Peter and his wife Kaye were heavily involved in their Blink Bonnie Stud at Tarana, the NSW Yard Dog Association, Stud Merino Breeders and the Bathurst Merino Association (BMA).

They often won grand champion fleece prizes at wool events in our area and as far away as Dubbo Nationals.

He will be greatly missed by his many friends and workmates across a wide part of our state.

Peter's funeral will be held on Wednesday, April 3 at 2pm at the Harness Racing Club, College Road, Bathurst.

THE dust has settled on this year's BMA Maiden Merino Ewe Competition and there are well-earned congratulations going to all prize winners.

I must add a big thank you to major sponsor Rabobank for chipping in some vital support to our local association.

Many thanks to Rabobank and its local representatives.

Also, a pat on the back for competition organisers for including some legendary BMA caps in the winner's trophy bag.

I know a few young blokes who really value these caps.

RECENT RURAL NOTEBOOK COLUMNS:

AUTUMN leaves are starting to flutter down as our lovely tablelands gets pretty close to our first frost for 2024.

Bathurst Regional Council and its outdoor staff have got large sections of Machattie Park open to the public in time for the Easter visitors and there is a great display of colourful flowers in the adjacent Kings Parade.

While parts of our district are in good pastoral condition, there is a serious lack of surface and dam water in areas to the north of Bathurst.

Fifty millimetres of solid rain before Easter would be very welcome across the state.

STRONG suggestions of the banning of the use of the insecticide Diazinon have created a lot of concern in agricultural businesses.

This chemical has been widely used in livestock management for control or eradication of pest insects such as lice, blowfly and a host of other problems.

Diazinon has stood the test of time as a lice control in sheep and is widely used in dipping operations, is economic to use and usually has a 100 per cent kill rate for lice.

Time was when the product was used for fly strike control on the shearing board, where a lot of workers suffered severe reactions to the chemical.

We hope that Diazinon use is not banned as it's been a reliable product for use in sheep and cattle operations, but users must take great care.

THERE are strong reports that another broadacre property in our district has been sold for softwood pine plantation and this is another link in a chain of industry changes.

In my lifetime, the Bathurst, Mudgee, Burraga district has changed its rural enterprises from mainly Merino sheep (of fine Merryville blood) to lots of cattle and many hectares of Radiata pine trees.

To really illustrate the changes, we see lots of electricity-generating wind towers being obvious along ridgelines, and large-scale solar farms are projected.

With all these changes over six or seven decades, we still need an honest, reliable rural workforce to actually do the work that computers plan while the operator sits at the desk.

A prospective lamb catcher tells me that he is ready to work at a rate of $1 per minute.

By the time a contractor adds insurance, travel and superannuation costs, passes the cost to the sheep cockie and realises that the job just cost more than the lamb, the owner is ready for in-house care.

All of my working life, the value of a day's work by a genuine rural worker is equivalent to a new pair of Rossi work boots.

A good pair of these boots that will polish up for town costs $250 today, and the rule of thumb still applies.

I NOTE the advertised sale of the noted Gurrundah property "Walwa", Crookwell for the McCormack family and this brings back many memories of the OJD debacle of the 1990s.

Alan McCormack was in regular touch with Bathurst representatives and he gave evidence at a Goulburn session of a federal senate inquiry that followed the Orange version.

"Walwa" was home to a leading Merino finewool stud and the property now hosts a ridgeline of renewable energy wind towers.

FRIENDS invited us to dinner recently and served Atlantic salmon and king prawns from Notnats Butchery at West Bathurst.

Their seafood products come direct from Sydney Fish Markets and Easter orders must be made to Spike at 6331 3684 by March 22.

The butchery is at the roundabout at the Suttor and Mitre streets intersection.

It's away from the downtown parking debacle and the meat and seafood are top quality. Email notnatsbutchery@gmail.com.

WEEK 37 of Australian wool sales had an offering of 40,000 bales, of which 94 per cent (or nearly 38,000 bales) was sold to the trade.

There was an early flourish on day one of sales as one buyer stepped in and put their foot on some wool.

This saw the market lift as some 19-21-micron types sold 40/50ac dearer than the previous week.

Unfortunately, this trend was not able to continue as the week went on.

As the week closed, the market faded to finish slightly easier.

Quantities remain low, which should be of benefit to the market, however, demand is weak and our Chinese and Indian customers are more chasing 18.5-micron and broader.

Europe is really doing it tough as its consumers struggle with food and energy prices. The USA is somewhat in confusion as its election year continues, which is part of the reason why fine Merinos continue to be unloved.

Week 38 has an estimated early offering of around 45,000 bales.

THERE are no Laugh Lines this week as a tribute to Peter Moore, whose passing has saddened many of our readers.