Online access to on-farm auctions paying off in convenience and cost for buyers and sellers as New Zealand’s virtual saleyard surpasses 10,000 users.

After three weeks of this year’s bull sales, bidr continues to consolidate its role as an increasingly important part of the livestock marketing mix.

Over 100 bull sales are featuring on bidr this year, with the platform recording excellent engagement at every sale, as online participants bid for and buy bulls. For the 36 sales held in the first three weeks of the season, average online attendee numbers were 89 per sale, with the KayJay Angus sale attracting the biggest crowd to the end of May at 199 online attendees. Purchases through bidr accounted for just under 10 per cent of total bulls sold, consistent with the 2023 sales, though expected to pick up as the season progresses. 

While most bull sales are using the bidr hybrid option, engaging the market in person while offering online access to their on-farm auction, a few studs are electing to sell their bulls exclusively online. Generally that is worthwhile for those with no more than a handful of bulls, wanting to avoid the extra expense and logistical challenge of running a traditional auction. For more significant studs with larger sales, bidr is an excellent way to reach purchasers beyond their own district. 

Wild weather in the final week of May, especially in the North Island, brought bidr into its own for farmers unable to attend bull sales in person due to road closures.

Since New Zealand’s virtual saleyard launched in 2019, more than 10,000 users have signed up. While the platform underwent a huge growth surge during covid, since then numbers have built more steadily, with a progressive increase: a handful of new users typically joining every day.