Monday, 6 June 2022
We had another reasonable roll up of thirty-four (34) for this event which included three (3) new members Warren Goodhew, Noel Grant & Rob Jensen – Welcome Warren, Noel & Rob.
In my absence Warwick took the following notes during both guided tours for sharing with members – particularly the ones that unfortunately could not make this trip.
Feedlot
- The feedlot has a capacity of 80,000 head of cattle – Currently there is 70,000 head on site.
- The breeds of cattle in the lot include Angus, Brahman, Drought Master, Beef Master & Wagyu.
- The cattle are sourced from all over Qld & NSW – But, mostly from the Western areas.
- There is a rotation of 4,000 head out & in each week.
- The cattle in the lot are fed a special recipe, &, on average put on two (2) kilos per week.
- Grassdale have a staff of one hundred (100) – However, they acknowledge that they have problems retaining their staff.
- When the Condamine River was in flood staff had to be choppered to & from work.
- Wet weather (extremely wet yards etc) does cause problems with the moving & handling of the cattle.
Fertiliser Plant – Process
- Manure from the feedlot is spread into windrows & left for six (6) weeks to ferment.
- It is then fed into a “Hammermill Crusher” & put through a screening plant, & then a bagging plant.
- The fertiliser is then available for use/sale in quantities etc. as follows –
- 20 kilo bags;
- 1 tonne bags; &,
- Bulk into tippers etc.
The venue for smoko was the Grassdale conference room – Tea, coffee, milk & sugar etc was provided courtesy of Grassdale Management, & members brought along a plate to share.
Following lunch in the “Hermitage Bistro” of the Pittsworth Hotel Motel members’ birthdays falling in June were acknowledged & celebrated in our usual way Viz. Ray Andersen, Peter Aylward, Ron Bathurst, Tim Blades, Peter Cavanagh, John Cutler, Keith Hoffman, Michael McGoldrick, John Schmidt, Kerry Smith, Terry Sullivan, Peter Taylor & Bob Whittaker.
Special thanks to all who contributed to making this another safe & enjoyable event for all attendees, including: Marcus Doumany (Feed Lot Manager) & Rob Wheatley (Fertiliser Plant Manager) for hosting this event along with providing our tea & coffee etc for smoko, Marcus & Gary (standing in for Rob) for the much appreciated educational & interesting guided tours; Ashly at the Pittsworth Hotel for providing us with a great lunch; Russell Mauch for assisting Ashley to ensure all members received the lunch they ordered; Warwick Dingle for overall coordination of this event; Peter Taylor for organising this event; Michael Bourke & Alan Webb for looking after our name badges & collecting the money etc; Peter Thompson for his usual gig of ensuring that all members got on & off the coach safely at each stop; Howard Gregson & Terry Donnollan for looking after our hydration needs; Bob Whittaker & Tony Wind for jointly carrying out the role of First Aid Officer; Jan Neal for making our birthday cake; &, last but not least Peter for transporting us to & from Grassdale safely.
Based on the emails I have received we can tick this off as another trip/event enjoyed by attendees.
Dick Neal