Welcome back to Getting the Upper Land, where senior journalist Denis Howard and livestock editor Rebecca Nadge give a rundown of some of the stories featured in the paper. Making news this week:
New Varroa mite detections in the Riverina and Sunraysia could not have come at a worse time for industry. The NSW Department of Primary Industries is reporting as many 300,000 hives are in those areas for almond pollination. The department says the most recent detection at Balranald can be traced to the Kempsey cluster - identified a fortnight ago - and brings the total number of infested properties to 222.
The durum wheat outlook coming into harvest is looking fairly healthy. Last year's wet helped foster the fungal toxin deoxynivalenol, or vomitoxin, and many growers this year have opted out of the crop following disease concerns, but the market is strong enough to make irrigating worthwhile.
The Rabobank Merino National Sheep Show and Ram sale was held in Dubbo last week and featured a packed program. As well as the main show, the event sashed the national supreme ram and featured a fleece competition, junior judging and a school's wether competition.
Staying commercially relevant is a crucial aspect for any stud, and competitors in the RAS Beef Challenge say the feedback from the competition is important for allowing them to benchmark themselves against the rest of the industry. Some of the winners have been competing for years and say they've used the results to influence their programs.
Decommissioned churches are finding their way onto the market, offering a new wave of regional renovators a chance to give the pieces of Australian history a second chance at life. Bush churches are an important part of many small communities and those restoring them take great pride in their projects. Keep an eye out on the website over the weekend.
