A total of 270 rams will front the judges in the many classes and approximately 28 studs will be represented.

This event is a feather in the cap for the Bathurst Merino Association (BMA), which is hosting the show, and members are urged to assist wherever they are needed.

Entry to the sheep show is free and this gives a great opportunity for teachers of agricultural subjects to bring students for a check of some of the best Merino rams in the world.

PLEASE save the date of Sunday, March 3 for a thank you barbecue at the Tarana Fire Shed.

Peter and Kaye Moore have arranged the get-together to show their appreciation to their many friends who have been involved with them over the years.

From a young bloke shearing with some of the first wide combs to a successful studmaster of his Blink Bonnie Stud to the exhibitor of some of our best wools, Pete is one of our best Merino experts.

I hope to see you at Tarana for an 11am start on March 3.

The many friends of Peter and Kaye are very welcome to call in for a yarn and a barbecue.

RECENT RURAL NOTEBOOK COLUMNS:

FRIDAY, March 8 will bring the BMA's Maiden Merino Ewe Competition and bookings have now closed.

The event will cover teams in the area of Duramana, Sallys Flat and Palmers Oakey.

The northern corner of this segment was badly affected by the awful bushfire that ran from below Hargraves to country near Pyramul.

A lot of landholders in the path of that fire have made comments on the interest and support that Member for Calare Andrew Gee has given to their problems.

WHILE much rural interest at present is centred on the Merino industry in our district, it's important to take notice of a couple of points:

CONGRATULATIONS to The Lagoon harness racing trainer-driver Steve Turnbull, who was inducted as a Club Menangle Legend at a ceremony at the club last week.

Others are much more capable than me of outlining Steve's triumphs, but my comments are of the huge amount of work and time that his family and helpers have put in to compete and be successful.

We all know that harness racing in Bathurst would probably not survive without the extended Turnbull family.

Your Legend award is well-deserved, Steve.

STORE cattle sales at Wodonga are usually a pretty good guide for store markets across a wide area of the eastern states.

Quotes from last week's offering of 2452 cattle tell of levels not reached for months, but only for the very best animals.

Some comments:

"There were good prices for heavy black steers," an agent said. "Rates seen at this sale have sustained the recent rises seen elsewhere."

"We had pasture feed, held on to these steers that got a lot heavier, and prices rose," a seller of steer weaners said. "A very good sale for us."

"We came a long way to buy cattle," an agent from Tamworth said. "We have to factor in the price of getting them home, but we can be competitive."

Confidence has returned to cattle markets and it's great to see.

IN early November 2023, Wellington shearing contractor Hilton Barrett offered to take up to 50,000 sheep that had no value from producers who were caught, with fears of a major drought.

Shortly after this offer was made, the rains came and changed everything.

THERE was an offering of 40,472 bales in week 33 of Australian wool sales and the EMI (Eastern Market Indicator) dropped 6ac/kg to a new level of 1157ac/kg.

There were 90.5 per cent or 36,617 bales of the offering sold over the week.

Finer than 18-micron continued to battle, dropping 40ac/kg for the week; 18.5 to 19.0-micron were minus 20ac; while broader than 19.5-micron were up to 15ac dearer.

Fine wools continue to look ridiculously cheap compared with broader types: there is only a 240c clean premium between 17 and 19-micron wools.

Everyone is talking about how cheap these fine types are, however, we need a lift in demand to see this spread increase.

Crossbred types were basically unchanged for the week.

China comes back to work this week, so let's hope for a more positive market with only around 39,500 bales of Australian wool on offer compared with nearly 50,000 bales offered in the same sale last year.

A NOTE on the drinks machine at the gym said: "Diet Coke not working." Underneath was written: "Try exercise and a low carb diet."

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"My maths are no good," the clerk at the golf club said to a young lady. "If I gave you $245 and asked you to deduct 12 per cent, what would you take off?"

"Everything but my earrings," she winked. (Thanks MH.)