Here's the Beef!--Day 7

Our busy day today started off with a tour of the Wagga Wagga Livestock Marketing Center. We got to go in and actually watch a sale which was similar to ours with some big differences including the smaller group sizes in the sale, the set-up of the sale ring, and the style of auctioneer jargon. The sale ring had 2 entrances and exits and was itself divided into 2 sections so that what was being sold was always on the audience's left and then you could sort of preview what would be sold next on your right. This all kept the sale running smooth and quickly.  The auctioneer was totally different from what I've experienced. He wasn't talking fast like in the US, he just constantly yelled and every once in awhile, I'd understand a number or two, but I have no idea what else he was saying.

We had a quick ride to the Cargill Beef Abattoir next. They slaughter about 1250 head of cattle each day: about 50:50 grass:grain fed. Kill to chill time here is only 28 minutes. After lunch and a little free time, we continued our Cargill experience at the Jindalee Feedlot they co-own with Tey's. There are 15,000 head of cattle there with about 1,000 coming in and going out each week, each fed for 100 days a diet of mostly steam-flaked wheat. It was interesting to hear that they do use HGP which as that is very much the opposite we've been hearing for the rest of the trip.

Sorry this is all I got...they asked us to not take pictures of the feedlot

Then it was back to Wagga for dinner and a night of skyping on the free wi-fi and lots of sleep!