App's on-farm benefits as trusty tool for buying and selling
27 January 2015
More than 5,480 users have already downloaded MLA’s latest market information news source, the market information app.
One of these users is backgrounder and feedlot operator Roger Geldard who rates the app as one of his handiest tools.
Roger, whose family owns Roxborough Feedlot on the western Darling Downs, uses the free smartphone app daily to check saleyard and over-the-hooks prices, as well as sales volumes and slaughter numbers.
“It’s a really useful tool for keeping tabs on prices and supplies of cattle across the state, particularly weaners between 200 and 280kg suitable for backgrounding,” Roger said.
“I also find the weekly analysis of the Queensland markets quite handy.”
While the Geldards offer custom feeding, their efforts are focused on sourcing weaners of 200–280kg to background to 400kg–450kg, before feeding them for 100 days to supply the Japan ox market.
“We prefer Charolais-cross cattle because we’ve had success feeding them and we avoid pure Brahmans. We try and purchase the higher quality animals, with a higher quality end goal in mind, so it is important for us to keep tabs on what is selling where and for how much,” Roger said.
“Basically, we’ll go anywhere we can get a truck.”
Roger also finds the MLA market information app useful when negotiating sales direct with producers.
“It helps us to gauge the value of cattle and also which areas are best to source them from,” he said.
“The news section is useful. I read the daily bulletins to keep up-to-date with industry issues such as HGP use in feedlots and the export situation in Russia, and to keep abreast of anything that might affect our business.”
MLA’s market information app provides the most up-to-date information available on the cattle, sheep and goat industries; in particular, national indicators, feeder cattle numbers and prices, slaughter levels, over-the-hooks and skin prices. It also has market reports from all of the nation’s major selling centres.
Users can customise the app specific to a region, detailing price, supplier and quality and buyer information.
To date, the most popular content on the app has been news, followed by various market reports and then trade indicators.
Download the app at the iTunes App Store, Google Play or search for ‘MLA market information’ on the web.
