms through the eastern states of Australia (to put that into perspective, that is 22 trips around the world!). In 2011, Jako was appointed the Northern Zone AuctionsPlus manager which encompasses most of NSW, QLD & the top end of the NT. Jako's passion and knowledge are widely respected and he mentors all new and up and coming Elders assessors. Jako is as comfortable and capable of writing assessments as he is in the cattle yards, both of which he readily teaches others. He genuinely cares about his staff who in turn, genuinely care about their clients and their business. Jako always goes the extra mile when assessing, training or running a stud sale and holds the Issue 27 | 234

confidence of all. He has repeat buyers from around the country because they know they will be pleased when the stock arrives. His most common saying is “don’t over assess them, tell it as it is.” Despite sometimes fearing a computer will one day replace him, Jako is continuously looking for ways to improve old systems and offer advice and support, sometimes loudly. Jako is an active participant in reviewing operating conditions and system changes to drive better integrity for both agents and their clients. With his continuous value-add to his customers, no computer will ever be able to replace him. Jako thinks the best parts of his job are that no two days are ever the same, he gets to meet new people and there is always an opportunity to learn a new way of doing things. He laughs that the downside of life in the Australian outback is the snakes. Despite his tough exterior, Jako is terrified of snakes and can be relied on to share a great story or two about close encounters with the slithering tyrants. We are so glad you're a part of our network Jako, thank you for continuing to help evolve our livestock platform.

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TOP 40 Top Cattle Assessors 1 - Bob Jakins 2 - James Tierney 3 - Peter Rollason 4 - Colin Thexton 5 - Paul McCormick 6 - Harry Larnach 7 - Miles Archdale 8 - Russell Jorgensen 9 - Grant Haddin 10 - Shad Bailey 11 - Matt McLane 12 - Andrew Wilkie 13 - Sam Ditchfield 14 - Ashley Naclerio 15 - Daniel Fischer 16 - Darren Connick 17 - Jack Burgess 18 - Ben Sharpe 19 - Anthony Hyland 20 - Stuart Sheldrake 21 - James Anthony Triggs 22 - Angus Laurie 23 - Warren Johnston 24 - Thomas Oakes 25 - Nathan Purvis 26 - Peter Prosser 27 - Philip Gledhill 28 - Chris Callow 29 - Francis Buffier 30 - Tim Ludgate 31 - Steve Ridley 32 - Seamus Filan 33 - Simon Newton 34 - Beau Frame 35 - Charles Hart 36 - James Cleeland 37 - Alan Poyner 38 - Bruce Cameron 39 - Tim Schofield 40 - Rod Carpenter

Place in 2016 1 35 6 3 8 13 4 2 37 11 44 21 10 24 15 35 45 16 49 54 30 68 71 38 26 59 39 5 75 22 14 19 20 43 65 31 47 23 41 33

The AuctionsPlus Top 40 Assessors lists the cattle and sheep assessors with the largest throughput for 2017.

Top Sheep Assessors 1 - Peter Prosser 2 - Peter Rollason 3 - Richard Thomas 4 - Nick Williamson 5 - Greg Cobiac 6 - Geoff McDougall 7 - David Welsh 8 - David Corcoran 9 - Geoff Hodgins 10 - Danny Tink 11 - Russell Hiscox 12 - Bryce Thomas 13 - Phillip Butt 14 - Tim Schofield 15 - Jarrod Slattery 16 - Bradley Gleeson 17 - Shaun McHugh 18 - Alexander Curtis 19 - Angus Laurie 20 - Scott Thrift 21 - Tim Salter 22 - Ed Lilburne 23 - Peter Hargreaves 24 - Greg Downing 25 - Simon Bell 26 - Samantha Platts 27 - Stuart Were 28 - Mick Curtis 29 - Ben Hooper 30 - Mick Jones 31 - John Croake 32 - Ben Redfern 33 - Daniel Doecke 34 - Darren Old 35 - Philip Wallace 36 - John Denholm 37 - Steve Ridley 38 - Ross Plasto 39 - Andrew Peadon 40 - Matt Prentice

Place in 2016 1 2 13 38 8 23 5 21 3 12 18 22 4 9 10 122 29 19 7 161 36 40 35 32 17 83 N/A 45 20 30 410 115 50 119 74 141 16 124 79 57

IS BIOSECURITY IMPORTANT?

The term biosecurity was pushed into the media in early 2016 when actor, Johnny Depp, was fined for attempting to illegally bring his two pet dogs into the country without meeting our strict quarantine laws. The rest of the world was left baffled and bemused by Australia’s strict regulations and Australians as a whole continue to assess and query the importance of biosecurity. Due to the fact we are an island nation, Australia has, for the most part, been able to maintain an enviable biosecurity status. But, as we all know we shouldn’t take this for granted! So, with our community of high achievers, influencers and industry decision-makers we wanted to be brave enough to start a conversation on the importance of biosecurity

laws and regulations. In 2015 CSIRO published a report that identified a range of mega trends that have the potential to reshape how the Australian agriculture industry operates. It also highlighted 12 likely mega-shocks which involve significant, relatively sudden and potentially high impact events, the timing of which is very hard to predict. To-date there have been mega-shocks in the horticulture and marine industries with the livestock predictions being: a) A nationwide outbreak of a variant strain of foot and mouth disease. b) A bluetongue outbreak across Australia’s major sheep producing regions.

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The report indicated that driving factors to these mega-shocks would include: - Agricultural expansion and intensification as it could heighten the spread and effects of a pest or disease outbreak - Growth in peri-urban production as it could heighten the threat and impacts of a pest or disease outbreak if small-scale/hobby producers fail to engage with biosecurity issues - Greater global trade as it is creating new opportunities for pests and diseases to enter the country - A warming climate as it is allowing the spread of pests, diseases and disease vectors into new areas Declining resources as it could limit our ability to prevent and respond to a pest or disease outbreak Knowing what the mega-shocks are is only part of the plan. We want to limit the negative impacts they have on the industry my understanding and planning for the way forward. So, what is the way forward? What should we be looking to do? We believe that the increasing complexity of the biosecurity landscape requires us to all work

together - to bring everyone to the table. Are you brave enough to join us? Do you want to help manage for the long term and lift the bar for everyone? Let's look at one of the conversations... Footrot, a wicked industry problem, how can we better manage it? What is best practice? What role can you play in educating and protecting our industry? How do we bring everyone to the table? Initial steps we have taken include mandating the sheep health declaration, adding another question to the assessment regarding the history of benign footrot and scald and encouraging assessors to insect feet for signs of scald. Assessors are not expected to be vets, they are however expected to know when to call one. Some producers have even gone to the length of getting the local vet to inspect and test stock prior to assessing to ensure their buyers are protected. Industry feedback from the sheep health declarations has been overwhelmingly positive and buyers are demonstrating more confidence on lots with a more detailed animal history. The challenge for us now is how to reduce the paperwork for our assessors and we are working with industry bodies to look at an offline electronic form or simply build the questions into Assessment Entry to reduce duplication. This, however, is not bulletproof – a quick test or a vaccination is what is required for the long term. Let’s stay ahead of the biosecurity beats and start the change together. If you are interested in coming to the table we are looking at getting a biosecurity working group together to meet bi-annually. To learn more please email Anna Speer at, aspeer@auctionsplus.com.au

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TOP 20

IF YOU WERE THE CEO FOR A DAY

In the lead up to Christmas, we asked you to answer "what would do if you were the AuctionsPlus CEO for the day?" Thank you to the people who took the time to give us feedback, there were some cracking responses, some wild ideas and some CEO's that would take us into the future. We will continue to work through the feedback. Without further ado, here are your top 20 CEO responses:

66 Agents

50 Assessors

What You Want

72 Buyers

108 Producers

3 Exporters

8 Feedlots

10 Other

What We Are Doing

Fix Australia's Internet

Currently, our in-house team develops our software to manage poor internet and the Market Operations team watch buyers during sales and contact them if they drop out. We are currently focused on managing the issues rather than fixing it. Perhaps this can be a 2018 goal for us.

Better stock filters and include in presale listings

You now have a filter in the catalogue and results page as well as the ability to favourite lots and create your own sale. The 'more' button allows you to do targeted searches. Next up in the filtering space is to be able to filter by distance from your place and possibly even a map like Airbnb so you can identify lots that are close to stock you are purchasing.

Shorter Sales

Even though I said don’t complain about it, you did! We offer approx. 4000 head of cattle an hour and 30 000 sheep. Can we do it faster? Check out the ‘Ask Anna’ Section on page 22 for details on sale time.

Wednesday Cattle Sales

Rock and roll, this has been a common request and we have kicked them off to allow faster turnaround times for cattle, particularly for those in dry regions or affected by drought

Access to reserves and earlier access to published assessments

Currently in development with our in-house team of developer legends. Access to assessments earlier will be first available by the end of March and if all goes to plan, with optional reserves to be publicly displayed.

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Send post auction emails with buyer delivery requirements

A more seamless purchase experience - see full contact details in your personalised dashboard (available now) and expect an email with the assessment details and buyer obligations in the near future.

Weed out the bad users of the system

We are introducing online training materials for all users. The purpose will not be to penalise, rather, educate and lift the quality across the board. AuctionsPlus will take a more proactive role in facilitating best practice with all participants. Stricter penalties are in place and suspensions and expulsions are occurring. With more and more new players coming to the table ensuring buyers understand their role and responsibilities is critical. Over the next 3 months, a buyer training module (online) will be introduced for ALL AuctionsPlus buyers

Stock Alerts

After we complete the ability to filter by distance/geographical location, this will be next. This means you will be able to receive notifications of stock in your area (so you know when you can list your smaller lots), identify truck fillers and allocate predefined alerts - such as Angus steers 200-300kg.

Flock profiling technology

Promote objective DNA based characterisation of sale stock - argh... nothing yet but certainly a cool idea.

An ebay rating and feedback system for buyers, assessors and vendors

Its’ happening now – buyers are providing feedback to assessors and rating their performance. Details are available in your personal dashboard. Moving forward this will be extended to all users of the platform. Unsure of how this works or not receiving your buyer feedback email? Contact the Market Operations team on 02 9262 4222

Grow the WA market

Angus and Mick are over there now working with the local agents, buyers and producers to look at how the system could work in the west. As the market is VERY different to the east, we are using local knowledge to look at how forward delivered prime lambs could make a come-back on the platform.

‘Make an offer’ or ‘Buy now’ button

For those that are not aware, if you are the highest passed in bidder, you can log into the platform and ‘meet reserve’ for 90 minutes after the sale. For those that want to negotiate, call the selling agent. Leon and Tom are currently updating the wool-trade platform which includes the ability to ‘Buy Now’ or make and offer, once complete we will roll over into the livestock space.

Reduce Paperwork

We are always looking at how this could happen, voice recognition software and offline assessment entry on your phone are two projects in this space.

All cattle sold liveweight

How you sell your livestock is always up to the vendor and agent, yet buyers are pushing for live weight. If you do have access to a certified weigh-bridge, remember you set the terms - we have seen that lots offered c/kg live get more competition.

Weekly Results – tabulated and easier to read

Check out our weekly market comments at www://auctionsplus.com.au/livestock-market-comments, you can subscribe via your dashboard. Andrew is currently working on a new layout to make it more user friendly.

8 9

13 14 15

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Lot activity analytics

We are looking to enable assessors to see the number of views on a lot and also other valuable analytics.

Incentive scheme for repeat users – the frequent flier model

A sensational idea and one Angus and Anna S are looking into – how can we reward repeat customers. Check out your personal dashboard for the first stages.

Continue to drive integrity

Stand tall, be brave and continue to focus on improving the entire supply chain. Feedback continues to be that people want to see more transparency and they like the new statements around access to rams, footrot, sheep health declarations and scanning certificates.

Further promotion of the wool platform

Rather than promote wool-trade we have decided to overhaul the entire platform and create a better one. Targeted launch late May/ early June. Stay tuned!

Virtual reality

Cattle and sheep in your living room? Check out our booth at Beef week in 2018 to see VR in real life.

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THE POWER OF SOCIAL MEDIA How you can use social media to reach your buyers. According to Sensis Pty Ltd, 74% of Australians are using at least one form of social media. What do you use? Unlike traditional forms of adverting, social media allows you not just to access your audience in targeted locations, anywhere they take their phones, meaning you can reach them anytime anywhere. Because of its widespread use, using social media to promote your business is not only a good idea but an important one. Of the 74% of people who have social media nearly 60% of them check it daily, which means you have the opportunity to engage your potential customers constantly. Taking an active interest in sharing industry news adds legitimacy to your business with 64% of people agreeing that they are more likely to trust your brand if they have had positive interactions with it on social media. Sharing photos of stock, yourself and team also help to personalise your brand. “These (social media) platforms give us the opportunity to reach people more than 500km away,” says Moree Farmer Oscar Pearse (Cobb, 2016). No longer do you have to rely on word of mouth or people reading the paper, with social media you can reach your audience in their own homes.

Another benefit of using social media to advertise your stock is reduced cost. Advertising through Facebook or Instagram is a fraction of print and radio media, with the added ability to reach a wider audience. Similarly, unlike print and radio, you are also able to track and pick a target audience, meaning that you know who is seeing and engaging with your adverts. Emily Porter, is responsible for managing AuctionsPlus social media channels, “I like the way you are able to reach a wider audience in a much more personable way. At AuctionsPlus we use our social media to advertise stock listed in upcoming sales and post pictures of our staff to show our clients who we are. People love people." Although it may seem daunting, setting up a Facebook or Instagram page for your business or stud allows you to build your profile and brand the way you want it to be seen. If you are interested in learning how to use social media more effectively, look out for Emily Porter's upcoming seminars or email Emily at eporter@auctionsplus.com.au.

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12,098 Weaner/ Yearlings Sold

OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE NEW In early December 2017, we introduced fortnightly Feature Weaner & Yearling sales on the back of growing requests from vendors, agents and buyers. Despite the strong results at the saleyard weaner sales, we have seen a growing shift of producers now utilising AuctionsPlus' national Weaner & Yearling Sales to access a national buyer footprint and increase competition. CEO, Anna Speer, says “we trialed feature sales with store lambs which proved highly successful. The feature lamb sales attracted new buyers and vendors, with a 48% increase in the number of buyers participating and 41% of our vendors being first-time sellers.”

21,615 Weaner/ Yearlings Sold overall

158 Buyers

“Excitingly, livestock in these feature sales are attracting a premium as buyers can establish a national market floor with a single stock category. Not to mention the stock remain on-farm until they are sold removing freight costs, loss of kilograms and assisting with better biosecurity practices.”

220 Vendors

“Likewise, buyers can more accurately react to market signals and get access to an average of 40 thousand lambs nationally in the space of an hour. With the volume of stock in these sales, and with reduced curfew times and better biosecurity practices, they are more confident that stock will be ready to perform on arrival.”

$980.28 Average Selling Price ($/Head)

The two December weaner sales have attracted over 8500 head, with over 113 different vendors listing stock.

325.02 Aver Sell Price (c/kg)

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Livestock have been sold from all eastern states, with New South Wales and Queensland accouting for the largest portion. “Through the helmsman auction system vendors are receiving a maximum return as buyers shift from a lot that has pushed passed their reserve, to a new lot in their price range during the sale,” Speer said. Callow Livestock agent, Chris Callow, listed stock from Victoria and New South Wales on Friday the 15th of December. With vendors who were both firsttime and regular AuctionsPlus users, Chris was excited to have the weaner and yearling sales as a sales channel. Chris believes that the advantage of selling online is that it gives more control to the seller." They are able to set their prices and reserves ensuring that they get the premium amount for their stock.” "The system is also very buyer friendly, the grouped weaner sales means that they only have

to go to one place to see a range of stock from all across Australia.” South Australia agent, Sam Hill, from Thomas, De Garis and Clarkson, said “AuctionsPlus is an extremely important marketing tool for TDC giving the broadest bidding platform available. The vendor and purchaser have peace of mind the stock are happy in the paddock whilst everyone is in front of the box bidding.” While the concept of online livestock sales has been around for a number of decades the digital sales channel is continually gaining traction. Anna Speer puts it down to not only the change in producers mindset from being a price taker to now being a price maker, but also the ever-increasing desire for the industry to have a transparent sales channel with substantial integrity systems placed on all users." Lots are assessed by an independent accredited assessor, with a full animal history provided on all stock. Objective livestock measurements are used to produce an assessment that includes breeding and joining history, weaning information, health treatments, individual weights, cattle temperament, fat scores as well as information on grazing and management practices. This ensures the buyer is able to get a well rounded and detailed understanding of the stock. If you are interested in getting your weaners or yearlings in one of our fortnightly sales please contact your local agent or get in touch with Mick Corcoran at mick@auctionsplus.com.au to leverage the additional marketing and advertising that comes with listing in these sales.

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Meet theTeam Ken Salan AuctionsPlus is made up of a diverse group of people with each bringing a unique skill set to the team. We know it's our people who make the business and we want you to get to know the people on the other end of the phone. Ken Salan, is AuctionsPlus longest-serving staff member. Having started off as a market operator before moving into development he has an intricate and deep knowledge of the AuctionsPlus Business that spans over many years. We sat down with Ken to ask him a few questions about who he is and his job. Do you have an agricultural background? Yes, I grew up on a mixed grazing property in the Central Tablelands of NSW, and after completing an Ag Science Degree, worked as a Station Hand in Central NSW before coming to AuctionsPlus. What drew you to the AuctionsPlus business? The people; as is still the case now, AuctionsPlus was full of people who were excited and driven by innovation and who genuinely loved the Agricultural industry; two things that I am also very passionate about.

What has been your biggest career obstacle? Making the decision to head back to Uni to retrain in IT while working fulltime was a bit of a challenge but the support and opportunities given to me by AuctionsPlus over that time were amazing. If you could invite anyone to dinner (dead or alive) who would you invite and what would you cook them? Bill Gates as he’d have some tales to tell, both from a technology and humanitarian point of view. On the menu would be a traditional Aussie rosemary and garlic lamb roast.

What motivates you? The opportunity to learn and implement new technologies into the AgTech space. What is the biggest myth about working in your role? Probably one of the biggest myths is that as Software Developers we are recluses spending all day in front of a computer. However, the reality is that a lot of our time is spent working closely with colleagues and customers in scoping, designing and refining solutions before a line of code is written.

"the biggest myth is that software developers are recluses"

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Ask Anna Anna Speer CEO

Ask Anna gives you the chance to ask any question and have our three Anna’s; Anna Speer, Anna Adams and Anna Holcombe. Each edition one of the Anna's will tackle different questions. If you have a question you would like the Anna's to answer, be it business, pets or relationships each of our Anna’s comes from diverse backgrounds and are pools of knowledge and are happy to help. Please send all your questions to askanna@auctionsplus.com.au

Hi Anna's, Can you please change the length of the sale? I seem to be wasting more than an hour every sale waiting for it to be finished. Can't you just close the sale after an hour?

James 'Green Creek' Timor, NSW

Hi James, Over the years we have found that it is difficult to please everyone.We have also found that there is a feeling in our Industry that if you are inside in front of a computer you are not ‘working’.'Working' is when you are driving, attending a physical sale or out on the farm doing physical work. We have also found that when selling, growers and agents want the sales to go for as long as possible and when buying they want the opposite. We appreciate your frustration when the market kicks and sales extend to the hour or past – the annoyance at a bidder resetting the twenty-second clock when he has reached his limit and dropped onto the lot you have been quietly sitting on for the past 20 minutes… should we have closed that lot? What would the vendor say? If we made it optional, would you close your lot early? Currently, we sell approximately 30,000 sheep an hour and 4,000 cattle. These animals come with a full animal history that is legally binding. Stock can be located anywhere in Australia. Are the sales really too long? We are looking at strategies that will assist in improving the buyer experience, shorten sale times and enable smart bidding. We are investigating tools that bring other variables to the table and currently under development are a buy-now function to get truck-fillers or guarantee a purchase. Filtering enhancements are also being reviewed to allow ‘one giant sale’ rather than three – this would need to be simple for buyers that are trying to manage multiple purchases. People who bid at the last second are being monitored and do get their butts kicked. Keep your ideas coming into us, it is an area we are looking to improve, particularly if it improves the experience for the entire supply chain. Regards, Anna Speer

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