The day seems to have gone when genuine rural producers are members of Bathurst Regional Council but I think that our country roads and residents are being pretty well served by the current council and expect that this service will continue.

The recent bitumen sealing of Mount Tamar and Perthville (oops, O’Regans) roads have provided an excellent alternate access to Bathurst from the south and this will be vital when the next major flood in the Vale Creek occurs, or annually as an alternate route when the B2B cycling is on.

WE don’t often see case study figures to illustrate the results of six-monthly shearing in an actual family farm situation.

Kevin and Jenny Blake run 2000 Glendonald blood merinos in the Inverell district and sell their twice-yearly clips in Melbourne.

A few fine points:

To most producers these staple lengths are too short to be practical as less than 60mm may be unsuitable. 

The Blakes are extremely pleased with their operation after eight six-monthly shearings and will continue to do so.

EXPORTERS of live cattle are struggling to handle the drop in sales of about 10,000 cattle to Indonesia  every month.

Peter Dundon, who oversees this market for Meat and Livestock Australia comments, that the general live export trade is experiencing some of its toughest times on record.

The high price of live cattle and the increased pressure from cheap buffalo meat from India have combined to increase downward pressure on the landed price of live Australian animals.

Bearing in mind the fact that Indonesia is our country’s largest customer for exported live cattle, the implications of future affect on meat markets is obvious.

THE rainless winter has caused steady deterioration of available stock feed and many paddocks are quite bare and spring calvers and lambers will need careful management if late winter rains don’t occur.

Some producers have panicked and sold many more stock than they had planned, while others are supplementary feeding stock and hanging on to their livestock and their prayer beads.

Many newer landholders are sourcing valuable stock feeding hints and information from established neighbours, trusted stock agents, produce sellers and livestock contractors.

Most of these people have been through the mill with bringing livestock through really dry periods and their opinions are invaluable.

DRY conditions are not affecting most of NSW and many properties are looking sad.

A former stock and station agent relates a recent visit to Griffith and says that an area close to Quandialla was the only satisfactory district as regards stock feed and growing crops.

Thanks for your observation, Alan.

SOMETIMES the harness racing industry gives us a great story, and last week’s Breeders Challenge Blue Finals at Menangle gave quality results for Bathurst owned and bred three-year-old pacers.

Former St Pat’s first grade footballer John Clayton - with his wife and son – bred Our Little Digger that won the colt’s final.

John passed away during the year but his memory and his passion live on with this good little colt.

The winning filly, Taylor’s Reason, worked hard out wide and showed her class to box on for a quality win. 

She is owned by Maurice McNeill, Richard Fraser, Peter Taylor and Roslyn Billinghurst.

Both youngsters were trained and driven by Georges Plains local Bernie Hewitt.

THE marines were being trained in survival techniques and the group was told: “King Solomon regularly fed his 1000 wives with grasshoppers, just plain garden variety variety grasshoppers.”  A very keen Marine stood up and asked: “Never mind the wives and the hoppers, what the devil did King Solomon eat?”

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MEDIA printers’ slip-ups:

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A SIGN said: “Two men wanted for armed robbery in Sofala.”  Pat said: “A shame it’s in Sofala. If it was in O’Çonnell I’d get a mate and do it.”