An old hand tells me that his strategy was to grain train every lamb on his property so that ewes that are heavy in lamb will know how to consume plenty of grain from a paddock and thrive on the protein just when its needed.

A similar process takes place when calves are yard weaned for some days and provided with shade, shelter and lots of good quality hay.

There are still a lot of top notch stockmen and women in rural industries and their expertise is invaluable when the going gets tough.

A stud breeder of ultra fine merino wool at Hamilton in Victoria's western district is rejoicing at the relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions across our nation.

As ultra fine wools are used by Italian processors in the manufacturing of top quality men's suits, there has been a graphic downturn in demand for this wool when funerals, weddings and face-to-face gatherings were restricted to a mere handful of people.

Suddenly, lots of men need suits for formal occasions as well as a stylish new woollen overcoat to update their image and raise the spirits of the wool producer.

A very big thank you must be said to Mark Horsburgh, who recently retired from TWG/Nutrien Wool in Bathurst.

Mark was highly regarded as a wool specialist and his expertise were seen as he contributed the weekly wool report to Rural Notebook for many years.

Thank you for your years of service to the wool industry Mark.

We hope that your new knee works like a bought one.

Almost every day I'm told of small contracting businesses closing down because of a lack of willing, reliable workers.

On the rural scene fencing and livestock contractors, market gardeners, machinery and truck operators and woolshed staffers all suffer from a serious lack of workers.

Very few people are prepared to work as weed spraying operators and well above award wages are being offered in most of the above situations.

To remain positive, we must make plans for attracting the workers that are so urgently needed across the industry and leaders of farming groups should surely lead the way.

We have just over one week to view and comment on Bathurst Regional Council's proposal to name a concrete pathway in Eglinton the Russell Carrig Walkway.

From my point of view, this is a fitting tribute to a Sydney businessman who made Bathurst his home in the late 1950s and made an excellent contribution to our city and district.

His wool trading business in Sydney, Commonwealth Wool, was sold and Mr Carrig bought a sheep producing property near O'Connell.

He taught wool classing, small motor maintenance, and shearing shed expertise at Bathurst and Oberon tech colleges for some years.

He also bought a subdivision of Alloway Bank at Eglinton and became heavily involved with Landcare and the Saltram Creek project.

Councillor Jess Jennings made reference to Mr Carrig's work with Landcare in its early days and his comments are much appreciated.

Feedback on the naming proposal can be shared on the YourSay Bathurst website.

Happy birthday to Perthville identity John Ryan who celebrated his 60th last weekend.

John was a first grade winger with Bathurst St Patricks some years ago, worked long stints at Devro and Friskies Factories and was a key employee of Perthville Sheep Services for many years.

Many Happy returns J.R.

There was a comment that was made recently, "What would Bathurst be without Mount Panorama and our car races?"

We all realise that the Mount is a huge asset to our city, but we know that the Central Tablelands has great facilities such as Charles Sturt University, our thriving factories in Bathurst, Oberon and Blayney, and good hospital services with specialists in nearby Orange.

This district is home to many prime agricultural businesses and a top notch stock selling complex.

Most of us are proud to call our towns and district our home and we know that our car races just complement our lovely part of Australia.

George waved at his lady neighbour for ten minutes before he realised she was cleaning her windows.

A tip: Save the business cards of people you don't like.

If you ever scrape a parked car, simply write "Sorry" on the card and leave it on the windscreen.

She said she missed me. Normally that was good, but she was re-loading.

The Swiss lady and a real estate agent were inspecting a nice old house.

He said, "Now we'll to upstairs to the main bedroom and den."

She asked, "And den what?"

With an offering of 40,000 bales and a lower Australian dollar rate, the market in week 44 lifted by 1.7 per cent to 1.9 per cent in all the major currencies that wool is traded in.

Buyers had expected they would encounter a dearer market at the beginning of the week as business had been done and the ever-present mill buyers had to get their share of wool.

By the end of the week the Eastern Market Indicator (EMI) had moved up 24ac/kilogram to break the 1400ac level and close at 1401ac/kilogram.

The 18.5 and broader were the main movers, which were up by 30-55ac/kilogram.

There was only a six per cent passed in rate Australia wide.

All our global wool partners are active in this market with Italy and India buying in.

China, despite its zero-COVID policy, continues to be active as some ports and mills are put into a production "bubble" to ensure there are no COVID outbreaks.

Reports of tent cities being built in some Chinese ports with military presence have filtered through. So, at present, it seems as if it is business as usual in that country.

Week 45 sees an estimated offering of 43,000 bales Australia wide.