ANNA Brian advises that their Bella Lana Stud at Dripstone will display rams at Bathurst Ram Expo on Saturday, August 13 and at the South West Slopes Field Day on Tuesday, August 30.
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The stud will offer 150 hogget rams on-property on September 21.
These sheep are proving to suit our district very well and they are a far cry from the thick, heavy skinned wool cutters that shearers and mulesers were known to hate.
Will be a long wait
AUCTION sale results tell us that a lot of broad crossbred fleece wool is not covering the cost of shearing in present conditions.
Most producers make their profits in a crossbred lamb production business from meat production, but usually count on wool proceeds to balance shearing costs.
If producers hold onto the bulk of this year's crossbred wool clip in the hopes of a rebound in price, it's worth noting that the hoped-for rebound is predicted to be about five years away.
Learn the lesson
STUART Kelly advises that an ongoing series of Australian Wool Innovation (AWI) high school "Introduction to the Wool Industry" days are being conducted in collaboration with Blayney High, Scots All Saints and MacKillop colleges.
Students are being shown how to crutch, shear, sort wool and handle fleeces.
The Kelly family at Caloola have already hosted some events at one of their properties with school staffers Josh Clayton, Kelly Armour and Penny Clout on hand.
I dip my cap to shearing contractor Andy Duggan for his involvement with AWI and the schools. This should be a real boost for the wool industry in years to come.
Please take care
A RECENT fatality in a nearby district makes us extra careful when using chains or snatch straps when rescuing bogged vehicles.
We must never attach chains or straps to the tow ball of a vehicle as a snapped tow ball will be a missile and can be a killer.
Always attach straps to the frame of a towbar or a tow hook built into the vehicle's chassis.
Beautiful number
I MUST dip my cap to Lagoon horse trainer/driver Steve Turnbull, who notched up his 4000th training winner at Parkes trots last week.
We know the very long hours and very big effort that goes into the trotting game, but we remember the many highlights of Steve's career and hope that he carries on with a quiet grin for many more years.
History lesson
NEWS items tell of the developments that are happening in the new Gateway precinct on the eastern outskirts of Bathurst city.
A brace of new businesses have been trading on-site for some time and the whole project must grow quickly in the medium term.
From a livestock producer's perspective, it's worth noting that former Bathurst butcher George Ryan operated his slaughterhouse at the back of the property that is being developed as Gateway.
Livestock were walked from the Bathurst Saleyards to Mr Ryan's facility in the days before Blayney Abattoir was built.
To reminisce a bit more, the premises that we know as Country Coffee is being offered for sale and it was once a butcher's shop conducted by Jim McFarland and his two sons Des and Tony.
Familiar faces of the workforce included Jim Russell, John Donnelly, John McAndrew and Lester Oxley.
All of our local butchers used local livestock in their businesses and were highly regarded by the farming community.
They're a cut above
SOCIAL media comments have recently been made on the constant work of the Glenray grass cutters, who do a great job on tidying roadsides in many parts of our city and the roads that lead to it.
At a time when reliable workers are hard to find, it's great to see the Glenray crew working in all weather and helping to make Bathurst such a tidy town.
I'm sure that every farmer joins me in saying thank you to the Glenray grass cutters for making our town so tidy.
Wool report
WEEK 51 of the Australian wool selling series saw the "elastic band" effect: 18.5 micron and finer up to 20ac cheaper and, conversely, 19.0 micron and broader par to 10ac dearer.
The 20 micron fleece indicator moved upwards of 60ac.
By the end of the week, the Eastern Market Indicator (EMI) had moved up 7ac (or 0.5 per cent) to 1474ac/kg.
Local and Chinese traders were very active as they outstripped the Chinese topmakers, who had to either lift their bid price or sit on their hands and get no wool.
Next week is the last sale for the 2021 financial year and, by all reports, the quantities that will be offered in the first two weeks of the new season may be over 50,000 bales each week.
Let's hope these quantities do not negatively affect buyer sentiment.
Week 52 has an estimated offering of 45,000 bales.
Richard Butcher, Nutrien Wool
Diary dates
- July 8 and 9: Mudgee Small Farm Field Days.
- July 15-17: Bendigo Sheep Show.
- Wednesday, July 20: South East Merino Field Day; 41 studs at Keith, SA.
- July 31-August 2: Hamilton Sheepvention.
- Saturday, August 13: Bathurst Ram Expo.
- August 15: Marnoo Field Day.
Laugh lines
CEDRIC was an overbearing pastoralist who was involved in a court case with a sharefarmer.
His lawyers emailed the result: "Justice has prevailed."
Our man immediately fired back: "Appeal at once."
***
TWO English, two Scots, two Welsh and two Irish were stranded on an island.
The Scots tossed the caber, the Welsh started an eisteddfod, the Irish planned to blow up everything English and the two Poms would not talk to each other because they hadn't been introduced.
***
WE know we're working class when the tele is bigger than the bookcase.