Rural

Recent Cattle Market Reports

TENTERFIELD

Heifers sell to $2,826.00 Sale Date: 20.06.2022 Number Yarded: 360

Numbers decreased this sale with a total yarding of 360 head. A mixed quality yarding saw prices meet a softer market. Steers sold to 544 cents, whilst bullocks sold to a top of 362 cents.

In the Cow section, heavy weight cows sold to 350 cents, medium weight cows reached 323.2 cents, no lightweight cows were yarded. Heifers sold to 498.2 cents.

Trade cattle saw weaner steers top at 686.2 cents, while the heifer portion reached 542.2 cents, both returning to the paddock. Best bulls made 320 cents.

Vealers; Yearlings; Heifers Light Strs. 648.2 av. 577.0; Steers 525.2 av. 481.5; 498.2 av. 375.2 Hfrs. 542.2 av. 513.2; Heifers 520.2 av. 480.6 Heavy Strs. 686.2 av. 609.0; (200 to 280kg) Heavy Strs. 652.2 av. 644.8; (280kg plus) Hfrs. 540.2 av. 525.8; (200 to 280kg) Hfrs. 518.2 av. 518.2; (280kg plus)

Steers up to 400kg; Steers 400-500kg; Steers 500kg plus 544.0 av. 462.7; 521.2 av. 401.4; 445.2 av. 394.1

Cows; Bulls 600kg+; Bullocks 540kg + Light No Quote; 320.0 av. 267.7; 362.0 av. 357.3 Medium 323.2 av. 288.3 Heavy 350.0 av. 325.4

TOP PRICES BULLOCKS: NM & K Rhodes $2963.88 STEERS: RD & RV Cox $2709.00 COWS: Shipfury Pty Ltd $2345.00 HEIFERS: DB, JC & NA Lanz $2826.00 YEARLINGS: Ian Clark $2360.00 VEALERS: Ian Clark $2001.00 BULLS:David Sweeney $2987.52

CASINO

NRLX Market Report Week Ending Friday 24 June

Agents yarded a total of 1,641 head at the Northern Rivers Livestock Exchange regular prime sale on Wednesday 22 June. There was a reduction in most classes of cattle, although young cattle were well supplied. A fair number of cows were penned along with an increased numbers of bullocks and steers. The yarding of young cattle consisted mainly of weaners with quality fairly mixed.

Cow prices saw a drop this week averaging 298c/kg and reaching a top price of 436c/kg. Heifer prices were also down with lighter stock up to 250kg averaging 509c/kg and topping their category at 624c/kg. Heavier heifers over 250kg averaged 430c/kg and reached a top of 522c/kg.

Bull prices decreased this week with 55 head sold averaging 301c/kg and 565kg. Steers held frm to easier with lighter steers up to 250kg averaging 604c/kg and reaching a top price of 738c/kg. Heavier steers over 250kg averaged 480c/kg and topped their market at 636c/kg. A good number of bullocks sold on the day averaged 364c/kg.

Vealer prices were back again this week with lighter vealer up to 250kg averaging 572c/kg and reaching a top of 740c/kg. Heavier vealer over 250kg averaged 504c/kg with a top price of 640c/kg.

Ramsey & Bulmer held their annual Casino Bull & Female Sale on Friday 24 June with a se-lection of 48 top-quality Hereford & Santa Gertrudis stud bulls going under the hammer. A large crowd was in attendance with a commendable 98% clearance rate and average of $8,500. Top bull of the day was sold by McPherson Herefords to John Smith of Woodenbong for $18,000.

T&W McCormack and Ramsey & Bulmer will hold a store sale on Friday 8 July with 1,500 booked. Further bookings are welcome.

Property of the Week

PRODUCTIVE RIVERFRONT FARM - $2,300,000

Situated on the banks of the mighty Clarence River, between the villages of Ulmarra and Cowper, this 50 acre Add a little bit of body text (approx) property comprises some of the most productive riverbank country in our region. With established infrastructure all presenting in very good order - including the renovated homestead, in-ground swimming pool, separate studio/office, carport, substantial lock-up shed with skillions, steel cattle yards, stables, sand arena, right down to the fencing - everything is in tip-top shape. The ridgeline upon which all infrastructure is located is entirely flood-free; and stood up to the test of the recent flood event. There is no need to rush around and move livestock off the property, or lift things in the home or shed. 'Quality' is the word that best describes this property.

Phone JoJo Newby of Farrell McCrohon Stock & Station Agents on 0417 690 637 to discuss further.

For Cattle Bookings contact: Offce: 02 6736 1344 Glen: 0412 269363 Matthew: 0401 949323

NEXT SALE: 4th July 2022, 8am Start

Stock Comment

453 cattle yarded in a very mixed offering at Grafton for Tuesday June 21st sale. The wet and the cold is definitely showing in the cattle at the moment and consequently prices also eased across the board. Bullocks sold to 370c/kg, Heavy cows sold to 340c/kg and Bulls to 320c/kg. Weaner steers sold from 350c/kg to 670c/kg depending on weight and quality. Our next Store sale will be this Thursday 30th June.

SALE DATES TO REMEMBER

Store Sale - Thursday 30th June - 9am start Fat Sale - Tuesday 5th July - 8am start Fat Sale - Tuesday 12th July - 8am start Store Sale - Thursday 2st July - 9am start Fat Sale - Tuesday 26th July - 8am start

Huge swathe of NSW land protected

More than 31,200 hectares of private land in north-western NSW is now protected in perpetuity through the NSW Government’s Biodiversity Conservation Trust (BCT), marking a major win for biodiversity in the region.

Minister for Environment James Griffn said Bush Heritage Australia and South Endeavour Trust have signed permanent conservation agreements for Naree Station and Yantabulla Station.

“This is a NSW Government commitment of $8.9 million to support the rich biodiversity in this part of the state, and it’s a great example of what government and private organisations can achieve when working together to protect and conserve our environment,” Mr Griffn said.

“At least 60 per cent of Australia’s land is privately owned or managed, and many important ecosystems are found on private land, which is why conservation agreements like these are so important.

“These two massive sites, which are on the traditional Country of the Budjiti people, are home to nationally signifcant wetlands for waterbird feeding and breeding.

“The wetlands form part of the Paroo River catchment, which is the last free-fowing river of the Murray Darling Basin. It’s considered among the top 20 sites for waterbirds in Australia.

“These two BCT conservation agreements are pivotal for the many species that rely on the protection of these unique ecosystems to breed, rest and survive.”

At Naree and Yantabulla, ecologists have recorded: • More than 187 water bird species, many of which are threatened • At least 15 mammal species, including the vulnerable striped-faced dunnart, sandy inland mouse and little pied bat • At least 350 native plant species, among 16 vegetation communities • Important habitat for pink cockatoos, budgies, emus, short-beaked echidnas, red kangaroos, and a variety of frogs and reptiles.

The agreements, administered by the NSW Government’s BCT, are supported in-perpetuity with annual payments for agreed conservation action.

The combined conservation area protected under these agreements is 31,266 hectares, which is one of the largest areas of private land protected under a BCT agreement.

Prior to signing these agreements, the BCT had invested $124.9 million to support 146 funded conservation agreements, collectively covering over 78,000 hectares.

These two neighbouring agreements therefore increase the area protected under funded agreements by a whopping 40 per cent.

To read more about the BCT, visit /www.bct. nsw.gov.au/

Government to extend farm resilience program

Farmers across NSW will have ongoing support to build resilience when it comes to future droughts and other natural disasters, thanks to a multi-million dollar commitment in the 202223 NSW Budget.

Treasurer and Minister for Energy Matt Kean said the NSW Government, in partnership with the Commonwealth, will provide $12.1 million to continue the popular Farm Business Resilience Program until June 2024, following the positive response and take-up of the pilot program.

“Following the extreme weather events that have occurred across NSW over the past several years and a global pandemic, our farmers continue to face challenges and uncertainty when it comes to the management of their farming operations,” Mr Kean said.

“Through this multifaceted program, farmers will have access to free business coaching, farm tours, workshops, networking events and a series of online resources which will provide advice on various aspects of a farming operation.”

Minister for Agriculture Dugald Saunders said feedback from those who have already participated in the program has been overwhelmingly positive.

“The program has already had signifcant intake, with farmers across the state receiving support to create their own business plans, bank ready budgets and drought strategies,” Mr Saunders said.

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$328 million for regional and key worker housing

Regional New South Wales is at the heart of the NSW Government’s 2022 Housing Package with almost $328 million to improve housing supply and ensure locals and key workers moving to the regions have a place to call home.

Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional NSW Paul Toole said the investment would increase housing across the State by fast-tracking planning, building new homes, upgrading social housing, bolstering key worker accommodation and unlocking government-owned land.

“We know housing is one of the biggest limiting factors in attracting workers and driving further growth in the regions, which is why we’re investing an extra $327.8 million to tackle this issue with practical solutions,” Mr Toole said.

“It includes $174 million to deliver more than 270 new homes for teachers, nurses and police, ensuring we’re looking after the people caring for our communities.

“Developing new housing is complex, and this package will ensure we get the many parts of the system working together, including councils, industry, developers and community housing providers.”

Treasurer Matt Kean said regional housing was a priority with up-front planning, coordinated infrastructure delivery and a pipeline of development-ready land key to building more homes.

“We know the key to unlocking housing in regional New South Wales is the delivery of critical infrastructure, which is why we’re investing $120 million to build transformational infrastructure that will unlock new homes in the regions,” Mr Kean said.

Minister for Planning and Minister for Homes Anthony Roberts said the funding would support the delivery of prioritised infrastructure by local governments to pave the way for thousands of regional homes in the next four years.

“We’re also focusing on implementing the recommendations of the Regional Housing Taskforce, which is why we are investing $33.8 million to help regional councils plan for growth by providing up-front strategic planning grants and the expansion of the urban development program to bring together infrastructure providers, industry and planners to actively manage and unblock the housing supply pipeline,” Mr Roberts said.

“In 2021, the NSW Government launched the Regional Housing Taskforce to address regional housing pressures and identify recommendations to boost housing supply and affordability. Our package responds to the recommendations of the Taskforce.

“This investment will deliver more land for homes sooner and different types of homes to meet the community’s needs, as well as provide certainty to attract investment and better data to make sure the right homes are built in the right places.”

EPA pings Forestry Corp a third time in six days

Forestry Corporation has been prosecuted and fned three times in the past six days for alleged illegal logging operations in koala habitat and fre-affected forests.

The Environment Protection Authority (EPA) announced it had fned Forestry Corp $15,000 (the maximum penalty) for failing to comply with conditions imposed to protect critical habitat in Brooman State Forest near Batemans Bay after the Black Summer bushfres.

“Forestry Corporation is a serial offender,” Nature Conservation Council Chief Executive Chris Gambian said.

“It is behaving like an outlaw organisation, not a government agency entrusted with managing 2 million hectares of public forests

“This is the third time in six days Forestry Corporation has been fned or prosecuted for serious breaches of environmental protection laws.

“Where is the responsible minister, Dugald Saunders, during all this? He should publicly condemn the reckless and lawless behaviour of this agency, but we haven’t heard a peep out of him.

“The government must establish a comprehensive independent review of Forestry Corporation to ensure it acts lawfully and sustainably.

“There is little evidence the corporation is meeting basic standards under the existing arrangements. It appears to requires root and branch reform.”

The fnes and prosecutions of the past week are not isolated instances. Forestry Corporation is a repeat offender, with eight alleged major breaches since April 2020.

“Part of the problem is that the fnes are too small to act as a deterrent,” Mr Gambian said.

“A fne of $13,000 for a multi-million-dollar corporation is trivial. The government should increase the penalties to refect the true harm illegal logging causes.”

Quest to digitise one million plant specimens

The Australian National Herbarium in Canberra is imaging nearly a million plant specimens using an automated system developed by Netherlands company Picturae.

CSIRO Group Leader for Digitisation & Informatics, Pete Thrall, who oversees digital assets at the National Research Collections Australia, managed by CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, said the project would help inform bushfre recovery and biosecurity.

“Digitising the herbarium is a huge leap forward for sharing specimens for research. As a result, we’ll be able to provide information quickly for projects like bushfre recovery and biosecurity,” Mr Thrall said.

“Creating a digitised replica also provides security for the herbarium’s irreplaceable physical specimens,” he said.

Parks Australia imaging manager Ms Emma Toms, located at the Australian National Herbarium, who is coordinating the Picturae project, said the work would be completed over the next 9 months.

“To digitise these specimens in house would have taken us about eight years using a standard camera rig,” she said.

“The frst step is a visual check of each specimen to ensure it is in good condition and has a barcode to link to its digital record.

“Three people operate Picturae’s conveyor belt, which moves specimens under a camera to take a high-resolution photograph. Two people unpack the specimens at the start of the conveyor belt and one person repacks the specimens and checks the photographs for any errors,” she said.

One of the new technologies transforming the utilisation of collections is artifcial intelligence (AI).

CSIRO Postdoc Dr Abdo Khamis said machine learning and AI enables researchers to extract trait information from images.

“We can use digitised herbarium specimens to understand how plants are responding to climate change, for example by determining how the reproductive structure of fowers is changing with time,” he said.

The team will continue to grow the herbarium’s digital assets as more plant specimens from Australia and the region are added to the collection.

“We will have an inhouse digitisation programme once this process is complete, so new specimens will be photographed before they are incorporated into the collection,” Emma Toms said.

The full digital collection of the Australian National Herbarium will be made available through the Atlas of Living Australia, including for the general public.

The Australian National Herbarium is part of the Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research, a joint venture between Parks Australia’s Australian National Botanic Gardens and the National Research Collections Australia at CSIRO.

Budget boost to biodiversity

Improving biodiversity is a clear focus in the 2022-23 NSW Budget, with major investments in ground-breaking programs that support landholders to protect and conserve their land, and more than $2 billion invested in programs focusing on protection, conservation and natural capital investment.

Minister for Environment & Heritage James Griffn said the Budget investment demonstrated the NSW Government’s commitment to protecting the environment and growing a clean economy.

“I’m proud to be part of a Government that has a strong track record in conserving our environment, and this massive new round of funding ensures we can continue this critical work right across New South Wales,” Mr Griffn said.

“This Budget delivers hundreds of millions of dollars to encourage landholders to conserve biodiversity and sequester carbon on their land, which is critical because private landholders own and manage about 70 per cent of land in New South Wales and many sensitive ecosystems are found there.

“Our $206.2 million Sustainable Farming Program will ensure farmers can opt to receive benefts for sustainable land management practices, while improving biodiversity and lowering emissions.

“This Budget is also delivering a $106.7 million Biodiversity Credits Supply Fund, which will ultimately pay landholders for generating biodiversity offset credits, while conserving biodiversity.

“By partnering with landholders through these new programs, we can continue enhancing existing biodiversity conservation, which is great news for the environment and future generations.”

The 2022-23 NSW Budget also includes $598.2 million over 10 years for the National Parks and Wildlife Service as part of the Government’s continued response to the risk of bushfres.

“This funding will maintain record levels of national park frefghters, delivering 250 permanent jobs, including 200 frefghters, as well as critical infrastructure and feet upgrades,” Mr Griffn said.

“After signifcant fooding and rain this year, the Budget is committing $18.5 million to expand Beachwatch to ensure we can continue meeting community expectations for monitoring the quality of water at swimming spots statewide.

“We’re continuing our massive investment in our national parks and enticing more domestic and international tourists to visit by delivering another ecotourism drawcard in the Dorrigo Escarpment Great Walk on the Mid-North Coast, a world-class feature showcasing our spectacular environment.

“Major changes to the way we deal with waste and plastic in NSW are coming too, thanks to a $286.2 million investment over four years in the NSW Waste and Sustainable Materials Strategy 2041 and NSW Plastics Action Plan.”

New funding for environment and heritage in Budget 2022-23 includes: • $598 million over 10 years for National Parks and Wildlife Service to deliver 250 permanent jobs, including 200 frefghters, and critical infrastructure and feet upgrades • $286.2 million over four years to implement the NSW Waste and Sustainable Materials Strategy 2041 and NSW Plastics Action Plan • $206.2 million over 10 years in natural capital for a Sustainable Farming Program, rewarding farmers who opt into an accreditation program to improve carbon and biodiversity outcomes • $148.4 million over two years to manage the clean-up and removal of food and storm-related damage, debris and green waste from the 2022 foods • $106.7 million over three years to increase the supply of biodiversity offset credits through a new Biodiversity Credits Supply Fund • $56.4 million over four years for a new Arc Rainforest Centre and Dorrigo Escarpment Great Walk in the Dorrigo National Park • $44.8 million over 10 years for a state-wide environmental and air-quality monitoring program • $42.9 million over four years for the Me-Mel (Goat Island) Remediation, paving the way for the transfer of the island to the First Nations communities • $32.9 million over four years to safeguard the future of the World Heritage listed Lord Howe Island by rolling out a biosecurity regime targeting invasive species • $18.5 million over 10 years to expand Beachwatch to a statewide program, meeting community demand for water-quality monitoring in NSW swim sites

Funding is continuing for major programs, including more than $450 million from 2020-23 for NPWS visitor infrastructure, $60 million for the Saving our Species program, $5 million for the NSW Blue Plaques Program, and $3 million for the Heritage Grants Program to support items listed on the State Heritage Register or declared as an Aboriginal Place.

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