CONSTRUCTION of SA’s newest saleyards at Crystal Brook is on track for the site’s first sale in late September.
The project was announced by the Combined Independent Agents Association in February after about 12 months of preliminary work.
Sales held at the site will be solely store auctions and the Crystal Brook facility will have the capacity for 10,000 sheep and lambs.
CIAA director Wayne Hall said work at the site was progressing well.
“We’re still aiming for an end of September sale,” he said.
“Obviously we realise that there’s some dry areas of the state that would welcome that as quickly as possible.
“The yards themselves are going up this week and from then on it will be a matter of completing access into the yards and finishing off the site.
“We’ve had a lot of positive feedback from the rural community. They’re all looking forward to it and it’s going to be a great option for our agents and clients.”
The CIAA group has more than 50 agents linked to the business throughout SA and Broken Hill, NSW.
It expects to hold six to eight lamb and sheep sales each year – possibly more on demand – at the Crystal Brook site.
The new saleyards are expected to draw in livestock from CIAA clients from far and wide including Eyre Peninsula, the northern agricultural and pastoral areas of the state, as well as Broken Hill.
Crystal Brook feedlot operators Andrew and Nick Greig run Fairview Feedlot with up to 10,000 lambs at capacity. The saleyards are located on property leased from them.
The yards are situated near the town’s GrainFlow silos and already have B-double access.
Andrew Greig said having another sheep market option would be of huge benefit to the state.
“From my point of view, the buying option it will provide me will certainly be positive,” he said.
“I’ll be mostly buying rather than selling, as most of my end-product from the feedlot goes direct to the meat works.
“It’s good news for the independent clients to have access to a store market and another option to sell and buy sheep.”
The development of the new saleyard has been partly supported through a $115,000 state government Upper Spencer Gulf and Outback Futures Program grant, with the contributed figure covering half of the cost of the facility’s construction.
CIAA hopes to sell at least 60,000 head in the first year of the facility’s operation.
Mr Hall said, with the facility being in the association’s control, they could hold markets whenever the need arose.
