New online auction system makes strong start
The introduction of a helmsmanstyle bull auction is working well for a Mackenzie angus cattle breeder in the week leading up to his bull sale.
Meadowslea Angus stud principal David Giddings is thrilled by the start of a new online auction system which moves away from the traditional auction and provides commentary and stock information to bidders.
Seventy-six 2-year-old Meadowslea Angus bulls will pass through the ring this Friday.
‘‘We designed this selling platform ourselves so that people could bid without being here, and then we’ve done a lot of videos of the bulls walking up and down,’’ Giddings said.
‘‘The first bid we got on Lot 1 was $13,000 on a $10,000 reserve.
‘‘There has been interest on Lots 13, 25 and others through the catalogue, which is what is so great about the helmsman sale. People don’t have to wait to bid on the lot they want.’’
Giddings said his was the first bull auction in New Zealand that he knew of where people could bid online before the start of the sale.
‘‘We’ve had a really good response so far. People are coming online having a look and registering.
‘‘We have about 100 people registered at the moment from all over New Zealand.’’
The helmsman auction system gives the bidder the opportunity to reassess each lot during the sale period without being pressured for an instant decision.
‘‘This is giving the buyers quite a different opportunity.
‘‘Normally in an auction, if they like a lot they’ve got to sit there and wait. And if their second choice is up before this, they miss out.’’
Meadowslea, on State Highway 8, west of Fairlie, held its onfarm bull walk on June 6 in preparation for Friday’s auction.
‘‘The sale for on-farm people will run from 1pm to 2pm next Friday, and then the sale extends by two minutes every time there’s another bid.
‘‘We have to have a period of two minutes without a bid before we close the sale. It will probably go on for another hour after that.’’
This is a big week for angus cattle breeders throughout the country as bulls are being auctioned off every day, he said.
‘‘We’re expecting a big crowd. We were concerned there would be a limit on that but I suppose we have enough Fairlie Bakehouse pies to cater 150 people.’’
Meadowslea has focused on breeding hill country cattle that will thrive and perform in adverse conditions, he said.
‘‘We have about 1000 head of cattle, about 450 angus breeding cows, and 15 sire bulls. We produce about 220 bulls a year, and the top 76 go into the sale.
‘‘The others are sold as yearlings, the others are sold to the beef and dairy industries.’’
The Meadowslea Romney Stud was founded in 1926 by the Giddings family while Meadowslea Angus Stud was founded in 1985 with the purchase of Capital Stock Heifers from Turihaua Station in Gisborne.
The herd has grown steadily since then with 450 angus cows mated this year.
‘‘Only a few are bred by artificial insemination, the rest of it is done naturally in the paddock,’’ Giddings said.
‘‘We want to make sure we get a natural mating on the hill country.
‘‘We are very keen on that because we want to know the bulls can find the cows on the hill and mate, and we want the cows to go and search the bulls.’’
Giddings said the cows run on tussock country at an altitude of 600 metres, and in that environment good fat covers and constitution are critical.