Organic spelling facility on Boulia's horizon

According to Boulia Shire Council mayor Rick Britton, six decks of finished organic bullocks from the Alice Springs region had been spelled on private organically certified land in the district every fortnight for the first half of this year.

"We're looking now to get our racecourse reserve and rodeo facility certified so the shire can spell cattle going through," he said.

"We feel there's going to be a market - organic is pretty big in the Territory.

"What they're finding is they're getting a better price in Rocky than what they're getting in South Australia so that's encouraged them to come through."

Shire works director Harin Karra said $100,000 from the shire's Works for Queensland budget had been put aside to make the existing yards, already capable of holding large numbers of cattle for campdrafting events, safer and more usable.

Cr Britton said watering and hay feeding facilities, a feed storage shed and a double decker loading ramp might also be needed.

"It's only for a spelling facility - it's not as if we're going to hold them and have sales," he said, explaining that it wouldn't take a large budget to make the facility ready.

Cr Britton said that if the facility could be set up, it would be leased out to provide another job for a family in Boulia.

"All we want is cost recovery and we've got something to maintain our facility," he said.

"If they seal that road from here to Alice, it's going to be a very niche market.

"What that road does, it creates a line of jobs right through from the Territory border to the processing plant with fuel, tyres, trucks wear and tear, that all of Queensland will benefit from.

"ABARE tells you that every beast, from born to plate, creates seven jobs, so that's jobs for Queenslanders."

An organic certifier had taken soil samples last week and results were expected within the next six weeks.

Mr Karra said they were confident of a positive outcome.