A crowd of around 300 people attended the Forbes First Cross Ewe Sale at the Central West Livestock Exchange at Daroobalgie last Thursday where more than 11,000 ewes were sold. Troffs Pastoral Company claimed the Glamis Shield for the best-presented pen of ewes. There were two new judges this year, Jenny Bradley and Barry Harper. Geoffrey Jones and family of Trundle took the coveted shield home in its 37th year.

Adam Chudleigh of McCarron Cullinane Chudleigh said: “The yarding was in magnificent condition.” He attributed it to the specialty breeders in the Forbes region coupled with a fantastic season. Adam said a large percentage of the yarding was sold to other areas throughout NSW, with strong interest from buyers from the Riverina, Southern and Central Tablelands. In all a total of 11,319 First Cross
ewes were sold.

The Quade family of Trundle had the top priced pen of ewes at $280.

PJL has launched a division for the sale and service of irrigation and pumps from its Parkes operations. PJL has been operating in Parkes since lst July this year and employs in excess of 20 staff. Arne Murray is heading up the irrigation and pumps side of the business and has relocated to Parkes with his wife and two children. Arne has been in this industry for 12 years, working previously for Lister Irrigation in Queensland.

Arne brings a wealth of experience to this role, and he has worked on domestic irrigation systems to large scale agricultural and industrial pumping systems. The focus for this new division is to specialise and service all aspects of irrigation. At this time of the year there is extreme pressure on all watering systems, from domestic, stock to pool systems, often leading to a varying level of repairs, and replacement of components and systems. PJL sells and services Calepeda, Franklin and Mono pumps. Arne is available to speak to customers either over the phone or by meeting with them onsite to discuss their needs. PJL pride themselves on a high level of customer service and speedy
response times. Contact Arne on 0488 715 400.

The rain and floods earlier this year had a major impact on cropping with farmers reporting varied results to date for their canola and wheat crops. With the canola harvest finished, and wheat well under way, there have been some positive results from the local farmers.

Neil Mattiske of Sunnydale, who operates a mixed farming operation on the Newell Highway, said they had lost approximately 25% of their canola and 20% of their wheat crop due to water damage. “The canola has been quite average, however the oil content is up around 45-47% oil, which means we are entitled to a bonus, which is great for the farmers.” Neil said the wheat harvest would be finished by next Friday to the north, and to the south and west they would be 50% through their harvest, “as along as we don’t get any more rain”.

He said the wheat harvest was really good in patches, with it going ASW (standard wheat), and some going H2 (which has 11.5% protein). “Under the old scale, we are getting around 15 – 18 bags to the acre, with our best paddocks producing 24 bags to the acre.” When the harvest is done, work on cutting lucerne and hay irrigation will start before Christmas, and after the festive period crutching will start.

Robinson Grain is pleased to announce it has secured the lease of the Linx grain storage site at Forbes (previously known as Mountain Bulk). With 26,000mt of storage we will be providing competitive cash pricing and warehouse options for all wheat grades, barley and canola. Opening hours at the site will be from 7am to 11pm. Site manager Dave Simpson is excited about the opportunity this provides growers in the Forbes district.

Three storage options
The new addition at Forbes complements RGT’s other two storage locations at RGT Yethera and Dubbo Grain Packing (DGP). Yethera will be offering both cash and warehouse options for wheat and Dubbo Grain Packing has contract options available for all grains and pulses. DGP also has cleaning options if required for grain that does not meet specifications. Robinson Grain is particularly keen to buy ex farm after harvest and throughout 2017 for growers who have the storage. Let’s utilise grower storages for growers benefit. RGT also buy into most graincorp receival sites.

Site Contacts
Dubbo: 02 6884 4000
Yethera: Trent 0407 667898 or Ryan 0402 373614
Forbes: 02 6851 2157 or 0427 253020
Grain Marketing Sydney: 02 9976 3625

With the 2016-17 Bush Fire Danger Period declared in 26 local government areas across the State, property owners need to minimise fire risk around homes and farms. The NSW Rural Fire Service was expecting above average bushfire activity this season. “Basic things such as mowing lawns regularly, clearing any leaves and debris from
gutters and ensuring wood piles are stored away from homes can help to protect your property from fire,” said regional manager Essential Energy, Mark Summers.

Download and complete a Bushfire Survival Plan and Farm FireWise Checklist from the Rural Fire Service website at www.rfs.nsw.gov.au. “We recommend vegetation be kept at least 15m clear from powerlines. If you notice any potential hazards contact Essential Energy for a safety assessment before attempting any trimming.” Keep your mobile charged during high risk days and consider access to back-up power if there is a need to pump water.

In the event of a bushfire, watch out for damaged infrastructure, burning poles and fallen powerlines. Keep at least 8m away from fallen lines and call Essential Energy immediately on 13 20 80.