The NSW Government has announced a $50 million package for households, local businesses and farmers to help combat the mice plague currently impacting regional NSW.

NSW Upper House MP, Sam Farraway said communities right across the Central West and Western NSW had done it tough off the back of drought, bushfires and floods. “This mice plague is devastating communities who are already suffering.

“I have received a lot of feedback from communities that we needed to act on this mice plague as this infestation runs deep through the community.”

Households will be able to apply for rebates of up to $500 and small businesses will be eligible to claim up to $1,000 through Service NSW.

Deputy Premier John Barilaro said these rebates would help small businesses and households meet the cost of purchasing baits, and grain treatment would be available for impacted farmers free of charge.

“We know the financial pressure this mice plague is putting on farmers and household budgets. We have heard the concerns and we are acting on them,” said the deputy premier.

“The NSW Government will establish grain treatment facilities at specified locations across rural and regional NSW for farmers to have their grain treated free of charge and we will provide rebates to small businesses and households through Service NSW to help meet the cost of buying bait.

“I am also forming an advisory committee to ensure everyone has access to expert advice, including the latest hot spots, health and food safety advice, information for vets and guidance for keeping children and animals safe.”

Other steps include a rapid move by the NSW Government to seek the necessary approvals for the use of bromadiolone in NSW and expanded workshops on the best eradication strategies. For more information go to www.nsw.gov.au/mice.

The NSW Farmers’ Association has launched a program to get school kids learning more about life on the farm. The Kids to Farms: 2 by 12 Program aims to enable every child in NSW to have two educational interactions with the agricultural sector before they are 12.

NSW Farmers’ President James Jackson said that the program was a combination of digital programs and on-farm experience. “We’re aiming for kids to increase their understanding of where and how their food and fibre is produced, and the role and importance of agriculture to Australia’s way of life, regional communities and the economy.

“We know that 59% of students learn what they know about food and fibre production from their teachers. We cannot underestimate the importance of our primary teachers in supporting our kids to engage with the agricultural industry.”

NSW Farmers Association was awarded $822,000 over three years as part of the Australian Government’s $5 million Educating Kids About Agriculture: Kids to Farms initiative.

For more details on Kids to Farms visit www.visitmyfarm.com.au/kids-to-farms

NSW Farmers is an association representing rural and regional communities and working to secure a sustainable food and fibre future.

Team work over three generations of the Hood family saw the trophy of this year’s Doug Bicket Memorial Maiden Ewe Competition return to their farming enterprise.

Andew Hood was thrilled to be able to share the win with his father, Roger and son, Colby. “Dad has always been passionate about his sheep and since Colby joined our operation, we have endeavoured to really push the livestock side of the business and maximize the returns we can achieve.”

The family is extremely positive about the future of their flock after strong markets and an amazing season – an optimism that was plain for all to see when the team received the trophy in the shadows of a recently erected, state of the art shearing shed.

The Overland blood ewes carry a 20.5 micron fleece and are classed by Andy McLeod of Dubbo. The flock presented in top condition, reflecting the amazing 12 months of seasonal conditions, in stark contrast to the harsh drought the ewes were born into.

Despite well above average rainfall in the past three months and a severe fly wave that has ravaged the district, Andrew said the ewes had not been treated with any chemicals with minimal fly strike, attributing this to the Overland genetics the family has been using for a number of years.

The judges, Drew Chapman of Hinesville and West Plains Poll Studs, Delegate and Angus Munro, Stud Breeding Manager for Poll Boonoke and Wanganella Studs, were impressed with the ewes from the moment they set foot in the yards.

“This is a great commercial mob of ewes that have been well managed and classed with a clear direction,” said Drew. “They are a very uniform mob and are going to cut a lot of white, soft handling wool as well as being large bodied and structurally correct.”

Angus picked up on the flocks’ impressive lambing percentage adding, “To achieve a lambing percentage of 130% in the middle of one of the worst droughts on record is an amazing result and a credit to the management the Hood family are implementing over their animals.”

Second place went to the “Allambie” flock of the Watt family at Alectown. The Darriwell blood team are classed by Russell Jones, carry a 19.5 micron fleece and achieved a lambing percentage of 112%.

The encouragement award was taken home by the Witherow family of “Ranfurlie”, Parkes. It is the first time the flock has been entered in the competition and the team made quite an impression.

The largest crowd of spectators ever seen at the Parkes competition, organised by the Parkes PA & H Association is perhaps a reflection of the optimism around the turnaround in the season and the strong market conditions as the district moves to recover from the drought it had endured up until 12 months prior.

By Garry O’Brien

The worsening mouse situation in some of Australia’s key cropping regions will be addressed at a specially convened online forum organised by the Grains Research Development Corporation (GRDC) this morning.

With mice ravaging freshly planted summer crops in parts of northern NSW and Queensland and in large numbers elsewhere across eastern and southern states, concern is mounting about further impact to summer crops ahead of grain fill and harvest and the potential threat to the 2021 winter grain crop.

The live-streamed Grains Research Update will enable growers to hear directly from GRDC-supported experts from CSIRO, who will provide the latest insights into the extent of the issue and practical mouse management advice for now and in the lead up to summer crop harvest and the sowing of winter crops.

GRDC Manager Pests, Leigh Nelson, says the Mouse Update has been convened in response to the escalation in rodent numbers and the damage being caused. The interactive Update will feature GRDC-supported lead mouse researcher Steve Henry from CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, who will deliver an assessment of the current situation in all states. He will also discuss:
• Critical mouse control considerations ahead of the summer crop harvest and in the lead up to autumn sowing of winter crops
• Maximising the effectiveness of control using zinc phosphide
• The latest research on baits
• Monitoring, including the development of remote systems
• Ecology – the impact of farming systems on mice.

The Mouse Update will begin at 9am. To register, go to http://bit. ly/2KQRTY1. For further information, contact John Cameron or Erica McKay at ICAN on 02 9482 4930 or erica@icanrural.com.au.

More details about control options are available via the GRDC Mouse Control website at https://grdc.com.au/resources-and-publications/resources/mouse-control.

Local Land Services (LLS) and Landcare NSW are committed to empowering local communities and Landcare groups to deliver sustainable agriculture and to best manage the state’s natural resources, after the two organisations refreshed and re-signed their Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).

“The relationship between LLS and Land-care NSW has been extremely fruitful and rewarding, and we certainly look forward to building on that success in the future,” said LLS Chair Richard Bull.

“By recommitting to this partnership we are not only working together to achieve better landscape outcomes, but we are putting ourselves in the best position to adapt and build on the success of our various projects.

Landcare NSW Chairperson Stephanie Cameron said signing the new MOU was an important step for the organisations, which first committed to the partnership in 2015. “The MOU plays an important role in guiding the collegiate culture, co-govern-ance, co-design and joint leadership of our flagship project – the Landcare NSW Sup-port Program,” she said.

The NSW Government invested $22.4 million over four years to expand the highly successful Local Landcare Coordinator Initiative employing 12 regional Landcare co-ordinators and 72 local Landcare coordinators. Around 60,000 people in NSW identify as being Landcarers, and they are supported by almost 3,000 Landcare Groups.

The Parkes PA & H wether trial was completed in August with very positive results.

Although the trial began in 2019 with the September even-up shearing during the worst of the drought, our trial wethers were well looked after by Ken Keith and Peter Guppy. Since the breaking of the drought in February the wethers have done exceptionally well on the Parkes Solar Farm with the wool quality and wool cut above average.

Shearing took place early August and again Ken and Peter proved to be invaluable in keeping the sheep dry enough to shear during what was a very wet period in the winter.

The 11 teams of wethers from the Parkes district representing nine different bloodlines and a range of wool types from fine to medium to bold medium. In total the 125 wethers cut 1,050kg greasy at an average of 8.4kg greasy per head, and a yield of 70.7%. Based on market prices at the time of shearing (the wool market has been hit by Covid-19) our wethers wool value per head averaged $57.57.

All proceeds from the sale of wool were donated to the Parkes PA & H, and all services and labour provided free of charge. Thank you to the willing team of helpers for mustering, drenching, shearing, crutching and more.

A special thank you to Andrew Carlton, Dennis Webb and Brad Kelly who shore the wethers and gave up a day’s wages to do so. To Tim Keith for wool classing and many other local farmers and roustabouts for their help.

Dr Kathryn Egerton-Warburton and MaryAnn Sladek from the DPI in Orange have been, and will continue to be responsible for the production of data for the duration of the trial for the next three years that will provide technical feedback to local woolgrowers.

Ostini Wool recently offered the wool for sale at our Sydney Auction with very positive comments from buyers regarding the overall quality of the wool coming from the Parkes district and how it is suited to a wide range of overseas markets including China, India and Europe.

For any further information about the trial contact Graeme Ostini 0428 650 191.

By Graeme Ostini

Agricultural machinery owners and operators are invited to get road ready for the 2020 harvest season, by picking up a free ‘Moving Harvest Machinery’ USB from all agricultural machinery retailers and rural supply stores in the Parkes, Forbes and Lachlan Shires. The USBs are also available at the councils’ administration offices.

The USB contains all the relevant notices for safely and legally moving agricultural machinery and combinations on the road along with other useful harvest safety information.

“Safety and compliance during harvest is very important. Operators need to be aware of their responsibilities and ensure that all warning devices and travel requirements are adhered to,” said Parkes, Forbes and Lachlan Shire Councils’ Road Safety and Injury Prevention Officer Melanie Suitor.

“It has been updated with the most current notices (as of September 2020) and provides other relevant information.”

“It is advisable to regularly check the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator’s website (www.nhvr.gov.au) for updated notices and/or changes to operating conditions.”

“The USBs are always very popular. This year there are 1,000 available. Let’s work together to have a safe harvest,” Melanie said.

For further information contact Melanie Suitor on 6861 2364.