Plibersek’s blunt call on buybacks

FEDERAL Water Minister Tanya

Plibersek has told a group of Victorian council mayor’s that Murray Darling Basin buybacks will be delivered.

Loddon’s Cr Dan Straub was part of the Murray River Group of Councils delegation to meet Ms Plibersek in Canberra last.

“The answer from the minister was blunt and given with brute honesty,” Cr Straub said.

Mayor told Ms Plibersek that local communities could not bear more water buybacks.

“We told the minister that more buybacks would be disastrous,” Cr Straub said.

He said councils in the region wanted to be part of finding solutions for the Murray Darling Basin plan and seeing it assist with regional economic and population growth.

“We don’t want to receive (funding for) trinkets. We want real investment for the future,” he said.

The delegation also met with basin authority chief executive officer Andrew McConville gathering information on what the next two years would be in the plan’s rollout.

“We hope to be part of the consultation and make it clear councils will not be just bad news messengers.”

The delegation also met with federal Local Government Minister Christie McBain.

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Light falls come in nick of time

RAIN is needed to support germination of early sown crops across the Loddon, according to soil analysis released last week by Agriculture Victoria. Wind and frosts have dried the surface since good rains fell across the region in April. About 20mm was recorded across the Loddon on Thursday and Sunday - the highest since mid-April.

Josh Turnbull and Jeremy Sait are among local farmers watching forecasts for more substantial rain.

They were last week preparing a paddock at Glenalbyn for sowing.

“There’s not a lot of moisture under the ground at the moment,” said Josh who is leasing land in the Wedderburn district and at Koondrook to sow wheat, barley and canola crops. “Paddocks have dried out a lot since the rain in mid-April.”

A probe of soil at Raywood last week recorded 51 per cent available plant moisture.

The Agriculture Victoria analysis shows a likely drier rainfall and likely warmer temperatures for the next three months.

THERE was a cheaper lamb market with price cuts of $15 to $30 per head common across the yarding on Monday, noting Bendigo was coming off a relatively strong sale last Monday.

Supply increased with 15,000 lambs yarded, 6000 more. Both major supermarkets remained absent and two regular buyersa southern processor and a key northern exporter - were also missing this week.

Lamb quality was mixed although there was still a very good lead run of lambs off grain.

On a carcass basis the market was dragged under 650c/kg cwt, the best heavy lambs at an estimated 600c to 630c/kg for most. But any plainer heavy lambs in untidy skins and the general run of tradeweight lambs slipped below the $6 threshold at 550c to 590c/kg averages.

Secondary light lambs struggled for support, as did plainer Merino lambs which lacked fat cover, and these were often under 400c/kg.

Export lambs over 30kg cwt from $196 to a top of $214/hd. Pens of heavy crossbred lambs, 26-30kg, $155 to $200, the better score 3 types av $182/hd.

Heavy trade lambs, 24-26kg, $143 to $165 to av $152, and medium trades $133 to $150/hd.

Once under 20kg cwt the market was mostly $60 to $110; the most secondary small lambs sold down to $4/hd.

Sheep were cheaper by $10 to

$20 per head. Heaviest crossbred ewes $106 to $130 and Merinos in wool to $145.

General run of sheep $60 to $90 at a ballpark cost of 330c to 380c/kg cwt.

CROSSBRED LAMBS Bridgewater Park Farming Bridgewater (234) $214, Ian Angove Echuca (18) $212, B & J Weeks Echuca (81) $211, Adam Fox (105) $208, Giffin Farms Hunter (54) $202, G & K Pink Boort (102) $200, Cambrea Investments Bears Lagoon (102) $188, C Graham Family Arnold (46) $188, RJ & DM Johnston F/T Boort (52) $185, F & M Schimdt Pyramid Hill (32) $175, Liphuyzen Farming Deniliquin (84) $175, R & N Comer Drummartin (195) $171, J Davidson Pompapiel (15) $171, A & C Branson Colbinabbin (181) $166, J & S Cox Bamawm (74) $166, OR & BE Osborne Neilborough (45) $162.

MERINO LAMBS MA & SJ Lang Burraboi (135) $160, C Graham Family Arnold (37) $132.

CROSSBRED EWES J Davidson Pompapiel (15) $130, J & S Cox Bamawm (66) $126, R & N Comer Drummartin (28) $120.

MERINO EWES

Liphuyzen Farming Deniliquin (81) $126. SUPPLIED BY ASSOCIATED STOCK

AGENTS

Grain

Boort Grain Co-op prices

Tuesday. Wheat – H1 $388 FIS. H2 $360 FIS. APW1 $351 FIS. ASW $351 FIS. AGP1 $351 FIS. SFW1 $351 FIS. FED1 $341 FIS. Barley - PL1 $333 FIS. SP1 $333 FIS. Bar1 $295 FIS. Bar2 $277 FIS. Bar3 $257 FIS JUNE. Bar4 $237 FIS

JUNE.