Independent Member for Murray, Helen Dalton, has called on the federal government to scrap its Murray Darling Basin advertising campaign, labelling it “dishonest and disgraceful.”

“These ads, which have been airing on commercial TV networks for a number of weeks, falsely portray NSW farming families as environmental vandals,” Ms Dalton said.

“The ads must be taken off-air immediately.”

Top honours at the 13th annual Shear Outback Hay Yard Dog Championship Trial on Saturday went to Dale Thompson and his dog Jake from Benalla, Victoria.

Dale and Jake took out this year’s Open lifting from 5th place at the 2023 event.

Equal second placings went to last year’s Open winner Dean Incher with both Raffa and Hulk, and top local trial competitor Geoff McDougall and Ace.

Women from across the Riverina region gathered at Hay Services Club last week, for Hay Plains Landcare’s highly successful Women of the Riverina Forum.

The two-day event was organised by local Landcare powerhouses Jade Auldist and Jenny Dwyer in recognition of NSW Women’s Week, and brought together inspirational guest speakers on a variety of topics.

The Hay Branch of NSW was reactivated at the recent annual meeting, with Geoff Chapman leading the group.

Hay Inc. launched their tenth highly regarded Rural Education Program last week, with a cohort of 16 students.

The participants hail from Hay, Ivanhoe, Condobolin, the Central West region and eastern Riverina, ranging in age from 18 to 25 years.

This year female students make up the majority of the class.

“A couple of students have grown up in cities and keen to have a career in agriculture,” program manager Sandra Ireson told The Riverine Grazier.

When UAG Bio Nutrients needed specific plastic manufacturing expertise to produce its patented vermiculture modules, it turned to Select Plastics at Adelaide’s Lionsgate Business Park.

The vermiculture modules – each about 2m by 2m - are a critical component of UAG Bio Nutrients’ anaerobic digestion and vermiculture system.

The process is the first in the world to efficiently and cleanly integrate anaerobic digestion and vermiculture at industrial scale to convert organic waste into bio-fertiliser and clean energy.

Construction is underway on the company’s first full-scale plant at the Ravensworth feedlot in Hay, NSW.

Carbon farming refers to a set of agricultural practices and land management techniques aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions or capturing and storing carbon from the atmosphere.

In Australia, it involves various methods designed to sequester carbon or reduce emissions in agricultural and land-use activities. This includes practices such as reforestation, revegetation, improved grazing and cropping techniques, as well as conservation and sustainable land management approaches.

Former resident Lucina Hogan was recently appointed to the board of Meat & Livestock Australia.

At the recent annual general meeting held in Bendigo Ms Hogan received 91.54 per cent of the favourable vote. She is one of nine directors leading the national organisation.

The Senate has passed the Murray-Darling Basin Plan amendment bill following a deal made by the Albanese government and the Greens.

The bill passed on Thursday afternoon. It will now go back to the House of Representatives, where it is expected to pass.

The Federal environment and water minister, Tanya Plibersek, said that the deal includes a commitment - in law - that an extra 450GL of environmental water will be recovered by 2027.

Massive crowds gathered at three simultaneous rallies in Deniliquin, Griffith and Leeton last week.

The protests against water buybacks to reach Murray Darling Basin Plan targets was a National Farmers’ Federation initiative, supported by the Speak Up Campaign.

The rally included trucks, tractors and farm equipment, driven to each gathering by angry farmers and irrigators.

Booroorban-based Maddy Telford scooped the pool at the Royal Melbourne Show last week, winning the supreme Red Angus exhibit with her 14-month-old bull, MGT T3 Texas.

It is the second Royal Melbourne win for Maddy, who took out the Grand Champion in 2022, with MGT T3 Texas’ grandmother.

Hay War Memorial High School's Aberline stud had a very successful finish to the Melbourne Royal Show when it took out the supreme Dorper exhibit with its grand champion ewe.

The Aberline stud also won the White Dorper supreme exhibit with its grand champion ewe.

In addition, the Hay team took out the Best Maintained Team and Champion School in the Sheep Schools’ and Youth Competition.

Hay Associated Agents hosted the annual Hay Sheep Sale on Friday, with prices struggling to reach last year’s tops, but local agents were pleased with results.

2022 Merino ewes were the focus of the day, with 23,000 head on offer, as well as 1,200 Merino ewe lambs, 5,750 older Merino Ewes and 500 Merino weather lambs.

Booligal breeders Helen and Greg Rogers of Yarto Pastoral Co again topped the sale, with $252 paid for 800 head of March/April 2022 drop Merino Ewes.

Sanity has prevailed, at a cost of $75 million in planning costs. This was the reaction of Booligal landholder, Gordon Turner to the announcement last week that the Wyangala Dam Wall Raising project will not proceed.

The complete wrap-up of the 2023 ram sales across the region.

The Riverine Grazier’s annual 2023 Ram Sale feature is now available to browse online.

Hay War Memorial High School’s Aberline Dorper and White Dorper Stud had another successful showing at the recent Holbrook Sheep and Wool Fair, taking out the most successful Dorper and White Dorper exhibitor award.

Representatives of the NSW Department of Planning and Environment’s (DPE) water group visited Hillston, Hay and Moulmein recently, gathering first-hand information to inform the newest iteration of floodplain management plans for the Murray Darling Basin.

The Sporting Shooters Association of Australia (SSAA) and Grain Producers Australia (GPA) may not seem likely partners at first glance, but the two organisations have partnered to protect biosecurity on farms.

More than 100 people attended a Rangelands Forum held in Hay last Wednesday, hosted and organised by Sally Ware, Senior Land Services Officer from the Hay office of Riverina Local Land Services.