While markets have improved across the board for most livestock categories on the back of limited moisture in recent weeks, the price holding pattern looks soft at best. Most physical markets have a lack of depth in the buying ranks and if the numbers continue to be forced onto the markets we will see the price retract as quickly as it has risen. We are looking at a dry autumn, according to forecasters. The last decent rain event around this time of the year that I can remember, was in April 1983 during a federal election campaign when Liberal PM Malcolm Fraser got turfed out, and Bob Hawke won in a Labour landslide. The rain came and the markets responded positively for the balance of the year. Deja vu one hopes (for the rain).
The real measurement is return to producer at farm gate and that is significantly lower than previous years.
The numbers will keep coming, and while we are witnessing weaner steers attracting over 300c/kg liveweight at sales in southern Queensland the cattle have less weight. The real measurement is return to producer at farm gate and that is significantly lower than previous years. Weaners are around 30 to 40kg lighter than in the past for most weaners that are hitting the markets. The same could be said for most categories of livestock including for over the hooks pasture cattle. While the north has had slaughter boats out of Townsville, there has been little activity with feeder boats as they have been filling orders out of Darwin and Broome but are expected back to the east in coming months.
Jack Gleeson would be a familiar name to many in western Queensland as the lad from the bush that made it to the very top. Jack held livestock sales positions in Quilpie, St George and Eidsvold to branch manager at Cunnamulla, Blackall and Charleville to the hallowed turf of the Elders boardroom in Adelaide to be appointed general manager livestock nationally for the iconic brand.
For someone who had the biggest hat in the laneways at Roma and wore sandshoes instead of RMs he certainly made a name for himself and success along the way. He modernised the way Elders took a lead in livestock marketing and the live export business that encouraged industry improvement. I recently caught up with Jack who is managing director of Magnetic Alliance, a boutique advisory firm based in Adelaide. While the primary focus is agriculture with Australian international trading partners mainly in Indonesia, the advisory firm has responded to the need to be more broad based.
"We work with international business across a broad spectrum of services and products directing their operations whilst implementing strategies that involve their international trading partners." Recently Jack and his business partner Mark Lim have been in Indonesia and Bali finalising preparations for the firm's International Leadership retreat they are conducting in October this year for business owners and CEOs. Catching up with Jack in Adelaide along with former Roma lad Paul Leonard, livestock boss for Thomas Foods International, was special, with a word of caution - always let a South Australian select the wine, and more importantly make sure they pay for it, as their selection will be closer to three figures than two!
We will never see another Winx, well, never again in my time surely. My last comment on this champion: I do not think we ever heard at any time, that this magnificent athlete had an injury during her racing career. For those involved in the industry as owners, this is a remarkable achievement from Team Winx. To the owners of the last racehorse to beat the champion, Gust of Wind some four years ago, you to have a story to dine out on.
When insults had class, continued: The exchange between British PM Winston Churchill and Lady Astor. She said, "If you were my husband I'd give you poison", to which he replied "If you were my wife, I'd drink it". In addition, as we are having a short election campaign, "He is simply a shiver looking for a spine to run up." - Australian PM Paul Keating.
