We have also noticed several cold fronts pass by without adding much to rain gauges in the district.

In contrast, we see the sandy Castlereagh River with a minor flood on the Collie road, just a few kilometres north of Dubbo.

Every farmer on the Central Tablelands would appreciate about 50 millimetres of solid rain by late August as it would set pastures up for a productive spring season and keep cereal crops ticking.

AS the annual spring shearing season kicks off, we realise how much we rely on the workforce who turn up every day and get on with the job.

Team members are experts at their job, don't mind the disco music and manage to see a bit of humour in the toughest situations.

The sheep owners may not see a lot of laughs in the current drop in wool values of around $1000 a bale for our district's merino wool.

Solid returns for sale sheep and lambs are needed to underpin the farm business for 2020-2021.

Some of us old buffers would love to be back working with a shearing team, but perhaps we've had too many birthdays.

OTHER RECENT RURAL NOTEBOOK COLUMNS:

THE Federal Government's $150,000 instant tax write-off has been a major stimulus to farm machinery traders and sales results show a 48 per cent year-on-year improvement in sales of new farm tractors.

During June of this year, the sales of new tractors across the nation passed the 2000 mark for the first time.

This must be a huge lift for business owners, sales staff and financiers, as well as a big tax saving and a lift in spirits for farming families.

On top of tractor sales, this stimulus also covers new and used machinery, farm and trade vehicles and a host of business accessories.

MORE than 400 interested parties joined a webinar that illustrated the many variations that cover what is loosely called regenerative agriculture and many of the participants were impressed.

Several presenters discussed no use of chemicals or fertilisers, while others talked of limited use of these types of products.

These strategies have polarised much of the farming community and the lack of demand for usual farm inputs could devastate rural suppliers.

Talk of "falling off the cliff" in agriculture can be disturbing and I hope that the expected results of graphic changes might be demonstrated over several decades.

A case of hasten slowly may be the order of the day.

While the mulesing debate is still red hot in the wool industry, it was of value to read of a modern farm family who operate a 6000 head sheep flock on properties at Crookwell and Breadalbane.

They switched to the Leahcim bloodline nine years ago and ceased mulesing merino sheep in 2017.

The McLean/Doran family made some pertinent comments on their decision on the mulesing issue:

BATHURST Regional Council did a great job in presenting its annual Winter Festival in the face of crowd restrictions and disease control laws.

Visitors enjoyed the attractions that were available and lots of youngsters had their first experience of drive-in movies.

One day they'll look back and say: "I was at the drive-in movies at Mount Panorama before they built the go-kart track at the very top and Mr. Bobby Bourke was the mayor of Bathurst. They were the good old days."

ELEVEN-YEAR-OLD Jack seemed worried after school.

"What does vice mean?" he asked Mum.

Mum was taken aback and referred Jack to his dad.

So Dad explained about drugs, sex, drinking, swearing and gambling.

Young Jack was upbeat.

"They made me vice-captain at school, Dad, and I thought it was a dud job," he said, "but it sounds like my style now."

***

GEORGE had passed on and the funeral director asked the widow for a few words for a newspaper notice.

She suggested: "George died. Funeral in Bathurst Monday."

The director said that for the same cost the notice could include six more words.

So the widow changed it to: "George died, funeral Monday in Bathurst; four pairs mulesing shears for sale."