A small drone hovers a metre or so above a herd of prime Hereford cattle on a property near Kiewa in Victoria's north-east. The faint hum of its rotors barely disturbs them, much to the pleasure of third generation breeder Barry Hicks.
“I’m surprised they’re as quiet as they are. I thought they’d be a bit spooky with it,” Mr Hicks tells SBS News.
His stock agent Brett Shea controls the drone, which records still and moving images. The footage is then edited and uploaded to livestock auction sites.
It gives “real 360-degree views of the cattle in their natural environment,” Mr Shea says.
A drone hovers over a herd of cattle. Source: SBS News
Mr Hicks is part of a new generation of Australian farmers bypassing traditional sale yards in favour of drone-mounted cameras and online platforms to trade livestock.
The drone vision is accompanied by a range of details important to the would-be purchaser.
“A whole lot of other information (is) on the screen for you to look at, like when they were drenched (medicated), how old they are, how heavy they are individually,” Mr Hicks says.
Breeder Barry Hicks, left, and his stock agent Brett Shea control the drone. Source: SBS News
Mr Shea, who introduced his client to virtual selling, says he is encouraged by the early results.
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“We feel we're at the cutting edge with what's available currently for our vendors - more and more people are liking the idea of taking them from the vendor's property straight to their property,” Mr Shea says.
“They (the cattle) just handle the whole journey a lot better.
“Because we're selling to a national audience … anyone can access it. It’s gaining a lot of momentum and traction all throughout Australia.”
The drone in action. Source: SBS News
But digital platforms only account for an estimated 5 per cent of Australia's livestock sales. Around 60 per cent still take place at traditional sale yards.
Almost a quarter of a million cattle change hands each year at Barnawartha sale yards, in Victoria's north-east. Many buyers who attend the auctions, like 76-year old Don Hempel, say there's simply no substitute for "eyeballing" stock.
“My market demands muscle, so I look for something that has the potential to have plenty of muscle. I wouldn't be confident buying online, I like to see the article in the flesh,” he says.
A still of footage captured by the drone. Source: Supplied
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Yard operator Garry Edwards from AAM Investment Group says many buyers prefer the presence of independent advice available at a public auction, rather than relying solely on information from the vendor and their agent.
“The feedback we get from people is that they like the ability of calling up and talking to a third party to verify that assessment. It gives them much more comfort in the accuracy of the livestock descriptions that they're buying,” Mr Edwards says.
A traditional auction at Barnawartha. Source: SBS News
The Barnawartha auctions are already live streamed online, and virtual bidding is the next step.
Mr Shea says they’re on to a winner:
“It just shows even people in Tasmania are confident enough to buy cattle in North East Victoria, truck them down, put them on a ship, and they're in paddocks in Tasmania in 24 to 48 hours.”
