We're continuing to explore shrink and have had some good feedback from emails and phone calls on the subject. 

There is a long way to go yet but as more people upload yard weights we are building on our understanding and want to share what we are learning. 

One thing we looked at this week was the difference between the weight in the paddock (Optiweigh) and the weight in the yards - by state. The results were:

Qld: 2.4% lighter in the yards - with most records between 0.6% lighter and 4.1% lighter

NSW: - 0.2% lighter in the yards - ranging between 1.5% heavier and 1.7% lighter

Vic: 0.4% heavier in the yards - ranging between 2.1% heavier and 0.8% lighter 

We didn't think this was particularly surprising. Most people who responded to our survey about the factors influencing shrink identified things such as distance to yards, feed quality and feed moisture content. With the southern states having smaller paddocks, temperate pastures and higher moisture content in grasses it all seems to line up. 

The Optiweigh algorithm was always designed to replicate a 'Full' yard weight - the type commonly used for Auctions Plus assessments where 'Empty' is considered to be 95% of this weight. This analysis makes us also wonder if there is more work to be done to ensure consistency in what we term a 'Full' yard weight. 

We would welcome any comments - just click on reply below and log in with the same details as you use for the Optiweigh portal and App.