Wodonga agent top performer in AuctionsPlus cattle numbers

Northern Australia might boast bigger cattle numbers but Wodonga agent Katie Lewis has shown how it’s done by achieving the highest cattle throughput on AuctionsPlus.

Northern Australia might boast big cattle numbers but a southern agent has shown how it’s done by achieving the highest throughput on online selling platform AuctionsPlus.

Livestock agent Katie Lewis from Corcoran Parker at Wodonga has been named as the agent with the highest numbers in the past financial year.

What makes this achievement even more remarkable is that Katie often doesn’t have big lines to assess in contrast to her northern counterparts.

“They sell in road trains and we can sometimes sell in tray truck loads,” Katie said.

But a dedication to doing what she does well, whether it’s for a handful or a B-double load, has added up, and scored Katie the top position for throughput.

She said she was a fan of AuctionsPlus for its ability to find a buyer regardless of what was happening locally.

This was particularly the case when seasonal conditions were tight, like they were in North East Victoria this year.

Katie Lewis, from Corcoran Parker at Wodonga, has achieved the highest throughput of cattle on AuctionsPlus in the past financial year.

She credits her success to having a “no surprises policy” for those who bought cattle she assessed.

“You have to be as thorough as possible and have attention to detail,” Katie said.

“I put myself in the buyer’s position and would want to know that the assessor has been as thorough as possible and have attention to detail.

“I was taught by (the late) Trevor Parker that right is right and wrong is wrong, and half right is still wrong.”

Katie also makes sure to tell the story of the stock she lists, using all of the 1000 characters to allow them the best chance of sale.

“It doesn’t matter whether you are assessing six cattle or two water buffalo, which I have done, which may be someone’s holiday fund or goes towards paying their rates, or big lines – it’s attention to detail that matters,” she said.

Katie will soon be teaching others at an AuctionsPlus training school, and said she had an important message to send.

“What new assessors really need to understand is that their assessment is a legally binding document so you need to treat it like a contract,” she said.

And while Katie is humble about her achievement, it’s not lost on her that this is a big win for a southern agent.

“I was really surprised as I didn’t think a Victorian agent could compete against the Queensland guys when it came to numbers,” she said.