S A L E Inside AuctionsPlus
D A Y
Contributors Anna Holcombe (Editor) Hussain Mussa (Graphic Design) Content: Harry Lim, Emily Rabone , Hannah Bird, Ed Murphy, Ellen Simpson, Luke McDaid, Tom Rookyard & Michael Corcoran. Cover Photo: Butch Walker Photography
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Sale Day SUMMER 18 /19 - EDI T I O N I I I
10
Young gun Brendan Mansbridge
38
Keeping up with the Brodies
15
Spring sees seedstock producers say farewell
26
True blue legend Col Thexton
S A L E D A Y - S UM ME R 18/19
Letter from the CEO WOWEE, T H E P AST 6 M O N T HS A S C E O HA S F L O W N B Y ! It has been a whirlwind start to what I tell my wife is my dream job. I have spent plenty of time on the road, with trips to QLD, NSW & VIC, catching up with our community of users, including our meticulous assessors and passionate vendors. Thank you to all those that have given up their time to chat to us throughout our time on the road. Your feedback is vital to growing our platform and ensuring that we are providing a quality service. I have loved hearing all your thoughts, ideas and innovations, these are integral to driving the next stages of growth for AuctionsPlus. A particularly memorable moment for me occurred on a recent trip to WA where I had the honour of speaking at the National LambEx Conference. A couple of weeks into the job and there I was presenting to over 1,000 sheep producers on the future digital disruptions that our industry may face. The highlight for me came about when I called a producer in the crowd out for not participating in a group activity. As it turned out, he ran an old Nokia phone which somewhat limited his ability to participate. However, at the end of the presentation he came and introduced himself to me and explained that he hadn’t used AuctionsPlus in a very long time. The next day he ended up purchasing a lot! He messaged me personally at delivery to let me know that the stock had turned up and were exactly as described. Happy customers make it all worth it. We have also seen a lot of changes to the AuctionsPlus system over the past 6 months. Some of the biggest changes include; the AuctionsPlus Property Portal, AuctionsPlus Wool, the Buy Now feature and more recently, a change to the cut off times for the Eastern States Cattle sales to Thursdays at 9am. In the spotlight next will be the AuctionsPlus App and offline assessment entry. In this edition of Sale Day, we wanted to give you an up close and personal look at what’s going on inside AuctionsPlus by putting the spotlight on both our team members and some of our amazing clients. We hope you enjoy it! As always, I welcome your feedback, whether big, small, good or bad!
Angus Street, CEO
4
LETTER FROM THE C E O
A N GU S W I T H E D L I L B U R N E , HAY P L A I N S L I V E S TO CK
S A L E D A Y - S UM ME R 18/19
5
794 AUCTIONS IN 2018 AVERAGING 15 PER WEEK
TUESDAY & FRIDAY DAYS WHEN OUR WEBSITE GETS THEMOST TRAFFIC
1,490 AVERAGE NEW REGISTRATIONS PER MONTH PERCENTAGE OF STOCK SOLD BY ASSESSOR LEVEL
USERS NSW
-
44%
VIC
-
24%
QLD
-
16%
SA
-
9%
A3 27% 57% MALE
A2 16%
A1 57%
AVERAGE LOT SIZE WA
-
3%
TAS
-
2%
TAS
-
2%
NT
-
0.5%
385,040
2,904,002
TOTAL THROUGHPUT ASSESSORS: 958
ACTIVE USERS: 39,300
AGENCIES: 989
YEAR I N REVI EW
288 SHEEP
43% FEMALE
ACTIVE BIDDERS/MONTH: 1,220
Mobile 49%
6
39 CATTLE
Tablet 19%
HIGHEST VALUE LOT SOLD
Desktop 38%
$
$522,414 CATTLE
$
$202,500 SHEEP
50 50
12PM, 2PM & 8PM TIMES WHEN OUR WEBSITE IS BUSIEST
50
INFOGRAPHIC
$
CENTRAL WESTER NSW $78,341,180
2018 Year In Review
50
tt
ttt
50
50
NSW
VIC
QLD
SA
TAS
NT
4%
3%
5%
50
50
WA
14% 46%
27%
SHEEP SELLING STATES
50
50
50
50
50
50
50
50
2% 3%
3% 1%
CATTLE SELLING STATES
50
8%
2%
1%
50
50
$
NORTHERN T’LAND NSW $33,619,500
$
SW SLOPES & PLAINS $36,568,113
$
RIVERINA NSW $54,454,880
$
N.W. SLOPES & PLAINS $58,382,144
50
CATTLE PURCHASING STATES
STATES
TOP TRANSACTIONAL VALUE
12%
64%
20%
15%
62%
7%
SHEEP PURCHASING STATES 3% 14%
PERCENTAGE SOLD INTERSATE
100% 28%
26%
51%
6%
46%
33% 32% 36% OVER 3000 B-DOUBLE LOADS OF CATTLE DELIVERED
80% OF CATTLE WERE POLLED
19%
S A L E D A Y - S UM ME R 18/19
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Faces of AuctionsPlus A C O LLAT I O N O F P H O T O S F R O M O U R A S S E S SO RS AN D VE ND O R S O N THE GR O U ND W I T H T H E I R S T O C K .
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FA C ES OF AU CTI ON SP L U S
S A L E D A Y - S UM ME R 18/19
9
Y O U N G
G U N
Brendan Mansbridge Tell us about yourself in a few sentences I always find this one tough! I live with my partner Lydia on her family’s property near Eugowra in Central NSW, and as well as working as an agent I spend a fair bit of time working on the property. I also have my own Poll Dorset stud, with my main hobby being exhibiting my sheep at shows right across eastern Australia. I have also judged at shows including Sydney Royal, NSW State Sheep Show in Dubbo, Australian Sheep & Wool Show in Bendigo and Hamilton Sheepvention. I enjoy getting involved in the community and am currently Vice President of our local show society as well as President of our region of the Australian Poll Dorset Association. Where do you see yourself in 5 years? In five years time I still hope to be working in a similar role, having further developed as an agent and continuing to be at the cutting edge of livestock marketing. I also hope to have expanded my own business interests with my Poll Dorset stud and continue to grow my ram sales. How did you get to where you are now and what motivated you to become an Assessor? When I started with KMWL 5 years ago, the directors of the business could see that AuctionsPlus and online marketing of livestock was going to become a much larger part of how agents sold stock for their clients. With the skills I had in advertising and promotions, as well as livestock, it was a good fit for me to take on a lot of our AuctionsPlus work. I also really liked the objective side of AuctionsPlus and also the photography of the stock for sale. I started doing parallel assessments on sheep with Matt Lennon and about 4 years ago I gained my Assessor Accreditation. It’s now become one of my major roles within the company and I have progressed to be a Level 1 Sheep Assessor. Are you from an agricultural background? I was raised on my family’s cropping and prime lamb property near Pittsworth in Queensland. I was a typical farm kid, always out with my dad and grandfather helping (or at least trying to!) whenever I could. From a young age I knew that I would end up working in agriculture in some form or another, as that was my biggest passion in life. Going through my teen years, I always enjoyed working with sheep and cattle and that was what started to steer me towards the livestock side of the industry. I also had a great education at Pittsworth State High School, which has an incredibly strong Agriculture program and cattle show team that I was able to sink my teeth into. 10
YO U NG GU N - B REN DAN M ANSBR I DGE
S A L E D A Y - S UM ME R 18/19
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You are heavily involved in marketing and communications for KMWL, how important is technology and social media to selling livestock today? We are finding online marketing of livestock and machinery through social media is becoming a massive part of our business. People are looking for information on social media before more traditional places like newspapers and even the internet, so it’s vital that we use these channels effectively to get our message out there and keep them up to date. We are also finding that many people are looking for stock on AuctionsPlus first now rather than attending store sales or looking at stock for sale in the paper, so it has become a great marketing avenue for us. Particularly in 2018, with such a terrible season across all of NSW, AuctionsPlus was a great method for us to market quality breeding stock to a broader audience, and we sold a lot of stock into Victoria and South Australia as a result.
You also operate your own Poll Dorset stud, could you tell us a little bit more about this? I’m really passionate about my Poll Dorset stud, and the overall stud industry. When I was a teenager my family was lucky enough to be given an opportunity to purchase a Poll Dorset stud so that I could get a start in the industry, and it has grown from there. I travelled across Australia looking at genetics and learning from some of the greats of the industry. After moving away from home I established my own stud, Brooklyn Park, in 2011. With the purchase of a second stud flock from a late friend at the end of 2018, I will join over 100 stud ewes this year. In September I teamed up with a good friend and fellow breeder to purchase an exceptional sire from the Gooramma stud for $16,000, and we’re really excited about what he will do for our breeding program.
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YO U NG GU N - B REN DAN M ANSBR I DGE
My family specialised in producing prime sucker lambs and I’ve focused on breeding a type of sheep to produce this – moderate frame, quick growth, heavy muscling and early maturing, while maintaining true Poll Dorset breed type and dense downs wool. My work as an agent has also heavily influenced the type of sheep I breed. Working with lamb buyers and processors every day of the week, you soon learn what they require in the lambs they buy to meet their end specifications. We need to maintain consistency and doing ability in our sheep to meet the end market needs, and also not get our sheep too big – most processors don’t want lambs over 32kg carcass weight. My job as an agent has also helped me to always keep a commercial focus in my breeding program, even though I really enjoy showing sheep too. All our breeding decisions are made with the commercial industry in mind, not to win a ribbon in the show ring. What advice would you give your 18-year-old self? Never be afraid to get in and have a go. Always listen to others and try to learn from their experience. Also stand by what you believe in and don’t be afraid to voice your opinion in a respectful way.
“Never be afraid to get in and have a go. ”
- Brendan Mansbridge
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Upcoming Events Sheepvention
March
EKKA Dowerin Field Days
SA Sheep Expo Poll Doreset National Conference
Ray White Rural & Livestock
Assessor School - Naracoorte/Burra, SA
Annual Muster & Awards QLD ALPA Young Auctioneers
Australian Wagyu Association Annual Conference Assessor School - Wagga Wagga, NSW
Ag-Grow Emerald Richmond Field Days & Races Assessor School - Dubbo, NSW
RMA Network Conference
July
Grassland Society of SA Annual Conference Australian Sheep & Wool Show Roberts Conference & Awards
August
Assessor School - Wagga Wagga, NSW
Assessor School - Hamilton, VIC & Tamworth, NSW
September
NSW ALPA Young Auctioneers Competiton
VIC ALPA Young Auctioneers Competition
November
Sydney Royal Easter Show
Landmark South QLD Livestock Forum
December
June
May
April
Competition
Landmark Bourke Christmas Party
“ How lucky am I to have been a part of something that makes saying goodbye so hard. �
- Stephen Handbury
P HOTO C R E DI T : ST U DSTO CKS ALES . CO M
Spring sees seedstock producers say farewell E M I L Y RAB O N E & H AN N AH B IRD
The spring of 2018 was both a joyful and sad time for the seedstock industry, with several longstanding studs bidding a final farewell with their complete dispersal sales. AuctionsPlus was privileged to be involved in several of these sales.
We sat down with the Anvil Angus, Birubi, Witherswood and Yancowinna studs to reflect on their time in the industry, their biggest achievements and what advice they would give to anyone starting out in the seedstock game.
S A L E D A Y - S UM ME R 18/19
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Anvil Angus STEP HE N & ME LI SS A H A NDB U R Y
Location:
Years in industry:
Dispersal Top Price:
Number of online bids:
Acheron, VIC
17 years
$52,000 (Lot 398)
332
Breed:
Dispersal Offering:
Number of lots sold online:
Number of logged in bidders:
Angus
873 Lots
67
242
L -R: MELI SSA & STEPHEN W I T H H A MI S H , S T E P H E N & N OE L E E N B R A N SO N .
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SPRI NG S EES S EED S T O C K P R O DU C E R S SAY F AR E W E L L - A N G US A N V I L
PHO
OTO C R E DI T: STOCK & LAND
P HOTO C R E DI T : S TO CK & LAN D
S
tephen Hanbury and his family began the Anvil Angus stud 17 years ago. Stephen had been working in software development before moving back to the family farm at Beveridge, VIC, to apply his skills as a soil scientist in combatting erosion on the family property. As Stephen spent increasing time on the farm, his love of working with cattle grew. Soon enough, he started buying stud cows and selling bulls. Anvil Angus was born. Over the past 17 years, the Handbury family built a herd that they believe was as special as it was unique to the Angus breed. As with any agricultural enterprise, change is inevitable. Stephen believes that the biggest industry change he has experienced has been the switch to online systems, such as AuctionsPlus and the NLIS system for livestock traceability. Stephen believes that the future of food production looks promising. As the world population balloons, beef producers will be continuously challenged with the demands of food production and climate change. It will be the ability of the farmers to work with these challenges to still produce food at a sustainable rate that will see the industry grow. After nearly 20 years in the stud industry, Stephen has gained a huge amount of experience and knowledge. He willingly passes on some valuable advice for the next generation; “Like any industry, find a passion and work with it. Life is too short to be doing something just to make ends meet. Enjoy what you do or change.” As the famous quote by Marc Anthony goes, “if you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life.” Stephen placed an emphasis on breeding great cows over his 17 years. He sees his biggest achievement as the acceptance of their breeding program back into the industry, as well as the number and variance in destination for their cattle. Some of what he regards as the best of the best in the Angus Seedstock industry were present at the Anvil Angus Dispersal Sale and Stephen was humbled by the feedback they provided and messages of support. Stephen and his family will continue their involvement in beef industry with their commercial Angus herd. He is forever grateful to his family who have travelled with him on this journey, for the friends he has made, to the people who worked with him to build his herd and to his cows who have been a never-ending source of enjoyment and pride. S A L E D A Y - S UM ME R 18/19
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P HOTO C R E DI T : ST U DSTO C K SA L E S. CO M
A
nnette and Michael Tynan started the Birubi Limousin stud in the early 90’s. The herd progressed over time, with the addition of Angus genetics in 1999, and later, Angus females were joined with Limousins to introduce an additional Lim-Flex program. Glenn and Susie Trout came onboard as managers in 1996 and have been with Birubi since. Birubi changed locations several times since its inception, finding its start on a small block near Albion Park, before moving to Crookwell and eventually settling near Wagga Wagga, NSW. After over 25 years in the industry the Birubi team believe that the biggest change in the Limousin breed has been the introduction of ‘docility’ into EBVs, a change pushed by Alex McDonald. The majority of breeders took it on seriously and it has had a dramatic effect on the breed. The polled status of Limousins has also been a big change, shifting from a breed that was horned, the majority of registered calves are now polled with an ever-increasing number of Homozygous polled cattle being produced. This seems to be a trend in most breeds due to the cost, time and stress that de-horning places on the animal, as well as demand for polled animals from beef consumers. Susie believes that the future for the agricultural industry is bright and exciting, and for the sake of the country, the industry needs to stay strong for our economy to survive. We need to be able to feed our nation, as well as make money from exports as a lot of country’s demand our product to feed their populations. This means that we not only need to meet the demands of lucrative, niche markets, but also make our industry economically profitable by producing a good quality product in a sustainable and cost-effective way. Starting out in any industry can be tough. With extensive experience in beef production Annette, Glenn & Susie pass on some invaluable insights for younger generations. “Young people entering the industry need to keep up with technology. It doesn’t matter what facet of the industry they are in they need to be able to utilize advancements available to them. Work hard and stay positive! Farming will always have many challenges.” The Birubi team feel that the high quality and temperament of their female herd is one of their biggest achievements, with the dispersal sale standing testament to this. Birubi also experienced many successes with their cattle in show rings all over the country. Susie says winning major show ribbons along the way was a bonus, and feels that showing is a good way to stay in touch and compare where you stand. Annette believes there is a time for everything, and as the good book says, “There is a time for sowing and a time for reaping” and now is her time to let go and say adieu to the beautiful Limousin herd that she has formed over the past 30 years. For Glen & Susie the challenges of breeding will be hard to leave behind. “Achieving a good combination of phenotype, pedigree and EBV’s is difficult but so rewarding when it all comes together”.
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SPRI NG S EES S EED S T O C K P R O DU C E R S SAY F AR E W E L L - B I R UB I L I M OUS I N S
L-R : S U
Birubi Limousins A NN E T T E T Y N AN , GL E NN & S U S I E T R O U T
Location:
Years in industry:
Dispersal Top Price:
Number of online bids:
Wagga Wagga, NSW
Over 25 years
$18,000 (Lot 253)
158
Breed:
Dispersal Offering:
Number of lots sold online:
Number of logged in bidders:
Limousins & Lim-Flex
273 Lots
23
113
USIE , G L ENN & A NNET TE
P HOTO C R E DI T : C A R A JE F F E RY, A B C RUR AL
S A L E D A Y - S UM ME R 18/19
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Witherswood Angus JOHN & JO AN WO O DR U F F
Location:
Years in industry:
Dispersal Top Price:
Number of online bids:
Taminick, VIC
25 years
$38,000
433
Breed:
Dispersal Offering:
Number of lots sold online:
Number of logged in bidders:
Angus
447 Lots
24
155
JLO-R: H NJ ASPER & J OAN , DWITH ENNIS, T HE D REW, ELD ECRS H RI , GT S TSI N M,E ,LKAYRA N D MA A NRK D ME & CORCO L A N I E RGIANNNPA R K E R SE L L I N G T E A M S.
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SPRI NG S EES S EED S T O C K P R O DU C E R S SAY F AR E W E L L - W I TH E R S W OOD A N G US
P HPOTO H OTOCRCR EDED IT:IT:S TS
TOC ST UDS K &TOCK LANDSALES.COM
J OH N & J OA N WOOD RU F F
P HOTO C R E DI T : STO CK & LAN D
J
ohn and Joan Woodruff began Witherswood Angus 25 years ago, based at Taminick in Northern VIC. They developed their breeding herd of 350 registered cows using the best available Australian and imported genetics. Utilising AI and ET technologies has enabled them to stay at the forefront of the seedstock industry since this time. Prior to Witherswood Angus, John and Joan were based in Mulwala, NSW where they ran a commercial cattle operation. Following a great deal of contemplation, the decision was made to disperse their entire herd. In October last year, John and Joan held the first phase of their 3-stage dispersal, selling 440 females. The second phase will be their final bull sale on the 19th of March, providing an opportunity to secure some of the best genetics available in Australia. John feels that this year’s sale draft are possibly the most even line up of bulls they have offered to date, and despite a hard, dry season, they are presenting extremely well. Finally, the sale of the Witherswood property will conclude the Witherswood dispersal. The Witherswood method has always been to use superior genetics, with emphasis placed on structure, growth, fertility and muscle. Structural assessment has always been a crucial part of their program and John and Joan have strived to remain focused on what their clients want. John believes one of the biggest achievements was their female dispersal in October, where buyers from five states purchased their females. John was particularly proud of the quality of the young females they had on offer and how highly they were sought after. Following almost three decades developing their herd, in 2015 they joined a consortium to buy Millah Murrah Kingdom K35 for $150,000, the most ever paid for an Angus bull at the time. To the future generations in the seedstock industry, John advises to “have the patience to continually improve, buy the best females you can afford and use the best bulls to advance your program”. John and Joan are grateful for the people they met throughout their time in the industry and they will miss the friends they have made along the way. They will no doubt miss being around the cattle every day, though they are looking forward to spending some more time with their family and 11 grandchildren. S A L E D A Y - S UM ME R 18/19
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D
ennis Ginn has been a passionate breeder of Angus cattle for the last 30 years. Since purchasing their Cape Paterson property, ‘Yancowinna’ on the picturesque southern Victorian coastline, Dennis and his wife Christine have been immersed in the Angus industry. In October 2018, they dispersed their entire herd of HPR and APR animals. They will however, continue to run a commercial operation where they will purchase back Yancowinna blood steers. Dennis and Christine will focus on fattening steers and place emphasis on meeting consumer trends and demands. Dennis reflects that the uptake of the EBV technology through Group Breedplan has been the biggest change during his time in the industry. He feels that genomics is the next big step and that Angus breeders are well situated to adopt this technology, as they have always been at the forefront of new technologies. Dennis feels that the agricultural industry is well on its way to sustainability, and also stresses that in the future, global consumers will continual demand higher quality food and fibre. With this in mind, he says “we must be up to the challenge of producing what the end customer wants, otherwise we will be left behind”. This mantra has always been at the forefront of business for Dennis, with his strongest focus being to breed quality cattle that the commercial beef producers could utilise. With over 30 years’ experience under his belt, Dennis is well qualified to share his wisdom with young people in the industry. He encourages young people to dream their dreams and enjoy the journey that comes with it. “Aspire to create relationships that will be beneficial to everyone involved, be it immediately or in the long term. If you’re passionate, put your heart and soul into every minute of it and learn as much as you can”. Yancowinna has enjoyed many achievements including Dennis acting as Chairman of the Angus Sire Benchmarking Program for 7 cohorts, or close to 5 years. Dennis is also currently sitting on the World Angus Forum Committee, which is in the midst of planning the 2021 forum, which will be held in Sydney. One of his fondest achievements has been his involvement in the Certified Australian Angus Beef program (CAAB) where he was selected as the first and number one herd to supply the CAAB program. Dennis, his family and the whole team at Yancowinna will continue to be involved in the Angus industry. They are very happy to be still involved in such a rewarding business and will always look for ways to improve and expand their commercial operation.
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SPRI NG S EES S EED S T O C K P R O DU C E R S SAY F AR E W E L L - Y A N C OW I N N A A N G US
L-R : J AS P ER , D E
Yancowinna Angus DE NN I S & CHR I S T I N E GI N N
Location:
Years in industry:
Dispersal Top Price:
Number of online bids:
Cape Paterson, Vic
Over 30 years
$7,750
193
Breed:
Dispersal Offering:
Number of lots sold online:
Number of logged in bidders:
Angus
370 lots
19
141
EN NI S , DREW, CHRIST INE, KYR A A N D MEL A N I E G I N N
P HOTO C R E DI T : STO CK & LAN D
S A L E D A Y - S UM ME R 18/19
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On the road in Queensland E LLE N S I MP S O N & A NGU S S T R E E T
N
M
O
L
I K
J E
During October, Angus Street and Ellen Simpson dusted off their boots and headed to the sunshine state to catch-up up with clients. Over 9 days they managed to cover 3500km and visit 50 clients, including; agents, assessors, stud clients, commercial clients and feedlot buyers. Angus managed to consume 2kgs of red frogs, while a shared total of 18 chicken burgers were also consumed. Here are a few of the friendly faces that Angus & Elle met along the way.
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O N THE ROAD I N QU E E NSL AND
H
F D
C
G B
A
A: Brisbane
B: Warwick
C: Goondiwindi
D: Mungindi
E: Saint George
F: Dalby
G: Toowoomba H: Rockhampton
I: Rolleston
J: Roma
K: Charlesville
L: Blackall
M: Longreach
N: Clemont
O: Emerald
S A L E D A Y - S UM ME R 18/19
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VENDO R J OHN BEND OT T I W I T H COL
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T R UE B LU E AU S S I E L E GE ND - C O L T HE XT O N
P H OTO CR E
T R U E
B L U E
A U S S I E
L E G E N D
Col Thexton Colin Thexton of Independent Rural Agencies (IRA), Pemberton, Western Australia has been using the AuctionsPlus platform for 28 years. Last year, he held his 27th Annual Sale on AuctionsPlus, making it the longest consecutive annual sale in AuctionsPlus history. Col’s life has largely revolved around his passion for cattle with many colorful experiences enjoyed along the way. Michael Corcoran sat down with him following his sale to get to know one of our very own true blues just a little bit better.
EDI T : T HE FARM W EEKLY
S A L E D A Y - S UM ME R 18/19
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Col was born and bred in Yellingbo, Victoria where his family owned a dairy farm. Alongside his mother and three brothers, Col grew up milking cows, which is where his love of cattle began. This love shaped Col’s career and after attending Agricultural College in Victoria, Col went onto work in many cattle operations throughout the country. This included taking on the assistant manager role at ‘Pine Hill Poll Hereford Stud’ with Keith, Mary and Andrew Hicks, as well as working in saleyards and dairy operations. An important part of Col’s career came whilst he was under the tutelage of Roy Stuckey of ‘Leawood Angus’, where they were running a 2,000 head Angus breeding operation in the Gippsland. After winning back to back footy premierships for Woori Yallock, Col decided that he wanted to see more of Australia and headed north, falling in love with the Northern Territory, milking cows in Katherine in 1985. Not surprisingly, milking cows in 43 degrees wasn’t all it was cracked up to be, so Col moved onto Darwin to explore Kakadu. Here he found his way into buffalo camps, hanging out of choppers and chasing buffalo. All the while, Col was rodeoing throughout the country, initially bucking out bulls before progressing into calf roping. Asking Col if he was handy on a horse, he replied he had “bucked a few out in his day”. From here the only state he hadn’t checked out was Western Australia, it was 1987 and off he went. Col was driving down the Great Eastern Highway when he decided to pull into a local butcher and enquire about work in the local saleyards. He dropped into the yards at Midlands and met Trevor Kindred, who offered to give him a start. At the time the yards were selling between 3,000 to 4,000 head daily, with many of these coming from station country. Every beast needed to be branded with a number which was a big job, paying good money. Elders offered him a job at Mount Barker, before he was transferred to Pemberton which is where he started assessing on CALM in 1988. Col reached Level 1 Professional status for cattle within a year. In 1990, Col received a call from Peter Milton, who asked if Col would like to join him and establish their own agency and Independent Rural Agencies was born. The two-man team with a $1 company used CALM as their main marketing channel from the beginning. Peter retired a few years later and Col has been the sole owner and operator since. To this day, Col still remembers his first ever sale for the new company, a line of 17 mixed sex vealers for ‘Burns Partners’. The line sold well, and new opportunities continued to roll in following this first sale. 28
T R UE B LU E AU S S I E L E GE ND - C O L T HE XT O N
Col is not just the agent to his vendors, he plays a large role in their operations and works as a consultant on genetics, health and other areas. Col works with his clients to produce what the market wants. When Col first arrived in Pemberton, his clients were producing first-cross dairy cattle to hit a single market. As the industry shifted, Col helped his clients to transition into Angus programs. This gave them access to more markets and enabled them to maximse profits as “everyone wants them!”. Naturally, producers where scared of this change, however with the correct guidance, information and a bit of passion, Col was able to revitalize his client’s whole operation. These days, Col takes the time to sit down with his vendors to help them study their kill sheets, “everything is measured and it’s all facts, so with positive change the dollars will come” he tells them. One of Cols biggest career highlights came back in 1990, when he sold the 1 millionth head to go through CALM. Another highlight came when Col headed to Queensland for Beef Week with his family and his oldest clients of 30 years, the Bendotti’s, where they both won a class in the national carcase competition. Col says that having his family all work together is one thing that he is most proud of, “with the support of Kerry and to have the opportunity to watch our kids grow into adults”. Looking towards the future of the livestock industry, Col believes that “processing plants will become more and more robotic, while long haul live export voyages will become less frequent with a push for more northern abattoirs to handle northern cattle”. Col would like to see the governments provide more support to our abattoirs, in order to keep the future of our industry sustainable and globally competitive. “We need to keep our processors profitable, when one goes down it hurts everyone. It’s a fantastic industry to be a part of, we just need to work together more to forge ahead.” On a global scale, Col believes we will see exports to the US manufacturing market shift into more premium markets throughout Asia, delivering high end cuts. Col feels that Australia is well placed to take advantage of these fast-growing premium markets, due to our clean, green image. “So in our little part of the world, we will keep aiming to produce a quality product to hit them”.
J OHN BEND OT T I A N D COL
What advice would you give to others in the industry? Col has learnt plenty of lessons throughout his career and when asked to share his biggest pieces of advice, there was many. However, when talking about his own success using the AuctionsPlus system for IRA, he stressed the importance of relationships with both vendors and buyers. As an agent, Col lives by the mantra “your vendors interests come before your own”. On top of this, Col places a large importance on developing a strong relationship with buyers and using this to help your clients produce what the market wants. “Take an interest in what they are doing and point your vendors towards producing a product that fits their needs. Keep knocking on their door every week whether they want to talk to you or not. Without buyers you have no competition. When it comes to assessing stock, Col says “the most important thing is that that you don’t tell lies, and if you do make a mistake fess up and fix it. We are all humans, and all make mistakes, its usually over a couple of bodies, not a full truck load. Always remember that a buyer never forgets”. Col also stresses the importance of always handling the whole mob, “you are the buyer’s eyes, don’t take
P HOTO C R E DI T : T HE FA R M W E E KLY
short cuts, if there is a hundred to weigh, weigh them. In doing this you will be surprised by what you might find, slight inconsistencies can affect the line of cattle. Be strong enough to kick out those that don’t fit”. Once you have sold the line, communication is key. “If you have cattle heading across the Nullarbor, call your truckie, ask how the cattle are travelling, your job isn’t finished once they are on the truck”. Reflecting on running his own business, Col believes in resetting your goals every 5 years. “it’s an ever-evolving industry” he said, “what happened 30 years ago, it doesn’t apply, we must keep changing”. Finally, whether you are a youngster starting out in the industry, or have years of experience, Col believes in the importance of asking questions, “if you don’t know, ask someone that can help you”. “At the end of the day business is about friendships. At times you have to deliver hard truths but if it is coming from the right place most of the time people will take it on. It’s a great industry and a great business model. It is like a big family where both sides can lean on each other for support. If your clients are successful, you are successful and vice versa.” “If it is your passion you need to go for it, give it all you have, stay focused and don’t go chasing rainbows. And if I was a young bloke, I’d head north…” S A L E D A Y - S UM ME R 18/19
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Tasmanian buyers look to the mainland ED MU RPH Y
Thus far in FY2019, Tasmanian buyers have entered the online livestock marketplace in a big way for both sheep and cattle. The impact Tasmanian buyers have had on market prices is often overlooked. The map on the right depicts the buying power of the Apple Isle, as seen throughout this financial year. The visual representation is impressive and there is a much larger impact of bidding activity across multiple lots on strengthening prices. This activity has extended to lots as far as the North West Slopes and Plains of NSW and QLD.
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T A SMANI AN B U YER S L O O K T O T HE M AI NL AND
- Sheep - Cattle
This begs the question, what do I have to do if my livestock are purchased by a savvy Tasmanian buyer? There is a little bit of extra documentation that must be completed by the seller, this includes; Additional documentation for Sheep other then NVD and SHD: • Health Certificate for Breeding or Store Sheep Entering Tasmania • Animal Welfare Guidelines - Transport of Livestock Across Bass Strait Declaration • Shearing exemptions are required for sheep with more than 25 mm wool Additional documentation for Cattle other then NVD: • Health Certificate for Cattle Entering Tasmania • Animal Welfare Guidelines - Transport of Livestock Across Bass Strait Declaration
Health Certificates for both species are completed by a Veterinarian and the vendor. With the impact of having Tassie buyers bidding on your lots, is it worth preparing this pre-sale and displaying online for maximised competition? We think so! All the required documents and info can be found at www.dpipwe.tas.gov.au.
Total purchased: Top region:
34,607 Head
Total purchased:
5,549 Head
South West Victoria 9,304 Head
Top stock category: Mixed Sex Composite Lambs 10,025 Head
Top region:
Top stock category:
Riverina 1,690 Head
Weaned Heifers (any breed) 1,888 Head
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Virtual Reality LU K E MCD AID
“ Technology is in a constant state of evolution” Eleven years ago, the first iPhone was released. At the time it was unconcievable that a few years later, most of the world would own one of these futuristic button-less phones. The notion of carrying ten thousand photos in your pocket would have seemed preposterous. There are parallels between these phones and the history of AuctionsPlus. In 1986, before the internet, it would have been difficult to imagine thousands of people bidding on livestock online every year through our platform. Fast forward to the year 2019. Smartphones act as an extension of the human body. AuctionsPlus customers are watching stud sales in their living room. Our history shows that we are constantly looking at ways of leveraging technology to improve our customer’s experience. The next advances in technology are closer than you might think. Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality have quietly crept into circulation in recent years. The technology has become accessible and affordable How does this apply to agriculture? This year, a Hungarian company launched a mobile app which can determine the weight of an animal in 30 seconds. Drones and VR headsets are being used to scout crops. There are countless examples of technology being leveraged to make our lives easier. It is an exciting time for our industry along with many others. It is not inconceivable that at some point in the future, this technology could be integrated into the AuctionsPlus platform. Would you get more from an assessment if users could stand in the middle of the
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VIRTU AL REALI TY
herd and see the animals “in person”? Would your stud sale benefit if each life-sized lot was standing in the bidder’s living room? These are bizarre concepts at the moment, in the same way the iPhone once was. It is important to remember that technology is on our side. As the technology evolves, more solutions to everyday problems will become available. The intention is to assist current practices rather than replace them. Last year at AuctionsPlus, we decided to test the stream of a live auction in 360-degrees at the Reiland Angus Autumn Bull sale to see if it could be possible to utilise in the future. Unfortunately, as a result of the size of virtual reality video content, it is not yet possible to broadcast a 360-degree sale livestream in real time. Due to the nature of our business, it is critical that any video content we broadcast is as close to real time as possible. Aside from the lag, the use of VR captured the atmosphere of the sales exceptionally well. With the inevitable improvement of connectivity and technology in the future, this is something which may, one day, be incorporated into our stud sale offerings. Another way that VR could benefit our industry is to use the technology as a platform to educate consumers or customers. It provides a unique way of telling your story in a way that will resonate more than written word. At Beef Australia 2018 we decided to give the public an opportunity to go behind the scenes at an AuctionsPlus assessment using virtual reality. If you missed us at Beef last year then do not stress, through the year we will take the VR equipment to conferences and shows, so be sure to check it out if you get a chance!
Virtual Reality When you put on a headset and see things in a ‘new world’.
Augmented Reality When an image is created within the real world in front of you.
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P HOTO C R E DI T : A L M A BIN P H OTO G R AP H Y
P O W E R
I N
N U M B E R S
Leveraging the market with producer groups TO M RO O K Y ARD
Ebor Beef Inc. is a producer group based in the renowned Ebor district in the Northern Tablelands, NSW. Ebor Beef was established in 1993 by a group of prime beef producers following the closing of the Ebor saleyards. Today, the group is made up of 80 members from the New England and beyond who provide premium grass-fed cattle to many, varied markets. Together, members market between 20,000 and 30,000 cattle per year. Tom Rookyard caught up with Ebor Beef President John Finlayson (Pointsfield Pastoral) and Marketing Manager Sam Ditchfield (SJ Livestock Marketing) to discuss how Ebor Beef was established, their current operations, as well as what the future looks like.
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LEVERAGI NG THE MAR K E T W I T H P R O DU C E R GR O U P S
How does Ebor Beef work? Ebor Beef is a New England wide beef marketing group, focused on providing members with timely, diverse and cost-effective marketing for their cattle. Ebor beef has been successfully operating for over 25 years. Using a retained, licensed agent, marketing is planned with the producers’ interests as the first priority. Members receive advice on their cattle marketing, pricing options and assistance to manage the logistics of sales. Members pay an annual membership fee, which is currently $500. Members receive a weekly market report, access to a Marketing Consultant as well as free or subsidised access to group events, including producer days, industry tours and educational events hosted by the group. The group retains licensed Stock and Station Agent Sam Ditchfield of SJ Livestock Marketing as their Marketing Consultant. Members also pay a per head fee for marketing of cattle, calculated on a sliding scale and based on the number of cattle marketed through the group throughout the year. Members are provided with the best and most efficient channel to market live cattle. The total volume of saleable stock (currently 20 - 30,000 head per annum), allows members to secure the best prices in the market and access to premium offers. Members come from various operations, including breeding, backgrounding and finishing. What makes Ebor Beef successful? The strength of Ebor Beef comes from the volume of cattle that the group markets annually, along with the
PH OTO CREDIT: AL MABIN PH OTOG RA P H Y
quality of the cattle and country in members operations. Buyers have a single point of contact to access a large volume of cattle from a reliable area. The group’s strength for members arise from its ability to offer professional, cost-effective marketing solutions. The group does not offer the same services as a traditional agent. The members are in general skilled professional beef businesses and if new members join with limited experience, members work with them to help them better understand the markets they service. As a general rule the marking consultant is not required to weigh and draft cattle on farm, the consultants’ role is to be the conduit with the market, providing intelligence and savvy options for the producer to market their animals. Where to next for Ebor Beef? In the current industry climate, there is a significant opportunity for producers to partner with processors and beef brands. To be truly successful, producer groups need to offer further value to their customers apart from just scale. In the future Ebor beef will look to partner with key customers, looking to provide more transparency on production programs and timeframes to better suit customer needs and to give more predictability of supply. Looking forward, Ebor Beef will continue to act as a conduit between its producers and consumers. This is a vital function for the group, and the opportunities that arise from better communication and co-operation will benefit members and their customers in the future.
PH OTO CREDIT: AL MABIN PH OTOG RA P H Y
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LEVERAGI NG THE MAR K E T W I T H P R O DU C E R GR O U P S
Spotlight on Sam Ditchfield: Sam was born in Inverell, NSW and grew up on his family’s mixed farming operation. Sam’s family were one of the original 5 cattle operations to feed cattle for Woolworths on a forward priced arrangement. This is where Sam’s real involvement in the agency game started, working at the weaner sales and Tuesday cattle and sheep sales with Landmark, followed by Bob Jamieson Agencies, while also still working at home with his father and brother in the feedlot and on the farm. In 1991 Sam completed his CALM Assessors Course in Guyra, NSW with the late Allan Roe and was awarded his Level 3 Assessors Accreditation in December 1991, 27 years ago. Sam’s career then took a left turn when he began managing a grain, cotton and beef operation at North Star, NSW. However, he returned to agency after being offered full time employment with Bob Jamieson Agencies. Following this, Sam worked for Mort and Co as a Grazier Services Manager for NSW and consequently moved onto setting up his own agency, SJ Livestock, and working with Ebor Beef as their Marketing Consultant.
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Keeping up with the Brodies E LLE N S I MP S O N
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The town of Winton is located in Central West Queensland, north west of Longreach and home of father and son duo, Tom & Jack Brodie of Brodie Agencies. Tom has used AuctionsPlus since it’s inception and Jack is the next generation to join the agency game.
and ‘Tambo Station’, Tambo. As Pastoral Manager, Tom’s duties included the marketing of livestock, bull & breeder selection, financial & livestock budgeting, property acquisition, staff training and coordinating stock movement between the properties.
Tom Brodie never wanted, desired or even thought he could end up being a livestock and property agent. With his wife Emma, Tom moved from his families Roma district property ‘Rostock’ to manage ‘Corfield Downs’, Winton in June 1994 for the late Arthur Earle. Tom & Emma had three sons, Harry, Jack & Charlie, who were joined by their sister Susie a couple of years later. ‘Corfield Downs’ was their home for for six and a half years. During this time, Tom acquired many contacts in the livestock industry and a good understanding of the country, livestock and people in Central and Western Queensland. Tom was also Pastoral Manager for the Earle Group of properties which included ‘Burleigh’, Richmond, ‘Lara’, Julia Creek, ‘Mackunda’, Winton, ‘Malvern Hills & Athol’, Blackall
When ‘Corfield Downs’ was sold in October 2000, Tom was without a job but decided that there was the opportunity to work as a private agent in the Winton district. Tom joined Philip Black Auctioneers in Longreach in February 2001 where he worked for 18 months as a livestock salesman. Following the sale of Philip Black Auctioneers to Rodney Scott of Ray White Longreach, Tom continued working for RWL until the start of 2003 when he opened the livestock & property agency business, ‘Brodie MAA’ in conjunction with Murray Arthur Agency from Roma. Tom was based at Corfield and had a large client base in Central Western Queensland. The partnership with MAA continued for three years until Tom obtained his Livestock & Property agencies principles license and ope-
KEE PI NG U P WI TH THE BR O DI E S
opened the Brodie Agencies Livestock & Property office in Winton in April 2006. Lyn Patterson-Kane has been the Office Manager since joining with Brodie Agencies in April 2006 and her husband Ken has managed Brodie Agencies Merchandise since it was opened in November 2008. Jim Brodie, McKinlay, Josh Phelps, Tambo and Bill Schaefer, Pentland all work for Brodie Agencies servicing their own areas and are accredited AuctionsPlus Assessors. Brook McGlinchy also helps out in the Boulia district. As a teenager, Jack always wanted to be an agent or cattle buyer. He worked with Tom when he was home on holidays from boarding school, penning & drafting. Tom & Emma encouraged their children to do whatever made them happy; whatever you enjoy, you’ll be good at. Jack always had a keen interest in livestock and always had the desire to return to the bush. Jack joined Brodie Agencies at the beginning of 2016 after 7 years working on the family property and on cattle & sheep stations in NT, SA, QLD & NSW. He gained a
huge amount of confidence over these years as well as equipping him with invaluable experience. Over the last 12 months or so, Tom has been relinquishing more of his livestock clients to Jack, while Tom has been focusing on rural property sales. Jack is taking on more responsibility within the livestock sales and Tom continues to keep an eye on the overall business, giving guidance, training and advice. AuctionsPlus has been a big part of Brodie Agencies. Tom was involved with CALM in the late 80’s as a producer and became an Accredited Assessor in 1992. His family used CALM in it’s infancy and were one of the main early contributors. In the first CALM interfaced sale at the Roma Saleyards on 5th October 1993. Tom’s family sold 500 mixed sex Limousin cross weaners. Tom regards AuctionsPlus as one of the greatest marketing tools available for agents especially the agencies that are isolated from the mainstream markets along the eastern side of Australia.
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“I believe AuctionsPlus is only going to continue to grow and play a bigger part of marketing livestock into the future” - Tom Brodie
Tom believes that AuctionsPlus makes better agents as they have to give honest, accurate descriptions of the livestock that they are selling. They are accountable if the livestock are not delivered as described. Tom believes that AuctionsPlus educates vendors to the true description and value of their livestock and provides a benchmark to compare with other livestock and markets. Due to the geographical location of Winton, freight is a big consideration when selling livestock. AuctionsPlus provides another option for clients, exposure to buyers and an on farm price. Without AuctionsPlus, clients have reduced options and market exposure. In November 2016, Tom was awarded AuctionsPlus’ National Top Cattle Assessor and Brodie Agencies had the second highest throughput nationally. Upon accepting his award, Tom reflected “The online forum maximises the returns for our producers by giving them far greater exposure to potential buyers Australia wide. I believe AuctionsPlus is only going to continue to grow and play a bigger part of marketing livestock into the future,” he said. Looking to the future, Tom and Jack will continue to service their clients in the Winton and surrounding areas. Jack is largely in the driver’s seat now as Tom concentrates on rural property sales over the next few years. Tom and Jack both place importance on contributing to the local community through keeping rural areas profitable and productive. They are also heavily involved in local committees and sponsorship of local events. With rapidly evolving agricultural technology they still believe you mustn’t sacrifice manual experience for technology. Move with the times and embrace technology as it becomes available without losing the old agency skills.
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KEE PI NG U P WI TH THE BR O DI E S
The latest in rural property Last year AuctionsPlus launched the AuctionsPlus Rural Property Portal, Australia’s only property portal that is dedicated solely to the rural property market. With over 10,000 unique visitors and over 8,000 click throughs per month, we provide access to an engaged nation-wide rural property audience.
When selling rural property, you want to achieve the best exposure possible. Through advertising your property with AuctionsPlus, your properties are broadcast to a national audience, reaching every corner of the country.
To give you time to do what you do best, we are now making it even easier to list your properties with us. The AuctionsPlus Property Portal now links in to your CRM System. Once switched on, simply tick the AuctionsPlus box to advertise your properties and we will do the rest.
Contact Joshua today on 02 9262 4222 or email jbailey@auctionsplus.com.au
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WOOL I N THE S POTL I GHT
Wool in the spotlight TOM R O O KY AR D
2018 was an exciting year for the wool industry, with the AWEX Eastern Market Indicator reaching 2116c/kg in August, while Merino ram sales ran hot, indicating a lift in ewes joined back to the breed. Wool has also been in the spotlight for us at AuctionsPlus, with the rebuilding of our traditional wool buying platform, Wooltrade, which led to the release of our rebranded platform, AuctionsPlus Wool in December.
Where do you see the wool market heading in the short-term?
To celebrate this milestone, AuctionsPlus’ resident wool expert, Tom Rookyard, caught up with wool broker Marty Moses of Moses & Son to discuss what’s been happening in the wool market and what the outlook is for the coming year.
“The recent pull back has eroded some confidence in the pipeline and is signalled to the industry that markets are out of our control, which brings me to the importance of hedging a proportion of the clip to start taking opportunities to capture profitable markets.”
What has been driving the wool market over the past two years? “The wool market over the past two years has certainly been worth waiting for. The current price levels for Merino wool are certainly attracting the attention of other farming enterprises looking to manage their production risk ratios. The producers that have seen fit to pursue running wool producing sheep are feeling the power of the record high returns.”
Marty foresees the market remaining extremely volatile in the short term as exporters and early stage processors work out the volume and quality of the supply, as well as where the price resistance points are at the retail end.
What are the biggest changes you have seen in the wool industry in your time? “By far the largest change I have seen in the industry is the loss of land usage to sheep.” “When I started in the early 80’s our clients were sheep-wheat mixed farmers. Today sheep in our district represent less than 20% of land usage, it is not uncommon to see continuous cropping land for 30-40 km.”
“This coupled with the drought has presented some interesting challenges. Primarily, producers are faced with the lure of increasing their sheep flock to capitalise on the increased dollar returns from sheep meats and wool. This extreme positive is somewhat balanced out by the cost of carrying sheep through the current drought which, in some parts of the country, is the worst on record.”
What advice would you give to a young person interested in the wool industry?
Wool production in New South Wales is predicted to finish 2018 down 20%, influenced by both reduced numbers and a drop in per head yields.
“I believe there is a hole to fill in technology-based roles in the industry, particularly in harvesting and production consulting. Research and development aimed at best practice will also hold opportunities.”
“This will be followed by the possibility of a substantial increase in the price of breeding sheep, which may be extremely difficult to source, when this drought finally breaks.”
“Wool and sheep are the cornerstone of mixed farming agriculture, and the future holds exciting employment opportunities for young people. Particularly as the age gap between senior members of the industry, and the potential incumbents widens.”
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Spotlight on Marty Moses Moses & Son was established in 1920 by Charles Moses. Charles and his son, Samuel, formed a wool, skin and fur buying business, servicing clients throughout the south west of New South Wales. Moses & Son progressed in response to their clients’ needs over time. In 1986 it shifted from private treaty buying, to sale by tender, and in 1989 Moses and Sons became registered as wool brokers. In 1991 Moses & Son began selling at auction in Sydney, Newcastle, Brisbane and Goulburn. Throughout the early 2000’s, Moses and Son began an expansion phase of its wool broking arm, with the acquisition of several wool businesses. Marty Moses commenced working full time for the family company in 1980. Marty started on the end of a broom and piloting a wool trolley around the warehouse. After progressing to truck driver, wool buyer and then more managerial roles, he was appointed as Managing Director in 1993. This appointment took the successful family business into its fourth generation. Today, Moses & Son is a successful and progressive wool marketing business. They offer their clients several selling options including both physical and electronic sales, through AuctionsPlus Wool, as well as forward contracts. These operate alongside an ever-expanding range of wool and sheep related services, including a livestock agency business, rural merchandise, a sheep consultancy service and Merino research farming enterprise. Since 1920, Moses & Son have consistently focused on becoming market leaders in agriculture in regional NSW. 44
WOOL I N THE S POTL I GHT
M E E T
T H E
T E A M
Harry ‘The Wizard’ Lim ROLE: COMMERCIAL ACCOUNTANT
Do you have an agricultural background? I met a cow for the first time in Mount Gambier last year so no – I don’t have any background in agriculture. I’ve learnt a lot over my 3 years at AuctionsPlus and have grown a great appreciation for the industry that puts food on our plates. Now I can occasionally be found running a stud sale when it’s all hands on deck! What drew you to AuctionsPlus? I was a bit apprehensive of starting at AuctionsPlus because of my lack of industry background. It was the people that got me in the door and it’s the people
that have kept me here. We have a diverse team; people from the land, city folk, loud personalities and introverts. Our differences are celebrated and everyone recognises the opportunity to learn from each other. What motivates you? I’m motivated by a hunger to learn and evolve. I also love trying to find new ways of doing things especially when you can save yourself time or get a better result. Data modelling has played a big role in enabling me to do this and I love equipping others with the insights they need to make more informed decisions or focus their activities to get better outcomes. S A L E D A Y - S UM ME R 18/19
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What is the biggest myth about working in your role? There are a lot of myths about accountants and I do fit a few of the stereotypes. I like talking numbers and am an introvert but there are some myths that aren’t true. I’m not the best person to talk to about your tax return – not all accountants are tax agents. Accounting also gets a bad rap as being boring but there are some really interesting aspects that provide a useful perspective to look at issues. Did you know that Mick Jagger, Eddie Izzard and Chuck Liddell were all qualified accountants?
What has been your biggest career obstacle? My biggest career obstacle has been working out what I want to do for the rest of my life. After school I took a gap year, picked up a few university degrees and still did not have a clear vision for where I wanted to go. I’ve gained a lot of direction from the support AuctionsPlus has given me in my professional development. I’ve enjoyed tackling new business problems, collaborating and innovating with others to achieve great commercial outcomes and find more effective ways of doing things. If you could invite anyone to dinner (dead or alive) who would it be and what would cook for them? Bruce Lee. I would make him roast pork belly then spend the entire night asking him if he could beat other celebrities in a fight, starting with Chuck Norris and ending with Conor McGregor. I have included my pork belly recipe on the next page!
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M EET THE TEAM - H AR R Y L I M
Harry’s Pork Belly Ingredients: 1kg pork belly 3 apples (quartered) 2 bulbs of fennel (quartered) 3 carrots 3 bay leaves 5 sage leaves 5 cloves of garlic 1.5 tsp wholegrain mustard
1. The night before cooking, score the pork rind in long continuous cuts 1cm apart. The cuts should be deep enough to cut through the skin and fat but should not penetrate the meat layer. Dry the rind thoroughly then rub the rind with 1 tsp of salt. Put the pork belly into the fridge uncovered overnight. In the morning, pat the rind with kitchen paper to remove moisture and salt then resalt the rind before returning the pork to the fridge. Repeat this once more after a few hours. 2. Transfer the pork to a baking tray an hour before cooking. Dry and resalt the pork again. Preheat the oven to 250°C. Drizzle the pork with olive oil and grill on the top oven rack for 45 minutes until the rind is blistered and crunchy.
500mL apple cider Olive oil Salt
3. Remove the pork from the oven and remove most of the cooking juices. Combine the cider, mustard, garlic, pepper, sage and bayleaves. Pour the mixture into the baking tray around the pork, ensuring the rind remains above the liquid so that the crackling remains dry. Return the tray to the oven on a middle oven rack and bake for 1 hour at 160°C. 4. Remove the tray from the oven and place the fennel, carrots and apples in it around the pork. Return to the oven and bake for another 30 minutes at 180°C. 5. Allow the pork to rest for 15 minutes before serving. S A L E D A Y - S UM ME R 18/19
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