Carcoar's celebration has always been a great place to meet up with family and friends, but it has been called off for obvious reasons.

We must not lose touch with our eight or 10 best friends and social media and smartphones have made these contacts much simpler.

So, on Australia Day we can quietly appreciate the lovely land that we live in and the leaders who are doing their very best to keep us going.

The pandemic rolls on as a string of events are cancelled or postponed, with Great Southern Ram Show and sales at Canberra being called off, the Parkes Elvis Festival and Tamworth Country Music Festival deferred and the Bathurst 12 Hour car races postponed.

To cheer us up: an elderly lady who lives near a major western river says "that peanut that said that turned on tap in 2022 will not run because the river is dry was wrong. My taps won't run today cause they're six inches under the flood".

FAREWELL to Derek Larnach, who passed away in Bathurst following a long struggle with health problems.

He built Grainforce into a thriving business in Bathurst and he will be remembered by many district farmers for his excellent grain delivery service as the long drought set in during the late 1970s and continued for long years.

Grainforce was in its infancy, but Derek's ability and his care for his clients won't ever be forgotten.

THE recent death of Arthur Warrell in Wagga has revived memories of a highly regarded former manager of the Bathurst Branch of the National Australia Bank some decades ago.

He is remembered as a stylish batsman for Rugby Union cricket and a regular attendee at the weekly stock sales in Bathurst.

His voluntary work with Carenne School was greatly appreciated by all involved with Carenne.

Sympathy is extended to Patricia, Libby, Katherine and Stephanie.

THE Speed Shear competition at Oberon Show is creating a lot of interest, with $23,000 of total prizemoney being on offer.

Organisers are hoping to attract entries from about 80 shearers to the show event on Saturday, February 12 and the $10,000 prizemoney to the main Speed Shear winner is a huge attraction.

Details of the competition can be accessed by Googling Oberon Speed Shear.

REPORTS of the run of weaner calf sales across Victoria are telling of markets that are up by around $600 per head on last year's values at the same sales.

In many early sales, the majority of weaners have come to NSW and quite a few to our Central Tablelands, where there is unprecedented standing feed in the paddocks.

A leading buyer at a sale was quoted as saying: "If you want to buy cattle now you're really going to have to pay for them."

Another bidder said: "Two years ago we thought $800 for flock weaners was unsustainable, yet this year similar calves are making $2800."

SEVERAL country friends asked me recently if I thought Merino wether trials are still relevant as sheepmeat markets are now lucrative and wool markets are sound.

Wether trials give a clear indication of the ability of sheep bloodlines to produce sound financial returns, but proponents of dual purpose Merinos will point to lambing percentages and quick maturity as being of more importance.

Entrants must abide by all the rules for results to be fair.

The good times will recede some time in the future and concerns are often raised that today's cost structure will weigh heavily on every rural enterprise when this happens.

For instance, shearing and selling costs for 5000 Merinos at $75,000 will look huge if a bale of 20 mic. wool returns $1000 and 11 months old lambs bring $60.

I hope this never happens, but good times can unwind quickly.

The message must be to enjoy the good times and be very careful what we wish for.

DURING a radio interview in recent weeks, an irrigation farmer from near Deniliquin raised some pertinent questions.

He discussed the breaking of the decades-long drought and the wonderful flows that are in most of our inland rivers.

Irrigators along these rivers have full water allocations for 2022 and probably 2023 and their country at present has full moisture profile to start this year's crops.

The farmer is a cotton specialist and he talked about the past two summers that have been so cool that cotton crops have had really slow starts.

Confidence is high in every farming business at present and many are hoping that the run of good seasons will continue for some time.

WE all realise that rural organisations are only in the public eye when serious problems arise.

Remember the packed houses when the Bathurst Saleyards were closing, the OJD debacle, or the wide comb argument?

At present, it's an exercise to name the board of Local Land Services, the office bearers of NSW Farmers or Bathurst Merino Association.

None of these organisations have a profile following several years of social distancing, but one day they each will have an important role to play in our rural businesses again.

Meanwhile, we must thank all of these office bearers as they quietly carry the can until our lives return to something more normal.

AS an old violin player:

The serious music lover is the bloke who hears a lovely soprano in the bathroom and puts his ear to the keyhole.

***

GEORGE was at Circular Quay with his violin case and asked a cop: "How do I get to the Opera House?"

The wise old law man said: "Practise, practise, practise."

***

AFTER the concert, his wife said: "My word, that soprano has a wonderful repertoire."

"Yes," George beamed, "and that red dress showed it off so well."

***

"WHICH would you find easiest to give up, wine or women?" the psychologist asked George.

George thought for a moment and replied: "It would depend on the vintage of each."

HAPPY New Year.

The first week of sales since the Christmas recess saw the wool market open positively, with a lift in the EMI (Eastern Market Indicator) of 31ac/kg to 1389/kg - or a 2.28 per cent rise in Australian dollar terms.

Despite the strengthening of the US dollar over the recess, the market was considerably stronger in US dollar terms, being 4.83 per cent up.

With an offering of 43,739 bales, buyers were keen from the outset.

All merino fleece descriptions were 30-70ac dearer, with 17.5 micron and finer being the biggest movers.

Merino skirtings were up to 40ac dearer and merino oddments 10-20ac dearer.

The crossbred market was stronger and, by the end of the week, these wools had moved up 20-30ac/kg clean.

All sectors were active as buyers replenished their trading stock and processors were also keen to buy wool to get on the water to their wool mills.

Week 29 sees an estimated offering of 47,592 bales Australia-wide, with a three-day sale in Melbourne.