PASTORAL conditions are still excellent as autumn approaches and we hear comments every day that the summer of 2020/21 lasted for 4.5 days.
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Regular rainfall and cloud cover have kept our landscape green and it is possible that it may stay green through the often dry month of March.
Ram sales in the New England have been positive with the Armidale multi-vendor, Nerstane, Lorelmo, and Yalgoo auctions each recording near total clearances.
Reports tell me that six-monthly shearing will now become regular at Lorelmo as 75-80mm staples at six months are the norm at the stud.
Breech flystrike is causing much concern in sheep right across our district and long-time chemicals don't seem to be working for long.
Several producers have said "we must book up the mulesing contractor; this isn't sustainable".
Where are the workers?
THE serious shortage of manual workers who are needed to bring in the fruit and vegetable harvest has been obvious for many months and will continue right through autumn.
It's obvious that a lot of our community members don't like the long hours or the hard work, or both.
To follow into the sheep industry, I'm told that a distant Central West shearing contractor is offering about 20 per cent above award rates to shearers who will sign a contract to work for him for a minimum of six months.
A lot of the clients are now shearing at six month intervals with no crutching, so their sheep would be modern, plain bodied Merinos and a lot of first cross ewes.
A rising 80-year-old who has been a registered professional woolclasser since 1963 was recently offered three months' full-time work as a classer on a very attractive contract rate.
The alternative is to go into permanent care.
Gone in 60 minutes
WHEN Richard Branson says that he expects a future air passenger service from London to Sydney in 60 minutes, we can either scoff or marvel.
He suggests that an aircraft travelling in the stratosphere would make this feat achievable and full-size passenger carrying drones will be common vehicles within a decade.
The evolution of hybrid electric cars to fully electric cars and driverless buses is already giving us a look into the very near future.
Tracy Sorensen's dream of a race for fully electric cars at Mount Panorama is much more probable now than it seemed several years ago.
When we think of the changes that may come to agriculture, we appreciate the benefits of delivering fresh, chilled products to faraway consumers and the availability of solar-driven machines, heating and cooling appliances in remote areas where fruit and vegetables would thrive with assured underground water.
But rural Australia will always need the "start at sunrise and work hard all day" people who keep the world going round.
These people can never be paid too much for the work they do. Our rural industries would stop without these boys and girls of all ages.
Remembering John
THE recent death of John McAndrew of South Bathurst takes away a long-time local resident and a trusted friend to a lot of community members of all ages.
John was a butcher by trade and worked for decades at the McFarland Butchery (where Country Coffee now stands) with owners Jim, Tony and Des McFarland and staff Jim Russell, John Donnelly and Lester Oxley.
Milestone moment
GOLDEN wedding congratulations to Garry and Shirley Asimus at Rockley.
The happy couple have been closely involved with their local community all of their lives and I'm sure that their many friends will join me in wishing them all the very best and many more anniversaries.
Telling Hereford story
THE long established cattle breed society, Herefords Australia, is embarking on a nationwide marketing campaign to emphasise the standard of the breed's qualities and the very small (if any) price difference at the point of sale when compared with other breeds.
For some years there have been quotable price differences between Hereford and black cattle, but in recent times there has been obvious price parity and Whiteface weaners are being eagerly sought for feedlots and for grass fatteners.
To many old hands, the sight of deep red Herefords in the sale pens is a sight for old eyes.
What's on the wishlist?
THE calendar is taking us into a time when plans for candidates for September local government elections must take firm shape.
At this early stage, it seems that Bathurst council elections could well develop into a referendum into a proposed go-kart track on top of Mount Panorama.
Chatter has been heard that the proposed second racetrack near Evans Plains could be 15 years away and grant money from either the federal or state government will be scarce.
Candidates for election are all hoping to contribute to making Bathurst a great place to live, work and raise a family.
I suggest that we need an assured water supply for possibly 60,000 residents, road, street and parking infrastructure for that population and an adequate private hospital on a suitable site.
Perhaps the go-kart track could wait a little longer.
Wool report
THE week 32 series of sales saw merino fleece types ease up to 30ac on Tuesday, but by the end of the week we had seen this loss recover up to 20ac to finish about 10ac easier.
The Eastern Market Indicator closed relatively unchanged at week's end at 1285ac/kg - or a change of -6ac week-to-week.
Exporters seemed happy to take some stock at these levels on the back of a positive sentiment in the market.
Interest from Europe topmakers and vertically operated concerns is increasing weekly, which is very positive.
Top price for the week nationally was a 13.6 micron line of fleece wool at 3510ac/kg.
The crossbred wool market finished firm to 10ac dearer by week's end, so this side of the wool market is finally improving - though from a low basis.
An interesting statistic from AWTA shows that from July 2020 to January 2021, eight per cent less wool has been tested compared with the same period the previous year.
This week shows a national roster of 53,000 bales with a Tasmanian feature sale in Melbourne.
Richard Butcher, Nutrien Wool
Laugh lines
THE farmer's wife is canny.
She tells me that hubby found a grubby little cockroach in the kitchen and he thoroughly vacuumed and cleaned every nook and cranny in that area.
She also tells me that tonight she's planting the grubby little cockroach in the bathroom.
***
EVERY lady's dream: her ideal man takes her in his arms, throws her on the bed, then cleans the whole house while she sleeps.
Food for thought
IT matters nought how big your house is, how much money you have, or that you wear expensive clothes. Our graves will be all the one size. Stay humble.