Ridley’s biggest mill has been officially opened at Wellsford near Bendigo today. Photo: Ridley
RIDLEY Limited has officially opened its new Wellsford mill near Bendigo today, which will supply 350,000 tonnes of stockfeed to poultry and pig customers in central and northern Victoria.
Ridley has previoulsy announced Wellsford will absorb production capacity of its old Bendigo feedmill, and the Mooroopna feedmill.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions now in place across Victoria, the opening was hosted virtually.
“We look forward to leveraging the technology that this facility offers, together with Ridley’s nutritional and raw material procurement expertise, tho support the growth of the livestock enterprises in this region,” Ridley chief executive officer and managing director Quinton Hildebrand said.
Construction of the Wellsford mill started in April last year, after Ridley identified that the existing facility in Bendigo had reached capacity, and was unable to support future growth of the region’s animal protein industry.
Employees and production have been transitioned to Wellsford from the existing feedmill in Bendigo, which has now been closed and is being prepared for divestment.
Mooroopna production and customers will be transitioned to the new Wellsford site during the next six to nine months, after which the Mooroopna site will be prepared for divestment.
Source: Ridley
Jan 2021
Bendigo/northern & north-western Victoria’s + Riverina & MIA
Agricultural wealth: Are we ready; are we really ready!?
Wool $3B Potential : $6B
Prime lambs $4–5B
Sheep $2B
Cattle $4B
Chicken & eggs ~ $ 2 B – in the 1960’s The Bendigo area was the biggest egg producing area in Australia:
Rice (MIA) via Deniliquin rail-line $ 30 B
Total ~ $ 50 B through Bendigo
If farmers in this region generate around $50 B in gross income,
farmers spend big. That’s $ 50 B in (income) and $ 50 B out in expenditure
$ 100 B would flow into and through the Bendigo economy.
Just ask our livestock agents:[ * Visit; ** email ]: Westfarmer Dalgety*, Midland Hwy Epsom; Elders*, Queen St ; Ellis Nuttall & Co*, Queen St; McKean McGregor & Co* Strickland Rd, etc: Steel suppliers fabricators Mel Thomas*, Allingham St G Square; Scott’s Pty Ltd* Victoria St E/Hawk; Abbott Supply* – originally in Lytteton Tce., now in Abel St G Square; Sudex Steel** [check out their new Sudex steel supply shed at White Hills]; Bush’s Store*, a Bendigo institution in Williamson St, over 160 years on this site; CEPA* [Commercial Egg Producers Co-Op]; Sandhurst Stock feeds**; Southern Stock Feeds**; The new Riley stock feed mill** in Victa Rd Wellsford (potential 350,000 t pa capacity); Huntly piggery**; Hazldene’s Family poultry farm** Lockwood.
Our pubs & restaurants; Truck repairs & suppliers; Bridgewater Farmware; Major’s Trailors E/ Hawk; car sales will go through the roof; Nelson Silos Rochester; farm fencing suppliers and contractors; Fertilizer suppliers; Machinery R + M – you see the John Deere machinery advertised on TV and Case NuHolland, worth $100,000s each, as well.
For the ageing Baby Boomers, aged care facilities, and for all of us Funeral directors.
This $ 50 B boost to Bendigo is already impacting big-time. Mothers are spending big on the return to school in 2021 supplies.
Bendigo businesses are going to be run off their feet, almost literally as we recover from 2020 and Covid 19. It will be Bendigo’s biggest economic boom in 100 years.
The Bendigo Livestock Exchange at Epsom is the biggest and BEST in Australia.
This region [see title] grows :-
the BEST wool in the world.
It produces the BEST rice in the world.
It produce the BEST citrus fruits in the world.
It produces the BEST prime lambs in the world.
It produces the BEST grass fed and lot fed cattle in the world.
Wheat & grains are second to none.
The BEST pigs, hams, bacons & smallgoods.
The BEST chicken and eggs. Remember, we were the biggest egg producer region in Australia in the 1960’s.
Our forebears have been humanitarians, Chartists (see Bendigo Bank story) being from Denmark, Germany (Hanover), United Kingdom, USA, Chinese and more recently Vietnamese. We have welcomed them in Bendigo with open arms.
The City of Bendigo is a city within the bush – the Australian bush – and a bush within our city. Walk a few minutes from the CBD today and you in our Australian bush. Gum trees, ironbarks, wattles, kangaroos galore, and an amazing range of colourful birds, and naturally our magpies, kookaburras and so many more. They happily live among us and with us.
WE ARE CITY, TRULY BLESSED !
And more .. our buildings in the old CBD and immediate surrounds, including the Sacred Heart Cathedral (to which I direct visitors – they are astounded to see a Cathedral equal to any in the old world in a mere bush town in country Victoria. Being in a small bush city, it is still in pristine condition – no pollution – and maintained by the Catholic Church, remaining open to Catholics and visitors alike!)
How good is all this !