Prospective dog sellers can download entry forms on www.colonsaystud.com.

Sellers of handy dogs are usually pleased with sale prices at Bathurst and dozens of prospective buyers lined the fences at last year's auction.

PROMOTION of the Shearwell/The Land Sheep Week has been ramped up with brochures for the event being included in every copy of The Land and its sister publication, Stock and Land.

Bathurst Merino Association deserves credit for being at the forefront of the displays at the Bathurst Showground on Tuesday, June 18 from 10am-3pm.

There will be upwards of a dozen sheep studs exhibiting some of their sheep and local producers will have a chance to leave their "leader of the opposition" at the shops while they have a look around and a quiet yarn at the showground.

READ MORE:

Rural Notebook | Stud sheep display's a must see

Rural Notebook | Water worries are changing the way we work

Rural Notebook | Overflowing Lake Eyre raises hope for eastern farmers

LAST Saturday marked the last day of work at Perthville Store for long-time assistant Kathy Gnocchi.

She has been the friendly face at the shop counter, the former post office operator and good friend to lots of residents from near south of Bathurst to the Abercrombie River and the Barry/Neville area.

I'm sure that readers of this column will join with me to thank Kathy for her work ethic and her friendship.

All the very best for the future Kathy, we will miss you.

QUESTIONS are being raised about the continued safe use of the chemical glyphosate and its possible effect on human health.

Of course, legal and health authorities will carry out their duties on this issue but our agricultural industries will be concerned at the prospect of possible restrictions on the use of glyphosate.

Croppers who rely on no-till, direct-drilling of crops and pastures would have to source different chemicals for weed control and gardeners would face similar problems.

Alternate cropping methods already in use are pasture cropping with very little use of chemicals and the plough/cultivate for weed control that was widely used for many decades.

EXCELLENT returns are being received from lamb and mutton sales as the typical short supplies of winter and a general shortage of sheep have combined to produce a price spike.

National Livestock Reporting covering May 13 to May 23 tells us:

Approximately 7500 lambs from Tasmania were not shipped to mainland sales last Monday as transport ships were cancelled due to unusually rough seas.

WATER restrictions are being introduced in many towns and cities as a string of drought years have depleted above-ground storages and doubts are being raised about underground wells and storages.

Many years ago a 30-metre deep bricked well ran dry on a property near Rockley Mount.

Great care was taken as men dug deeper at the well's floor. I'm told that when workers looked up from the 30-metre floor they saw the stars shining in broad daylight.

Am I being told a fib or could this be true? Perhaps I've passed my use-by-date for writing Rural Notebook.

A REGULAR column in The Land newspaper is edited by Crookwell farmer John Carter and is titled Counterpoint.

In a recent edition John raises the point of Australia being overstocked with humans, the consequent shortage of water in towns and cities, along with major traffic congestion in cities and on arterial roads.

This is a novel expression but it raises the spectre of pressure on our country's food bowl, electricity generation and social structure.

John also provides commentary on grazing systems, especially innovators who have become involved in regenerative agricultural schemes.

He quotes: "I have seen four disasters since 1968; both sides of these grazing systems need to be researched before making decisions that may be great, or not so great."

THE sight of many kilometres of new boundary fencing is obvious in many parts of the Tablelands and this shows what can happen when the cockies have a much better income for several years.

It's also obvious that many tonnes of superphosphate are being spread every week as established graziers know the long-term value of the product.

While some bystanders are prone to making doomsday climate predictions, most primary producers are genuine optimists and plan for a future that will include many changes in farming practices, water storages, crops and pasture species.

A THOUGHT for the week: The most wasted day of all is a day without laughter.

A SMALL national offering of only 28,273 bales saw buyers compete strongly to secure their required quantities.

The strong demand pushed the Northern Market Indicator up 40c/kg to finish the week on 1909c/kg.

Fine to superfine merino types were up around 30c/kg while the medium to strong merino wools gained between 40 and 50c/kg.

The crossbred wools saw gains of around 50c/kg while the 28 micron crossbred wools finished the week on 1125c/kg.

Next week will see 31,680 bales on offer nationwide with the market predicted to be at similar levels to the previous week.

Mark Horsburgh, TWG Landmark

Tuesday, June 18: Sheep Week at Bathurst Showground, 10am-3pm.

Friday and Saturday, July 12-13: Mudgee Small Farm Field Days.

Monday, July 22: Bathurst Merino Association annual general meeting, Perthville Hotel, 7.30pm. All welcome.

Saturday, August 10: Bathurst Merino Association ram expo and dog auction at Bathurst Showground.

OUR balding farmer had taken a liking to the young lady at the checkout.

"Where have you been all my life, darling?" he asked.

She murmured: "Well, for the first half I wasn't born."

***

DAD came home from a fishing trip and suspected his missus had been up to mischief.

He yelled: "Tell me, was it Tom, or Dick or Harry?"

She shouted back: "Don't you think I've got any friends of my own?"