Eight teams of young ewes competed on their home properties and a group of around 60 spectators followed competition judges Katrina Blomfield and Chris Stapleton for a well-organised event.

In a tight contest, the judges' decisions were:

The facilities at the Bathurst Harness Racing Club provided an excellent venue for the BMA presentation dinner and attendees were impressed by the service and the quality of the meal.

SINCERE sympathy is offered to John Boserio and the family on the recent passing of their wife and mother Christine.

Chris and John were involved in our district's hospitality industry for some years and in recent times Chris worked in real estate in Bathurst.

She is greatly missed by her many friends and business associates.

RECENT RURAL NOTEBOOK COLUMNS:

PETER and Megan Rutherford sold a two-year-old working dog for $20,000 at the recent Jerilderie dog auction - a top result.

No doubt Ninja has gone to a very good home and I hope the little Rutherford girls had chicken nuggets and ice-cream to celebrate on the way home.

THE Royal Bathurst Show from April 24 to 26 is fast approaching.

Please prepare your fleece entries, and watch for times and dates for drop off of fleeces.

AS we look around our district we immediately notice a large volume of our native grasses in full seed and as this seed bank matures it must return a bulk of fresh seed to our soils.

Lucerne, premier digit and phalaris are leading the introduced pasture growth patterns and they should be well established before the onset of early frosts.

IN similar view, Peter Moore advises that a pasture walk will be held on Friday, April 3 at 941 Sodwalls Road, Tarana.

Agronomist David Harbison and Local Land Services (LLS) pasture specialist Clare Edwards will combine to present an informative couple of hours and they will show some excellent broadacre sown pasture results.

Every progressive landholder should be sure to attend this walk and LLS will provide a barbecue at no charge.

The pasture walk site is not far from the Blink Bonnie woolshed, towards Sodwalls, on the right-hand side of the road.

EVERY landholder whose property has benefited from recent rain is hoping that the season is finally turning.

Studmaster Don Mudford, "Parkdale Merino", Collie, is always the optimist and he posts that his properties at Collie and across the Darling River are now in drought recovery mode.

Other reports of a flood in the main street of Thargomindah and in the Darling at Wilcannia are giving plenty of confidence, but our storage dams at Bigga, Mumbil, Oberon, Cudgegong and The Lagoon are still waiting for genuine run-off rain and we must be careful that we don't count our chickens before they hatch.

Our lovely Central Tablelands have turned to a very green landscape in many areas, but some properties will take time to recover and storm damage is severe in some instances, with top soil lost from fast run-off.

SOME comments have been made on the reliability of underground water streams that supply bores and wells and often come to the surface as clear water springs.

Many believe that these streams are replenished by rainwater that sinks through the soil, while others are adamant that the underground streams are created and supplied from deep below the earth's surface.

There hasn't been much surface water to soak down for a number of years and bores and well levels have dropped markedly in recent times.

CONGRATULATIONS to newly elected Bathurst AH and P Association president Col McPhee.

He takes over the reins from Sam Farraway, who is now a Member of the NSW Upper House.

Col is highly regarded for his work with the Show Association over many years and can expect strong support from across the show organisers and exhibitors.

I think that his late parents Alva and Esme McPhee, late of "Avondale", The Lagoon, would have been really proud of Col as he steps up to this important position.

THE Australian wool market was thrown into turmoil in the first selling week of March as the entire selling and buying program Talman was hacked by cyber criminals.

The whole program had to be built again from the ground up, which caused a shutdown of all sales nationwide.

This had the flow-on effect of having two weeks of sales then pushed together last week, with a huge offering of 62,166 bales.

To everyone's relief, the market held up, only losing a few cents a kilogram on the last day of selling.

The Northern Market Indicator finished the week on 1605c/kg, down 13c/kg.

Next week will see 46,680 bales on offer nationwide.

THE difference between a shearer and an engineer is about $50,000 per year.

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GEORGE was on the train and was going to be late home.

On his mobile, he explained: "I've been held up at work, on the bus, and now on the train. Honestly, dear, it's been such a tough day, but I should be home in 90 minutes or so."

"Come back to bed, love," the mischievous woman on the next seat called out, "I'm getting cold while you're blabbing on the phone."

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OUR mate was in an awkward spot; last night he asked his partner if she'd like to suggest a person for a threesome, but he should have limited it to just one name.