Saleyards just got a bit more high tech with live streaming of sales becoming part of the offering at some centres.
Live streaming testing began at the Wodonga saleyards last month during the annual weaner sales.
During that period many thousands of young calves were sold, giving the system plenty of testing time.
The Landmark Classic Sale at Tamworth last Thursday and the special female and store sale on Friday were also tested for their capacity to live stream sales.
The company behind the innovative development, Livestock Exchange, said the aim of the testing was to develop a reliable system that would allow livestock to be viewed in real-time via an online connection from anywhere in the world.
Livestock Exchange are rolling out the technology in a measure way to ensure the testing and refining is done before a bigger roll out.
The system involves an operator carrying a Go Pro camera which is linked to a tablet with a wireless internet connection.
Further north, the Roma Saleyards will become the first store selling centre in Queensland to live stream sales when the initiative kicks off on Tuesday, February 16.
Buyers and sellers will be able to watch the sale pen-by-pen in real time via a video stream on the internet.
The live stream won’t yet include a facility for buyers to be able to bid online.
However, Roma Saleyards operations manager Terry Hyland said it was the first step towards such an ambitious concept.
“There is no doubt that will happen one day but we need to make sure we have this process working well first,” he said.
“We will have a staff member filming every pen as the sale progresses so anyone will be able to jump on the internet and watch the store sale as it happens.”
Mr Hyland said the Roma Saleyards hoped to add improvements to the initiative.
These would include a preliminary viewing of pens, prior to the start of the store sale.
He said the feedback from local agents was that the live streaming would be welcomed by many buyers and producers.
“It’s an additional tool for both buyers and vendors and we’re looking forward to being the first saleyards, certainly in Queensland, to roll it out permanently.”
Just under 410,000 head of cattle were sold through the Roma Saleyards in the 2015 calendar year.
A further 75,000 head were spelled at the facility during that period.
Selling innovations at the centre are also being matched by improvements to infrastructure on the site, with a $3 million truck wash opened last November.
