Young farmer wins livestock auctioneering competition

Gavin Matthews (third from right), the winner of the livestock auctioneering competition.

Gavin Matthews (third from right), the winner of the livestock auctioneering competition.

Published Sep 23, 2017

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JOHANNESBURG - Gavin Matthews from Estcourt has won the 2017 Toyota SA Young Auctioneers Competition.

Matthews who represented KwaZulu-Natal in the competition was showed his skills at the fundraising auction at he Royal Agricultural Society Gold Cup dinner during the Royal Show in Pietermaritzburg.

The young farmer from Lowlands, Estcourt entered the competition because he thought that he could give livestock auctuioneering a try, and in the end won the Royal Show competition. The competition that was held at the ALFA show in Parys in the Free State aims to promote livestock auctioneering and was started by Veesplaas and Stockfarm Magazine in 2013.

The participants were judged according to their knowledge of livestock and rostrum performance. Livestock auctions are important because they promote livestock and are they are a marketing channel for livestock. During competitions like this one buyers and sellers are brought together. Terry Strachan of the Royal Show said that livestock auctioneering is agriculture related and at the Royal Show they could more than a 100 people bidding on livestock.

The livestock auctioneering is open to everyone and in terms of the competition they have a junior and senior categories in the competition .According to Starchan, they have kids that are as young as 16 competing and have both boys and girls that enter the competition. The Royal Show is particularly well known as the premier live carcass show in the South Africa says Strachan. Numerous people from hotels and butcheries from various parts of the country like Gauteng or Cape Town attend the show every year.

Matthews will represent South Africa in Argentina for an international competition next year.

- BUSINESS REPORT ONLINE 

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