Country Journal, Edition #4 - July 5, 2021

4000 COPIES DISTRIBUTED WEEKLY IN THE SOUTHERN DOWNS REGIONAL COUNCIL AREA + DAILY JOURNAL & STANTHORPE RECORD

CountryJournal Week commencing July 5th 2021

Sun safe dams...

Le Tour Le local!

One of the largest anti-evaporation enterprises is well advanced on the Granite Belt, with a relatively big, 8 acre farm dam covered against the relentless sun of the coming summer: and the innovator behinds it believes his technique saves more than just dam water...

Keep your hands on the wheel

While the pandemic means we can’t travel in the flesh, for those of us with the ability to tune into SBS, you can travel the beautiful countryside of France...and if you’re lucky, catch a glimpse of a local boy made good.

Gerard Walsh covers this unique story, from the velodromes of Warwick, to the biggest cycling event on the planet.

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COUNTRYJOURNAL

Country briefs

Microgrid a possible farm power fix

Growers experiencing unsustainable electricity costs might consider creating a microgrid on their property. QFF is interested in educating farmer on the benefits to consumers and networks. Farmers are invited to join in a Queensland Farmers’ Federation webinar, “The flow on benefits of microgrids for agriculture” on Wednesday, August 4 from 10 – 11:30 a.m.

The webinar will discuss microgrid technology, a discussion with Scott McGregor, Birdwood Energy CEO, and the future of grids looking at a Haiti experience. If you are interested please contact Madie Sturgess on 0436 413 247 or madison@qff.org.au

incentives to stay on in their roles” just weeks away from “having to cut deliveries.”

Feral pig problem?

Farmers out west on high

Register for the first national feral pig action plan stakeholder forum being held Monday, July 5. The forum will focus on management programs for feral pigs. Click here to register: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/stakeholder-forum-tickets-160509834235

The latest quarterly rural confidence survey demonstrates that Western Australian farmers’ confidence level is one of the top 10 readings in Rabobanks’s 20 year history of taking the survey.

Saleyard alert on animal welfare

The report, released last week, found that more than a third of WA farmers surveyed expect to earn more money this year, increasing As of July 1, the Queensland Government will to half of those in the grain sector. The state enforce new laws for the humane and considexperienced good rainfall in March and April. erate treatment of all livestock at saleyards and depots. Responsible parties should familiarise themselves with the new codes of practise and ensure they understand what they will be More than three dozen trucks full of silage required to do. This includes anyone in control Queensland Dairy reports that processors in and hay donated from farmers in the Bega of the animals including owners, transporters, Valley has convoyed to NSW mid-north coast the state are competing for milk supply. As a saleyard operators and anyone employed to to 90 farmers who are ravaged by recent result “some farmers are kicking themselves” manage or handle livestock. for having signed a contract with one processer floods. When firest hit the Bega Valley during the Black Summer bushfires, relief for many and being offered a better deal with another. farmers came from truck full of silage. The 41 The DFMC average for dairy farmers in the Southern Downs currently is about 71 cents per truck donation was organised by disaster relief organisation Need for Feed. litre.

Milk processors desperately thirsty

Paying it forward

Livestream advice from GDRC

QDO reminds dairy farmers that they do have a 14-day cooling off period.

No cut without jab

The Grains Research Development Corporation (GDRC) is hosting a number of free, topic The QDO reminds cattle growers that “appro- specific, interactive, interview-style discussions The report says that smaller processors including Maleny Dairies have secured addition- priate pain relief must be used when castrating that address key farm business management or dehorning cattle”. While pain relief is not improvements common to grain growing busial supply but the big three continue to “battle mandatory for animals less than six months nesses. Commodity and interest rate outlook it out”. old or less than 12 months old and castrated or and influences on financial performance of dehorned at their first yarding. farm business will feature NAB economist Phin Ziebell. Live stream begins a 1 pm, Friday, 16 Furthermore, dogs must be muzzled when July. Office Management – finding the systems A man named Zac from Brisbane has posted moving calves less than 30 days old that are not and processes that reduce time. 1 pm Friday, 23 dan ad on Agtrader.com.au offering to shoot with cows and an electrical prod can only be July. Investing in your existing land base and inand dispose of feral pests in the area without used on cattle older than three months. Cattle creasing productivity returns per hectare. 1 pm, charge. Zac has a shooters union membership must be able to move away from the prod Friday 6 August. Decision making and optimisand $10 million in public liability insurance, he and guidelines urge sparing use of the device. claims, and is hoping to gain experience before opening his own pest control business in the future. He will travel to “any QLD shire within practical reason” and supply everything necessary in “exchange for the opportunity” to gain experience. Interested? Click on https://www.agtrader.com.au/ item/jobs/contracting/qld-brisbane-4000/voluntary-ward-feral-pest-company-1646555 to see Zac’s advertisement.

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Food shortages in UK ‘inevitable’ One global peak body report suggests that a post-Brexit recruitman crisis, impacting fruit pickers and delivery drivers, are likely to cause items to “disappear from the food isles at UK supermarkets.” According to the report, employees in the hardes-hit sectors are being offered “huge pay rises and other

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Leadership role a buzz for local beekeeper A Wheatvale beekeeper has been given the responsibility of leading the state’s peak industry body.

“I thought it was time to step up and give it a crack,” fourth-generation beekeeper Jacob Stevens said.

Jacob Stevens of Condamine Apiaries was recently elected as President of the Queensland Beekeeper’s Association (QBA), at the age of 25. A life-long, passionate beekeeper, his election comes after completing his maiden year on the management committee, where he held the responsibility of the biosecurity portfolio, a responsibility he will continue.

The QBA, the peak industry body for Queensland’s beekeeping Industry, was founded in 1886 and represents commercial apiarists and amateur beekeepers in Queensland.

QBA provides a means by which apiarists may be represented through a common organisation for the welfare of the industry, to watch over and protect the interests of members in particular and the industry in general and to ensure an adequate return to the apiarist for their labour and capital in the industry.

The Association is run by an annually elected eight member Management Committee, as well

as a full-time secretary, with each elected person being a QBA member and serving as a volunteer.

The Committee represents the members of the Association and liaises with the general community, government and Council bodies, media, private sectors and all other stakeholders.

Mr Stevens was elected to the top-post at the QBA’s Annual General Meeting, held at the start of June, with his predecessor Robert Dewar resigning from the post and stepping down into a regular management role.

Mr Stevens told The Country Journal he has big shoes to fill.

“Robert Dewar served for a substantial amount of time as President and I really appreciate all he has done for the industry,” Mr Stevens said.

“He has been a good mentor to myself and I appreciate all that he has done for me so far.”

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He also has the support of his family, who have had to “pick up the slack,” when he has had to venture to Brisbane for meetings.

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COUNTRYJOURNAL

Leadership Country roads: keep your hands on the wheel, and don’t role a buzz trust the robot for local beekeeper

continued from previous page...

“Their support is greatly appreciated.”

Mr Stevens certainly stands in good stead when it comes advocacy, having served as the President of the University of Queensland (UQ) Agribusiness Association in his final year of a Bachelor of Agribusiness degree.

“It was always drummed into my brother and I by our grandparents, parents to go away and do something different before coming back to the bee business.

“University was great for gaining a different perspective on things and looking for more efficient ways of going about practices.

“Serving as the President of the Agribusiness Association also put me in good step, to take on a role like this.

“As part of my role, I networked with agronomists, animal nutrionists and built a contact list of people from a rural background.”

In terms of his presidency, Mr Stevens has his eyes firmly set on advocacy, education and engagement.

“The biggest issue is access to national parks and negotiating with the State Government to maintain access beyond 2024.

“It will also be key to continue our ongoing work in biosecurity, industry education, liaising with the national peak body, as well as engaging with the public on the importance of bees for honey production, food production and food security.”

Mr Stevens has a taste for agriculture that goes beyond honey, also having a significant stake in the mohair goat industry (he’s pictured judging at the Royal Adelaide Show.

The big silver prime mover looked ordinary enough…perhaps a little newer and cleaner than normal, and with a big sleeper cab with lime green livery. For the sharp eyed, they might have remarked that the truck had what seemed like two additional rear view mirrors at the front of the downswept bonnet, looking more like antennae than rearviews. In fact they weren’t looking back at all…

Had you managed to peer up through the shine of the windscreen, as the truck pulled out of Nogales, Arizona you would have seen something even more unusual. No driver behind the wheel.

The truck is one of the pilot trucks from autonomous transport company TuSimple, a company that did groundwork in Australia in 2019, because of this country’s experience running driverless mining trucks.

TuSimple liked what they saw in our technology.

However, they hated what they saw, however, on our roads.

Australia’s lanes on many of its regional arterials and interstates are less than 3.5 metres wide…and while TuSimple’s lidar (something like radar) steered trucks are capable of some nifty maneuvering, they really need 3.8 metre lanes to survive.

The TuSimple truck pulling out of

Nogales was loaded with watermelons, on its way to Oklahoma, 951 miles away, or around 1,500 kilometres.

Normally the trip takes 24 hours… but with robots in charge, it took 14 hours… The truck did have a driver on board, watching, but not touching the steering wheel or pedals.

The Australia New Zealand Driverless Vehicle Initiative, the peak industry advisory body for automated vehicles and its executive director, Rita Excell, welcomed the TuSimple watermelon delivery as proof of concept, but said Australian country roads area, and even Australian telecommunications— read internet—needs to improve before we can mimic the trip with mangoes from north Queensland to Melbourne.

Meanwhile, the United States is moving forward rapidly with driverless technology, with Amazon perhaps the industry leader, placing an order for 1,000 driverless semis as part of its massive logistics fleet.

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COUNTRYJOURNAL

Massive anti-evaporation project takes shape on Granite Belt

By: Kimberley Hanson-Ross

There may well be a Chinese proverb that goes along the lines that ‘when dams are full, plan for drought’, and local firm Protect Plus is turning its skills in creating canopies to exactly that, with a huge 8 acre dam ‘canopy’ it’s latest innovative project.

Lead by Graham Minifie, a veteran in the canopy and crop protection, the project solves two problems--water waste and plastic waste--at once.

“There was always this vision that there was a lot of water being wasted, all the time, just from evaporation,” said Mr Minifie, “so I said to myself, ‘Okay, the system’s we’re currently using, or even Netpro at the time, they’re very costly, so therefore not a lot of people do it.’ So the idea was to come up with something that we could kit-set make, supply to a farmer, and he could just say ‘Right. I’ll put these things together, put them on a dam and stop my evaporation.”

A lot of work went into designing the dam covers, with construction starting about a year and a half ago. One of the major issues the team faced was “The joins in the pipe on the ends, to seal them was a huge cost, but we needed them sealed or otherwise they wouldn’t float, because obviously you need air in there, so that was a huge issue.”

Their solution was to place a “joiner” on

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million dollars’ worth. So of course it’s been quite a physical challenge setting up everything – big, big, big project. An area of 8 acres of water, basically covered.”

Joke as he may about the immense size of the project Mr Minifie and his team had taken on, he’s eager for the project to be adopted on larger dams and become a commercial success Australia wide.

each of the pipes, which would allow them to connect together “Like a jigsaw puzzle” and form the frame. Water slinking into the pipes still remained an issue however, so the crew of Protec Plus further addressed the issue by using “Recycled bottles that people throw away, and putting them inside the pipe,” Which allowed the pipes to float. However, “It’s still going to blow away, because it’s like a big trampoline sitting on there,” so they then had to calculate the weight of the float so they could order the correct pipe and bottle size, ending up with a final float weight of 155kg, which held the pipes down in the water, making them “About impossible to lift out once it’s in there and done.”

The dam covers are designed to reduce algae growth, improve the quality of the water, minimise filter maintenance, and of course, reduce water evaporation, which would be a major benefit during droughts.

Mr Minifie further added that, “You can imagine where we are at the top of the Granite Belt, we can reduce our water evaporation losses by 90 percent. And I say 90 percent on average because depending on the season you get a lot of heat, a lot of wind – the evaporation losses would vary slightly.” Mr Minifie revealed that Protec Plus were also attempting to design an alternative to the shade cloth to go on the pipe floats.

Using recycled bottles as part of their project, would give the bottles “a second life, so its not such a bad thing having plastic bottles. They’ll be in-cased in something where they’ll last indefinitely, and they’re doing something good for the environment,” noted Mr Minifie.

“And that’s using solar panels. So that you get two worlds, you get a solar farm, and you get the evaporation control as well. There’s a lot to be done, but that’s the next level. Imagine that! You can utilise the water for your power, instead of valuable land.”

“The next step of course was to get a small dam area, and obviously trial it for a period of time, monitor it, unfortunately for us, the grower that we were doing it with said, ‘I’m doing it, but I don’t want a small area.’ And he’s invested in half a

Next level projects aside, Mr Minifie and his crew still have some work left to do before the large orchard dam is completely covered, with their client ordering for the entire area to be protected. He estimates it’ll take around three months to finish.

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COUNTRYJOURNAL

EACH week we are getting follow up rain and for the second successive year, we are looking down the barrel of a soft winter.

bog. The Chamberlain was previously used at Elbow Valley but has been primarily a slasher tractor at Greymare since we bought Soft may not be the right word it. but I mean the winter has been pretty easy on the cattle and We seem to be getting sheep. rain each week and we had a fresh in all our Most seasons, the grass dies creeks about 10 off in the winter but there is still days ago. plenty of green and we are into July.

I was surprised how 29mm in While last year was a good a 24-hour periseason, we were still recovering od made all the from a long drought. creeks run again.

This season is even better and As always we are starting to build up sub- when the season soil moisture. Subsoil moisture is wet, we don’t is a key to a good winter crop. need a lot of rain Even if the tap from the sky turns off later in the season, the subsoil moisture means the winter crops for grain, silage, hay or stock feed will be okay.

In my almost 50 years of farming, I reckon there have only been three times where we have been concerned about getting bogged in the granite country.

Half of our property is traprock and it is pretty hard to be bogged in the traprock. I have pulled one truck out of a bog in granite country this year and almost got our Chamberlain 4090 tractor bogged as well.

Our Chamberlain did its job, we have had it about eight years and I reckon this is the first time we have pulled a vehicle out of a

The Long Paddock with Gerard Walsh

before we have a bit of flooding.

Last week, we bought 18 cattle privately and we had them home 36 hours before the rain late last week started.

I admit I sometimes am a compulsive buyer and I was keener to buy with good Water runs down the western branch of Lagoon Creek at Greymare after rain forecast for late29mm in late June. in the week. calves in the house paddock. property in the house garden.

Twelve of the 18 went with I have a vehicle entry to our Interesting the Angus cows our young heifers, two steers farm house yard and didn’t have didn’t venture into the house increased our mob of steers on it closed last week and the Mur- yard, just the Murray Grey. grain to 10 and we put four older ray Grey cow helped herself to heifers/cows with our cows and some of the best grass on the

Lad with local links on Le Tour IT is great to see Warwick can cycling and won a national junnow claim just a little bit of the ior title at age 14. life of Harry Sweeny who is comLater this week, he will celpeting in his first Tour de France. ebrate his 23rd birthday at the His father Glenn Sweeny was Tour de France. director of finance at the Daily Harry finished his schooling News for 18 months in the late at Northside Christian College 1990s and Harry was born at the Warwick Hospital while the fam- in Brisbane and at the time was training 20 hours a week. ily was living in Warwick.

There are few tougher events Harry told his parents at the age of five or six that he was go- in world sport and I rate the ing to be a champion in sport Tour de France up with Wimand his determination matches bledon tennis and the Olympics at the pinnacle of sport. his ambition.

After Harry is finished the His first sport was triathlon tour this year, we will be able but he had a stress fracture of the to follow Warwick rower Harhip and couldn’t run. riet Hudson and Allora discus He then got serious about his thrower Matthew Denny at the

COUNTRYJOURNAL

Tokyo Olympics.

All three have put all their efforts into sport and are reaping the rewards this year.

Harry is in his first full year as a professional. He was 30th in his best event, the sprint, last week in France in a field of more than 200.

He and Caleb Ewan are the Australians in the Lotto-Soudal (LTS) team which also includes five riders from Belgium and one from Germany.

When he competed in an event in Toowoomba while home from training in Europe, his mother headed back to Brisbane via Warwick so she could

show Harry the Warwick Hospital in which he was born and their home in Warwick which still stands.

Warwick has a proud cycling tradition and the velodrome at Australiana Park has recently been upgraded.

He has had to overcome injuries down the years, this year he also had COVID-19 which meant he missed out on a ride in Italy.

One of the areas best cyclist is John Eder who has won world championship medals in masters cycling.

When he was competing in under-23 cycling, James Victor was the coach of the national squad. James also has a Warwick connection as his father Mike Victor is originally from Warwick.

If someone is wondering how I found out about Harry, it was a phone call from Mr Cycling in Warwick, Tony Simonelli, who had been asked about the Warwick-born rider in the Tour de France and wondered if I knew who he was.

Mike has organised many cycling events in the Warwick area and has presided over the national body.

No one seemed to know but I still had the mobile of Mike Victor from my Daily News days and he solved the mystery.

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Now hopefully Harry has his own cheer squad in a few living rooms around Warwick, in fact I worked with his father around the time Mitchell Murphy was editor on the Daily News.

See my Around The Halls next week with a feature on the Freestone Hall and the Freestone Jumpers and Jazz event.

Gerard Walsh Would you like YOUR local hall featured in the Country Journal?

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10

COUNTRYJOURNAL

Krista’s Country This weekend was supposed to be spent at the Abbey Medieval Festival sharing demonstrations and recipes for cheese, Bedouin food, and medieval herbal medicine. Unfortunately, the lockdown put a stop to that and instead, my hubby and I got stranded at the festival grounds and we’re spending the lockdown in our medieval tents, cooking over the fire, reading books, and taking some rather luxurious naps. If there has to be a lockdown, this is a pretty magical place to spend it.

So, as I write to you from this oh-so medieval location, I thought I’d share some of my favourite medieval Bedouin recipes that I’ve included in my new cookbook: Desert Fire, coming out next week.

Bedouin is the term used for the nomadic tribes that travelled through and lived in the

with Krista Bjorn

desert during medieval times and up to the present. Their diet consisted mainly of meat and dairy products, which is pretty interesting since they had no refrigeration whatsoever. Instead, they developed clever ways to preserve food that would last for days, months, and even years, providing nourishment in a severe climate.

They sourced their food through foraging, hunting, trading, and garden plots in oases. This provided them with an amazing array of foods from goat, sheep, and wild game to pomegranates, oranges, and dates.

Mashed Wild Onions Several wild onions were foraged by the Bedouin in the desert. One variety had vivid magenta flowers that were

harvested and dried for seasoning. Another variety was a small, green onion with narrow bulbs that were prized for their tenderness and flavor. Bedouin mothers would send their sons out to gather them with the promise of mashed bulbs when they

returned.

I slow-cooked green onions

COUNTRYJOURNAL over hot coals until they were soft, tender, and slightly charred. I removed any truly burnt sections, but kept the toasted bits because they add wonderfully smoky flavor.

Then I pureed them with fresh thyme leaves, sea salt, and a bit of ghee. It is divine! Scoop it up like a dip with pieces of flat bread or use it as a tasty spread.

Ingredients: 1 large bunch green onions, washed and trimmed 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves 1/2 tsp sea salt 1 tsp ghee Directions: Place onions on rack over hot coals and cook 5-10 minutes, turning for even cooking.

Remove any burnt bits, then place in food processor or mortar and pestle with remaining ingredients and pu-

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ceramic cups.

Ingredients: 4 Tbsp roasted coffee beans 3/4 tsp cardamom seeds (or 8 pods, seeds removed) 2 cups just-boiled water

ree until smooth.

Cardamom Coffee For the Bedouin, socialising took place around cups of freshly made coffee spiced with ground cardamom seeds.

The host would roast the

beans in a roasting spoon, then cool them on a wooden tray before grinding them with a mortar and pestle. The coffee was brewed in a dedicated clay pot before being transferred to a traditional brass or copper beaked Arabian coffee pot and poured out into small

Directions: 1. Place coffee beans and cardamom seeds in spice grinder or mortar and pestle and grind until fine.

2. Place grinds into French press and pour over justboiled water. Stir once then leave to steep for two minutes.

3. Either pour coffee into cups (stopping before grinds join the liquid) or plunge the French press to secure all the grinds.

4. Drink black or add milk and sweetener.

Apples: free trade with UK on doorstep Apple growers in the Southern Downs currently export only about 1 percent of the crop but the new Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the UK may expand this high-value market.

Currently, apples imported into the UK from Australia attracts an 8 percent tariff. the UK imports about $600 million or 350 tonnes of apples each year, primarily from France, South Africa, New Zealand and Chile, in that order, which pay zero tariffs.

Australia is not a large apple exporting nation and on average only sells about 4000 tonnes annually overseas. Last year, that quantity was halved.

September and October are key months in the UK during which the northern local harvest begins. Any increase in exports to the UK will probably

have very little impact on UK growers, according to the peak body, since it is predicted that Australian exports might only increase by a few percentage points. However, a few percentage points of such an enormous market will be significant for Australian producers who currently experience a fairly static demand linked to population growth.

The fine print of the FTA is yet to be finalised after which industry will have a better idea of the official timeline. This is the opportunity for growers to prepare for export readiness.

Growers interested in the FTA apple market should contact Justin Smith, APAL’s industry services and export manager at JSmith@APAL.org.au

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COUNTRYJOURNAL

Monitoring tech advances dairy industry A high-tech monitoring program will provide better insights and health management outcomes for the dairy industry.

The Queensland Dairyfarmers’ Organisation (QDO) is delivering a Digital Activity Monitoring program to provide better health management systems in the industry after successfully securing a $200,000 Digital Transformation Grant through the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries’ Agribusiness Digital Solutions Grant Program.

The funding has been established through the Queensland Government’s, Economic Recovery plan, to enhance digital skills, drive business efficiencies, and create regional jobs across Queensland.

The grant will support the QDO’s program with a total project value of almost $650,000.

Banking will still be done at Australia Post

Iwan Jones Journalist

Financial assistance will be provided to over 10 eligible Queensland dairy businesses to adopt digital herd activity monitoring and management systems and serve as Producer Demonstration Sites for the industry.

Establishing Producer Demonstration Sites will enable peer to peer learning and knowledge sharing where farmers can go see the technology in action.

Supporting farmers to adopt the animal monitoring technology will fast track and advance the Queensland dairy industry in animal health and welfare.

The monitoring technology available in collars, leg or ear tags can provide

• Showers that fell across southern and central Queensland over the past week have continued to slow sorghum harvest as this season’s winter crop progresses well.

• Old crop wheat prices eased slightly, while new crop values Australia Post will continue to offer were mostly unchanged. Moving into the new financial year, banking services for the Commonanalysts suggest many growers will wealth Bank and NAB for the next decade. The agreement supports the be looking to sell old crop wheat as long-term sustainability of thousands they clean out storages in preparation for Oct/Nov crop. of licensed post offices and their owners, many of whom are small • Old crop barley prices were businesses playing an essential role in mostly unchanged, while new the community. crop values eased slightly. There are reports crops have been emerging in good condition and enquiries into new crop sales are beginning.

• Wheat: Steady ($315 to $325/ tonne). Barley: Down $5 ($300 to • Sorghum prices were trading $310/tonne). Maize: Steady ($335 to at a discount last week, despite ex$345/tonne). Sorghum: Steady ($310 port demand continue to support to $320/tonne). local bids.

Local grain report

enormous benefit for farmers as it monitors individual cows as well as the herd as a group to provide health and reproduction alerts.

This allows for the early detection of any stress that may be making the animal uncomfortable including change in feed quality, illness or even predator attacks. It can also automate oestrus activity detection for improved insemination timing and reduced missed cycles.

Everyone interested in the Digital Activity Monitoring program and the Financial Assistance available for Producer Demonstration Sites should attend one of the five on farm regional workshops being delivered early in July.

COUNTRYJOURNAL

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COUNTRYJOURNAL

Livestock market overview Sale numbers were up for cattle and sheep this week as the prices are drawing more vendors to the sales. The buyers are still actively seeking replacement stock and breeders for the rebuild of numbers after the dry.

The pork and goat numbers were back this week with the prices still remaining firm.

Cows averaged 287c/kg to a top of 310.2c/kg or average $1774.02 to a top of $2367.38 Bulls averaged 329.6c/kg to a top of 472.2c/kg or average $1765.27 to a top of $2956.71 Goat,pork and poultry numbers were limited this week. Goats selling to $150, kids selling to $20. Pig numbers were at 74 head with gilts selling to $180, baconers selling from $229 to $236, pork selling from $150 to $223, stores selling from $96 to $171. Poultry saw ducklings sell to $27.50, chicks sell to $37.50,pullets to $25, roosters to $25, hens to $32.50 on larger supply of all categories. The top prices were for the more excotic and younger types Turning to sheep, agents on Wednesday yarded 1188 head to the weekly sale with the market comprising approximately a 60/40 split between lambs and mutton. The better lambs were short in numbers across the weight ranges this saw the prices up slightly for the upper and lower ends as both processors and restockers looked to fill their orders.

Lambs topped at $220 to average $180.33($7down), hoggets topped at $190 to average $181.78($8down), ewes topped at $300 to average $178.89($31up), wethers topped at $190 to average $138.29($52down), lamb rams topped $177 to average $164($ up). The total yarding averaged $168.65 a drop of $14 week on week.

WARWICK SALEYARDS VENDOR DESCRIPTION - Cents/KG - WEIGHT - $TOTAL BULLS Ved Cast Pty Ltd, Maryland, Braford Bull, 296.2/780/2.310 COWS JL Ellis, Tannymorel, Charolais x Cow, 310.2/645/2.000 Wickham Farms, Liston, Angus Cow, 310.0/630/1,953 Rodglen Pty Ltd, Liston, Angus Cows, 308.0/664/2,045 GA & KC Brown, Spring Creek, Hereford x Cows, 305.0/622/1,898 BULLOCKS Redpond Traders, Liston, Angus Bullock (4t), 360.2/665/2,395 T & J Marsden, Stanthorpe, Angus x Bullocks (4t), 360.2/630/2,269 A & L Sparksman, Allora, Angus Bullock (4t), 360.2/590/2,125 EXPORT HEIFERS PJ Bohan, Talgai, Murray Grey Heifers (4t), 371.2, 610, 2,264 PR & SM Graham Killarney Angus Heifer (4t), 371.2/605/2.245 Wickham Farms, Legume, Angus Heifers (4t), 355.0/551/1,957 HEAVY FEEDER STEERS Glenrowan Feedlot, Warwick, Charolais x Steers , 463.2/412/1,911 PR & SM Graham, Killarney, Angus x Steers, 460.0/435/2,001 C & J Calvert, Yangan, Angus x Steers, 459.2/451/2,071 A & L Sparksman, Allora, Charolais x Steer, 436.2/465/2,028 DOMESTIC FEEDER STEERS R Price & C Ryan, Allora, Angus x Steers, 505.2/348/1,758 MB Brown, Pilton, Angus x Steers, 477.2/395/1,885 BS & JE Betts, Mt Molar, Hereford Steers, 453.2/370/1,677 FEEDER HEIFERS PR & SM Graham, Killarney, Angus Heifer, 460.0/440/2,024 MB Brown, Pilton, Angus Heifers, 460.0/360/1,656 R & S Bowman, Legume, Angus Heifers, 460.0/357/1,642 YEARLINGS A & L Sparksman, Allora, Angus Steers, 478.2/402/1,920 G, E, G & M Hoey, Allora, Angus x Heifers, 470.0/390/1,833 WEANER STEERS J Doyle, Freestone, Droughtmaster Steers, 600.2/192/1,150 D & M Hannant , Woodenbong, Angus x Steers, 533.2/303/1,615 WEANER HEIFERS J & C Baker, Ruby Creek, Angus Heifers, 491.2/246/1,207 Midway, Elbow Valley, Droughtmaster x Heifers 488.2/250/1,220

FACE TO FACE with gerard walsh KAREN Usher is eyeing off 30 years in business at Talk’ N Heads in Grafton Street, Warwick.

After going to Warwick Central State School and Warwick State High School, she started an apprenticeship under Rene Luthi at Continental Salon in Palmerin St. After finishing her apprenticeship, she lived in North Queensland for two years before returning home to start her own business in February, 1992.

Her first hairdressing salon was in Palmerin St, next to what was then Tannas Milk Bar. Twenty three years ago, she moved the business to the current site in the Mayfair building opposite the Warwick Post Office.

Currently she has a staff of 10 and is open six days a week, including being open to 7.30pm on a Thursday night. She stresses the importance of family on her business. “My mother June and family helped me raise Jessie at a time I was working six days a week in the business,” Karen said.

Now Jessie is with her in the business but will be taking some time off soon as she and husband Morgan Taylor are expecting their first child in November.

Karen’s niece Brittnie Banks now also works in the business.

In the past three months, Karen has been diagnosed with breast cancer but it didn’t stop her working in the business. She had radiation for four and a half weeks, she would work in the

morning and drive to Toowoomba for radiation in the afternoon.

“It helped me that I kept to a normal routine,” she said. Karen is happy to talk about her cancer scare.

“I tell my clients it could happen to anyone and to have regular breast screening,” she said.

Now Karen and friends Rhonda Geitz, Heidi Gleeson and Rowena O’Dea will Step Up to Breast Cancer and take 10,000 steps a day during August to raise funds for the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

Family is very important in Karen’s life and she has bought a caravan so as to live in a bit of luxury during campdrafting weekends or go on holidays.

Her two youngest children, Emily Banks and Toby Usher are accomplished campdrafters and she competes herself.

Gerard Walsh: What is the greatest thrill in the hairdressing business?

Karen Usher: I love making clients feel good and the special relationship that I build with them.

I also love training new staff in apprenticeships and passing on my knowledge of hairdressing.

GW: How many apprentices have you put through at Talk’ N Heads?

KU: We have put through 35 to 40 apprenticeships. continued next page...

COUNTRYJOURNAL

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A hairdresser who happens to breed Angus cattle on her farm at Swan Creek continued from previous page...

GW: Do you remember when school-based apprenticeships started?

KU: Yes, one of my first school-based apprentices was Clare Donovan (now Cartmill). School-based apprenticeships allow students to work one day a week and see if they like their work.

It is also a chance for me to see if I like their work ethic.

GW: How is your campdrafting going?

"

I tell my clients it (breast cancer) could happen to anyone and to have regular breast screening..

Vic Pennisi

Karen Usher

GW: What has been your involvement in sport?

KU: All my sport relates to horses. My Dad Neil Banks had me riding a horse before I could walk. I was a member of the Warwick Hack and Pony Club.

GW: What was your best win?

KU: I was champion girl rider

at the Toowoomba Royal Show at age eight.

KU: I have campdrafted across the Darling Downs.

GW: Is campdrafting your hobby?

KU: Yes, I compete and both Emily and Toby also compete. We had a good weekend at Goondiwindi when Emily was first and third in the novice, second in the maiden and placed in the ladies. Toby won the juvenile at Goondiwindi. As Emily is now 18 years of age, she can compete in the ladies draft at the Warwick Rodeo. That is one of her dreams.

GW: Do you look forward to the

rodeo?

KU: I love the bull riding and campdrafting. Mum and Dad live around the corner from the showgrounds and the campdrafters ride past our family homein Cleary Street.

GW: Tell us about your involvement with the Warwick Cowboys?

KU: I’ve been involved in the footy over a number of years.

When Jessie was the Cowboys Ambassador and had to fundraise, we organised a rodeo. It was a great success and we ran another four rodeos after that.

GW: What are you planning for your 30-year anniversary of Talk’ N Heads?

KU: I am planning a reunion with all the girls who we trained at the salon.

GW: What about life away from the salon?

KU: I love it on my small

28-hectare farm at Swan Creek. I have 20 head of Angus cattle on the home farm and 15 on another block. I sell the calves as weaners at the Warwick Saleyards but don’t watch them being sold as I am busy working.

GW: Will Jessie take over the business one day?

KU: Yes, but I have no thoughts on retirement. Jessie will have a break from work when she has her baby in November.

GW: What do you say about your hometown?

KU: I love it, you know everybody, my family and friends are here.

Photo shows Karen Usher & her daughter Jessie Taylor at Talk ‘N Heads in Grafton Street, Warwick.

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COUNTRYJOURNAL

Helen Harm Real Estate

RURAL GEM

D OL

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$ 300,000 LOW MAINTENANCE

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• 3 bed, north facing verandah • Main bedroom has built-ins • Separate lounge has wood fire • Modern kitchen dining combo • Split system air-con, solar hot water, entertainment area • Double garage, 3 fenced paddocks • 2.6 acres (1.08 Ha) INVESTORS: Currently renting at $300 per week

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LAND • WARWICK - 2851m², high profile Commercial, flat block, power, town water, curb & channel $427,000 • WARWICK - 1330m², near facilities, power, town water, curb & channel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$185,000 • WARWICK - 1.16 Ha on spring fed creek, bitumen frontage, power, fenced . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$189,000 • MARYVALE - 2024m², power nearby, school, VIEWS (2 adjoining blocks) - Under Contract . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$45,000 • MARYVALE - 3642m², power available, character with gully, VIEWS - Under Contract . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$50,000 • LEYBURN - 2965m², power available, close to school, VIEWS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$50,000 • HENDON - 3819m², adjoining blocks, 2 deeds, power at road, new home area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$80,000 • PRATTEN - 4052m² x 2, all weather road, water & power available - Under Contract . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$70,000

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COUNTRYJOURNAL

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We need to talk about Kevin...and the weather Weather focus New normal. Record-breaking. Unprecedented.

In recent days, as Western Canada and the United States have been broiling under a climate-fuelled heat crisis, all sorts of superlatives have been used to describe never-before-seen temperatures: the British Columbia community of Lytton hit a mind-boggling 49.5 C on June 29, breaking all-time temperature records three days in a row.

People are understandably shocked and scared by those numbers. But should this have come as a surprise? No. Scientists have been warning about the link between longer, more intense heat events and climate change for over 40 years.

The language of “normals” and “new records” is rapidly becoming meaningless.

But the notion that humanity should have known, or should have done something about the crisis earlier — that we should be ashamed for our lack of inaction — is unhelpful for dealing with the climate crisis.

Talking climate So, what’s a better, more helpful approach to communicating climate change?

The first thing to do is to spend more time talking about climate change. There is far too little discussion around this issue in the public sphere. Global heating is the biggest emergency the planet has ever faced, but one would not know it reading or listening to the news.

Last year, stories about climate change represented just 0.4 per cent of all major U.S. broadcast news coverage. In 2019, it was 0.7 per cent. Even in the midst of an unprecedented heat wave stretching from California to Yukon, references to climate change are few and far between.

Information deficit model Ironically, one of the biggest blind spots has to do with how information about this issue is shared with the public.

The conventional approach relies upon what’s known as the “information deficit model.”

The deficit model builds on the assumption that people will take action on climate change if they have more information about it.

This information-based approach has shaped all sorts of communication, from public safety ads on drinking and driving to news reporting about climate and other important issues.

Unfortunately, the relationship between how much people know and how they act is not always linear. Feeding more facts to someone who is highly politically motivated to dismiss climate change will not convince them to pay more attention to the problem.

Climate change is a tricky story to wrap one’s head around.

It can feel too big, too scary and too difficult for any one person to fix. Information, while important, is not always enough.

For there to be engagement with this subject and, by extension, political action, the climate crisis must feel personal, relatable, understandable and, most importantly, solvable.

Charts and graphs — even polar bears — rarely achieve that goal. Eighty-three per cent of Canadians agree that the Earth is getting warmer. But just 47 per cent think climate change will harm them personally.

To have people connect on climate, we need to have more conversations about how people are working to solve it and how those solutions are improving their quality of life where they live. These conversations foist an otherwise abstract, intangible and scary subject into the realm of the everyday — and make it feel solvable.

Environmental communicators have long pointed to an excessive use of fear messaging around climate change as one of the main problems with engaging the public on this subject.

The challenge is to pair fear messaging with information about efficacy, namely what people can actually do to mitigate the fear. The combination of fear and efficacy leads to what is known as “danger control,” actions to mitigate the danger, as opposed to “fear control,” actions to shut down the fear.

In the case of COVID-19, the sense of efficacy was clear: hand washing, social distancing, masking. With climate change, efficacy information is far less obvious, and more difficult to act upon.

Kamyar Razavi PhD candidate in the School of Communication, Simon Fraser University From theconversation.com.au

COUNTRYJOURNAL

GENERAL KNOWLEDGE CROSSWORD 3

4

5

703 6

7 8 9 10 11

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13 Name the Australian novelist who wrote Schindler’s Ark, Tom ... (8) 15 What is a spotted, leopard-like cat (6) 16 What is the use of irony, sarcasm, ridicule, in exposing folly, etc (6) 17 Which strip of spirally coiled wire recovers its shape after being bent, etc (6) 20 Name the entire sacred scriptures of Hinduism (4)

Hop Howl Robes Score

BIYWORD

CLUES: Alert (7) Cage (3) Coloured (5) Finish (3) Foreign (5) Mineral spring (3) Not fresh (5) Razor strap (5) Saturday (abb) (3) Tool (7)

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SOLUTIONS

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S M I T Z E R U T H M E R E P I K S A C K E S N M P E R E R A P I N A L N L R G O S Y

QUICK THINK Solve the crossword.

Each answer has four letters.

N O P P R R

C H E S A Y P U L M P L E M H C A S P E R T N R U C U O S S A M E R A A S T I V A L I E S R R I D G E E A A

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A A D E E E

I N N T E H E X B A G O C F E L P O T

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Build it yourself using the clues and each of the twenty-four letters once only to form ten words: five across and five down. A key word (bold clue) builds on the letter set in the grid.

are shown in the right-hand cells. Create remaining values using clues in centre cells.

SUDOKU © Auspac Media - meq0014

004

Captain James Cook was responsible for introducing the word ‘tattoo’ to the English language, after visiting Tahiti in 1769.

When Sir Joseph Banks returned home with a tattoo, it sparked a trend that saw as many as 1 in 5 aristocrats tattooed in the 1800s.

E-QUATIONS

Some values are in the right hand cells. 014 Create remaining values using Letters A to clues Z haveinacentre numbercells. value. Some

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Letters have a number value

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Sent Shots Span Tall

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E L W E S T

Bet Brat For Fun

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E-QUATIONS 7

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21 22

DOWN 1 Something certain to be accomplished, is said to be what (2,3,3) 2 Which short stroke is used to connect the parts of a compound word (6)

O O O A N A

Find the following words in the grid. They may read in any direction, even diagonally.

Some letters are used more than once.

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3 Name the band of colours produced when white light passes through a prism (8) 4 Which word describes anything given as charity (4) 5 Which expression in cricket is used for the end of a day’s play (6) 6 What is another name for the decimal system (6) 12 Which part of the S Pacific includes the waters of the Great Barrier Reef (5,3)

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MINI WORD FIND

QUICK THINK ACROSS: 1 Rush, 5 Only, 6 Atom, 7 Down.

DOWN: 1 Road, 2 Unto, 3 Slow, 4 Hymn.

2

E-QUATIONS A:15, C:5, E:2, O:20, S:9, T:18, X:4

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ACROSS 1 Name some small imperial units of length (6) 7 Which prize is awarded annually in the US for journalism, literature and music (8) 8 Who was one of the world’s most prolific child film actors, Shirley ... (6) 9 Name a wool fabric of twill weave (8) 10 What is a person who has special skill in some particular field (6) 11 Which alternative term describes a backpack (8) 14 What is an extremely delicate variety of gauze (8) 18 Name the unit of electrical current (6) 19 What do we call a periodic, religious or other feast (8) 21 Which term implies a relationship to the backbone (6) 22 Name the breakfast dish that consists mainly of oatmeal (8) 23 Which large merchant ship is especially one with a rich cargo (6)

MINI WORD FIND F S C O R U R H O W N O F O L P B R A T B E T N E Z S P A N

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COUNTRYJOURNAL

Milk production tracks steady ; confidence soars Consumer demand and farmer confidence are all tracking at very positive levels for the dairy industry, and the National Milk Production Report shows that milk production is tracking almost precisely where it was last year. The latest figures from Dairy Australia (for APril this year) show that production in Queensland was up 4.7%, where nationally, production was down 2.7% on the same time last year. The April figures for Queensland were a rebound from March, where production was relatively low compared with last March, and reflects improving conditions in the Queensland dairy herd.

Beef records Last week saw the highest beef slaughter numbers for 2021, according to numbers released by Meat & Livestock Australia reports. As of 25 June, 105,921 head were slaughtered with all states contributing to the rise.

Slaughter cow yardings ticked up 37 percent in the period after four weeks of decline, with the majority coming out of NSW and Queensland.

Producers, however, remain intent on retaining breeding herds and producing calves quickly to capitalise on the strong Australian market and improved overseas demand.

Pencilhead solutions F C O M P A N I E S T D

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Barbed Wire Wordfind: Hidden Phrase: “Barbed wire also became known as Devil’s Rope.”

E N T A N G L E V S G E

S A L E S B S M O O T H

G R A S S L A N D S R F

T W I S T E K N E H O R

Warwick Indoor Recreation & Aquatic Centre 29 Palmerin Street, Warwick QLD 4370 07 4661 7955 | wirac@ymcabrisbane.org

T D O U B L E A T E P A

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Odd One Out: A: Nail on top right is upside dowm Copyright: Auspac Media.

WIRAC'S Holiday Program is BACK! From Ninja courses to Badminton we have your kids covered these school holidays!!

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COUNTRYJOURNAL

Wool report: cross currents and currency...

The Australian wool market moved up a bit, or up a lot, depending on which currency you were operating in last week. In local dollar terms the market rose significantly as the Aussie dollar remained below the .76 handle during the selling week and therefore customers overseas buying in USD were able to either get more bang for their buck, or pay a bit more in Aussie dollars. The EMI rose by 20 cents for growers in Australia, whist the overseas customers only saw a 4-cent increase in this overall broad-brush indicator. Superfine Merino types again rose more than the rest of the market with gains of 50 cents common, and for those exceptional lots, 100 cents were easily added to the previous week’s price.

NG KI

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Information from Elders

Medium merino types tried to follow, and buyers are pushing themselves to look harder at these wools, and not have tunnel vision when it comes to the superfine sector. However, where the demand is best remains finer than 19 micron so despite the disparity in pricing, the gap continues to widen further. Interestingly, some quotes at the end of the week saw topmakers increase their medium merino quotes, whist others decreased D L Y BAN IEN FR theirs. This would reflect WARWICK CREDIT UNION to some extent their position in the type, or their desire to sell a particular lot, but it also highlights the trade’s uncertainty about which way these prices will go in coming weeks.

Carding wools in the Australian market continue to bubble along, gradually increasing each week – at least for the past 6 anyway, which would please the private buying fraternity who trade principally in these wools. Of course, the end use for many merino cardings is knitwear of some description, and this season is all about knitwear. The ‘casual, comfortable, lounging’ clothing has provided a large chunk of the demand for merino wool in this WFH environment that we are slowly emerging from – except for some.

Crossbred wools also had a positive sales week, meekly following their merino cousins with small price rises, although they do sound more significant if quoted in percentage terms with 28-micron for example increasing by 4%. Demand for these wools, from 26 through to 36-micron is still very hard to find. Perhaps the Australian industry is being too China centric however. Across the ditch the New Zealand market jumped by another 5% to make it four weeks in a row of significant increases. Rises of that magnitude are not simply one trader selling a bit and changing their position, it is a harbinger of a change in trend, which is hopefully a long-term change.

From Australia, where all those renovating their homes are delighted to find that wool carpet is actually cheaper than nylon, to the UK, Europe, America and even other parts of Asia are all placing orders which have not been there for several years. How sustainable this demand remains when the price does rise back up, at least to a level where the grower is turning a profit after shearing remains to be seen, but at least there is some light at the end of the tunnel and the reduction in sheep numbers over there may slow-down for a bit.

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