Central Victorian Livestock Exchange officially opens

WHILE it was a long time in the making, livestock in Ballarat now have a five-star sale yard and accommodation at the recently opened Central Victorian Livestock Exchange at Miners Rest.

Water treatment ponds, resting paddocks, a roof over their heads, soft floors under their hooves, and automatic weighing and processing facilities means the 1.6 million sheep and 70,000 head of cattle that will move through the yard each year will do so in ovine and bovine luxury.

CVLX manager Jonathan Crilly said although it has taken nearly nine years, it is a fantastic opportunity to have modern state of the art facilities replacing the old sales yard in Latrobe Street operated by Ballarat Council since the 1860s.

In the new $30 million CVLX complex, technology, specialisation, and private investment usher in a new era of livestock sales.

CVLX is part of the Regional Livestock Exchanges portfolio.

RXL’s portfolio of stock yards is managed by private company Regional Infrastructure and financed by Palisade Investments Partners, specialists in investing superannuation funds in regional and rural agriculture in Australia.

Ballarat Stock and Station Agents Association president Xavier Bourke said the transition from Latrobe Street to CVLX was beneficial for their industry.

“We were a bit apprehensive before we came here but it has worked out very very well,” he said.

He also said conditions have vastly improved from the old centre.

“Cattle present better under the roof and on the soft flooring so we are seeing a lot of all-round benefits.”

Mr Bourke said as part of the licence agreement for agents to sell at CVLX they must have the capabilities to take online bidding.

Online bidding allows buyers not at CVLX to bid in real time, in competition with buyers physically at the sales yard, thereby increasing competition and achieving the best price for the producers.

So, iPads and ear buds for taking online bids could become de rigueur for the agents.

Vicki and John Chrzanowski from Grange Hill at Paraparap were at CVLX looking for 12-15 heifers for restocking.

Mrs Chrzanowski said, “We sold a lot of our stock because of the drought and now we’ve had rain in the last couple of days we are thinking maybe we will get some heifers and maybe we will able to hold onto them for breeding stock.”

Although impressed with the improved conditions for the animals, she said the increased site and transport costs for Grange Hill, due to relocating the yards, was a cost they would have absorb.

The first sale at the newly opened CVLX was a 606kg steer donated by Scott McKay from Marschay Shorthorn Stud with the proceeds of the sale donated to drought relief charity – A fiver for a Farmer.

Palisade Investments’ Lindsay Ward competing against online and physical bidding, successfully offered $7600 to take home the beast.

However, the steer was generously put back for sale by Mr Ward, fetching $2000 from Creek Livestock.