Chemical training overflows

FARMERS and landscape gardeners from across northern Victoria have jumped at an free agricultural chemical user course in Pyramid Hill.

The neighbourhood house saw its first session booked out within days and a second session soon had a waiting list.

Co-ordinator Kim Bennett said a third course for later this month had now been organised.

“We had been trying to get the course up for more than a year but initially had difficulty finding a trainer,” she said.

Kim said a trainer had been engaged from The Centre, Wangaratta, and each free course had seen local farms sending staff members to gain proficiency in chemical use.

“We were originally looking at running the course through other institutions but the fee per participant would have been $400 and that would have precluded many people,” she said.

“Local farmers already have a good base knowledge and the course is assisting them with necessary accreditation. You don’t have to be qualified to buy chemicals but you do if you are using them.”

Pyramid Hill Neighbourhood House plans to now offer the course annually.

Sheep Market

ONE of the smallest yardings seen at Bendigo on Monday with just 4500 lambs and 1050 sheep.

Quality was very mixed with lines of good hard-fed lambs in the minority against plainer wintery types.

There was a lot of small penlots of less than 20 head.

Not all the regular buyers attended in a market which was very erratic.

The heaviest lambs were cheaper but at price points no worse than the market was recording late last week.

Some of the trade lambs from 20-26kg cwt were dearer as the strongest demand was from a couple of domestic processors. But prices did jump around a lot depending on which buyer came in on a pen.

Heaviest export lambs $160 to $200 stretching from 480c to 560c for an estimated average of 540c/kg cwt.

The heavy 26-30kg cwt lambs $140 to $178 and this was one of the most erratic sections of the market.

There was dearer regults for the better lines of 24-26kg trade lambs at $134 to $151, but plainer types down to $123.

As a guide most trade categories of lamb averaged between 520c to 560c/kg cwt. Light lambs dearer including Merinos, the trend on limited numbers in most sections.

The sheep sale followed a similar trend to lamb of being cheaper for big heavy mutton, but with some dearer pockets on the trade pens.

Heavy ewes mostly $80 to $100 regardless of weight, with just one pen higher to $120.

Then late in the sale a couple of pens of good tradeweight Merino ewes sold over $100, showing how unpredictable the market was.

On a carcass basis mutton went from

Bendigo Sheep & Lamb Market Report

General market trend was dearer but for a very light yarding.

220c/kg for big crossbred ewes to over 400c on some Merinos.

CROSSBRED LAMBS

SN & DA Collins Bridgewater Nth (58) $200, A Rinaldi Carisbrook (85) $190, Bridgewater Park Farming Bridgewater (88) $187, AL Dickins Berrigan (101) $170, Hopeavon P/L Kurting (41) $170, HA & ER Westblade Kerang (103) $168, IA & AL Rathjen Colbinabbin (64) $166, G & I Watson Rochester (15) $160, Les Lowndes Emu Creek (16) $153, D O’Donoghue Kamarooka Nth (22) $152, T & K Dobson Echuca (22) $151, B & E Kerlin Corop (80) $150, GA & CA Canfield Powlett Plains (41) $148, G & C McKinnon Pyramid Hill (21) $143, JJ & SL O’Connor Ruffy (26) $120.

MERINO LAMBS

SN & DA Collins Bridgewater Nth (17) $166.

MERINO WETHERS

NG & M Sutherland Kerang (31) $100. HOGGETTS

C O’Donoghue Kamarooka Nth (12) $110.

CROSSBRED EWES

G & C McKinnon Pyramid Hill (51) $120, DJ & ED Lees Rochester (154) $88, G & T Allen Wycheproof (29) $80, A Rinaldi Carisbrook (40) $74.

MERINO EWES

H & M Geyer Sunbury (53) $120.

Order of sales next week: Nevins, Elders, McKean McGregor, Nuttall, Nutrien.

Grain

Boort Grain Co-op prices Monday. Wheat – H1 $388 FIS. H2 $328 FIS. APW1 $320 FIS. ASW $345 FIS. AGP1 $345 FIS. SFW1 $345 FIS. FED1 $313 FIS. Barley - Bar1 $290 FIS. Bar2 $272 FIS. Bar3 $252 FIS. Bar4 $232 FIS. Faba1 $375 FIS. Faba2 $375 FIS. *GM CANOLA - ISCC +/- AOF $355 FIS. 2023-2024 - BAR1 MG $280. Non-GM canola $630. GM canola $590.

To discuss the marketing opportunities available for your livestock, contact the McKean McGregor team.