MAY 2013 Newsletter
Out and About:
While Glen Innes is celebrating their Celtic heritage during The Australian Celtic Festival the office staff are getting settled into Ausgoat’s new location at 311 Grey Street. The new workspace is spacious and light - situated right on the main street of Glen Innes.
Drop in if you are ever passing through Glen Innes.
At The Cobar Agricultural Show, Ausgoat once again sponsored the Dog High Jump and ‘Guess the Weight Goat’ Competition. We wish to congratulate Ruth Stevens for winning first prize in both working dog and small dog categories and also congratulate Scott Paulson for winning the Big Dog category in the Dog High Jump.
The ‘Guess the Weight’ competition was won by Robert Strong and congratulations to Robert as well.
Preparing your goats for transport:
Preparing your goats for transport is a vital element in selling your goats. Well prepared goats travel better, are less stressed and associated animal welfare issues are avoided. Plan long journeys to include rest stops, handle the goats quietly and with minimum force to minimise stress.
One way of doing this is by segregating the goats on the truck.
Goats that are weak, dehydrated, injured, blind in both eyes or in late pregnancy are definitely not fit to travel.
It is always the responsibility of the person in charge to ensure the goats are prepared correctly, and if you ever have any doubts – leave the goat out !
Less stressed goats means better return for the grower and a happier buyer.
Once you have loaded your goats, filling out the paperwork is equally important.
As rangeland goats are the only animals exempt from NLIS tagging if delivered directly to the Ausgoat Depot - the importance of filling out the National Vendor Declarations correctly becomes imperative.
Every load of goats MUST have a GOAT NVD.
More information is available from the NLIS website.
Staff Profile:
Meet Sue Cameron – Office Manager at Glen Innes.
1. What music do you like listening to ?
I love all different types of music, except for Slim Dusty. I have been to different concerts and particularly enjoyed Keith Urban and PINK, I have also seen AC/DC and John Fogerty in concert.
2. What book are you reading at the moment ?
I’m not much of a reader of novels, but I love reading Better Homes & Gardens and the Handyman mags.
3. What’s your favourite holiday destination ?
I love to go on cruise’s, they are excellent fun.The entertainment, food and ports are most enjoyable. I am booked to go on a cruise in September for 7 nights, it is on the ‘Rhapsody of the Seas’ (Cruise N Groove) cruising the South Pacific, I am very excited and I can’t wait.
4. What sports do you like to follow/participate in ?
I loved to watch Polocrosse when my children and husband were competing. I also enjoy watching a good game of soccer and enjoy bush walking.
5. What did you do before you came to Ausgoat ?
I have mostly worked in Administration/Office Management. I enjoy the office environment and being part of a team.
6. What’s your favourite movie ?
I don’t know that I have a favourite, I did enjoy “The Sapphires”. The types of movies I enjoy are romantic comedy, drama and action movies.
7. How do you best describe yourself ?
I would describe myself as being loyal, honest and organised, both at work and at home. I am a very proud grandmother of 4 beautiful children ranging in age from 8 to 3.
8. As a kid what did you dream of becoming ?
I actually wanted to be a hairdresser, my oldest daughter is a hairdresser so I guess she has fulfilled my dream.
9. What is your favourite food ?
I enjoy Thai and Chinese food, but you also can’t go past a great steak.
10. What are your interests ?
My main interests are my family and friends. I also enjoy gardening and travel.
We thank Sue for the insight and look forward to seeing the next staff profile.
Export Info:
Some encouraging export statistics from The Food Magazine about Australia’s Goat Exports can be found here .
And while on the subject of export, burnt skin-on goats are increasingly sought after overseas and the few Australian processors that have the ability to do this complex process sometimes struggle to fill export orders. Another emerging by-product of this process is ‘browned’ or ‘flamed’ goat heads which is a highly sought after delicacy in some cultures. In a new project between MLA and Western Exporters in Charleville, an automated browning oven is to be developed in order to make the ‘head browning’ process less labour intensive and safer.
It is expected a prototype will be finished next year.
It is great to see that new and interesting opportunities for goat producers continue to arise.
Newsletter by Marianne la Cour –Ausgoat ©