The dog auction attracted plenty of interest and good buying strength. Peter Moore sold a good dog for $6750 and bidding was strong for most of the dogs on offer. 

Of particular interest in the sheep section were four big poll rams that trace back to Ridgway Advance stud at Bordertown and several other studs that also share a Collinsville blood background.

Results of the junior sheep judging supplied by Steve Jessett are as follows:

Cameron Trengrove commented after his win: “I’ve been welcomed wholeheartedly into the wool industry and these education days help me develop the skills I’ll need later in life.

“I’d like to thank the sponsors for the wonderful prizes I’ve received and particularly the presenters for coming to help us learn wool industry skills.”

Steve Jessett added: “This competition continues to attract increasing numbers of competitors and quality presenters each year.”

MANY comments were made at the ram expo that the most concerning subject at the moment is not connected to ram sales, but the confusion there seems to be on the forthcoming J-Bas accreditation and its associated pointscore.

The general apathy towards Johnes disease schemes is obvious and many producers seem inclined to ignore the J-Bas issue altogether and see if any actions will come from Animal Health Australia or Meat and Livestock Australia.

I believe that the best available advice will come from our stock selling agents as they will be involved with the implementation (or otherwise) of the scheme.

The very mention of Johnes disease revives memories of the hopeless approach to OJD and its control that was made by people who were hardly involved with the sheep industry or its real life personalities.

We must remember that J-Bas is a voluntary scheme at this stage and attracts a three-year $60 fee.

THE annual Burraga Sheep Show takes place this Saturday with a 9am start.

There will be lots of sheep competitions, sections for children, chainsaw and shearing events and a real country style dance in the hall until midnight.

If your family likes a small community show with a real Australian theme, you should spend this Saturday with them at Burraga.

JODIE Healey has supplied these important issues from last Sunday’s Turon Wild Dog control group meeting:

Ranger Paul Medway has aerial maps of the Turon group area and these show where cameras and pig traps are in current use.

A LANDHOLDER has alerted us to the loss of 41 crossbred ewes from a district property that is about 20 minutes’ drive from Bathurst city.

This property and its livestock are always well managed and monitored so the thieves obviously knew when to strike.

We must all be vigilant, notice vehicles in unusual situations, lock access gates and be sure that all stock are earmarked as well as ear-tagged.

A stock notebook that has all animal counts will be valuable if police investigations are involved.

BLAYNEY mayor Scott Ferguson recently presented retiring councillors Geoff Braddon, Shane Oates and Kevin Radburn with mementos that recognise their years of service to their community.

I’m sure that these three gentlemen will treasure the framed photos of their full council and its senior staff. 

Geoff was also given an engraved silver tray to commemorate his many years of service.

With many public bodies seeming to have become devoid of a soul, it’s great to see Blayney Council’s appreciation of its elected representatives.

UPPER Macquarie County Council is putting finishing touches to its spring campaign to spray noxious weeds on lands across the district.

Main weeds to be targeted are serrated tussock, St John’s Wort and blackberry.

Any mug can stand back and criticise UMCC but this is a real opportunity to control problem weeds on your property.

I believe that UMCC and its staff deserve praise for this initiative and landholders who would like full details should email admin@umcc.nsw.gov.au this week or phone 6338 2875.

THE weekend’s Sunday Telegraph ran an article that outlined the ongoing success of Bathurst harness racing trainer/driver Nathan Hurst.

Most of his stable horses carry the first name Tulhurst and the name comes from his mother’s maiden name Pauline Tulenew and his dad’s Hurst surname.

Nathan and his partner Angela Hedges have formed a very successful team on harness racing tracks across the country and the Tulhurst prefix is a great tribute to Nathan’s mum and dad.

THE wool market surged again this week with big gains made by all categories of wool.

All merino wools saw rises of around 50 to 80c/kg while the crossbreds gained around 70c/kg.

The northern market indicator finished the week on 1679c/kg, up 65c/kg.

The reason for the sudden surge is good demand coming out of both China and Europe.

The Chinese are producing what they are calling a “fake fur” coat which is made out of Aussie wool. The coats are selling for around $A250 and have become a big hit with Chinese women coming into a China winter.

With the sharp rises this week, next week could be a bit subdued while buyers take stock of such a bullish market.

Next week will see 36,888 bales on offer nationwide.

Mark Horsburgh, TWG Landmark

PROFESSIONAL boxing is like marriage.  The preliminaries are often much better than the main event.

SHE was a self-appointed keeper of the morals of a very small town. She chided George: “And your truck was at the hotel until 11pm last Thursday.” The very next Thursday George’s truck was parked at her house and was still there at 7am.