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.

Monte Barnes was sashed the Champion in the RAS/AgShows NSW Merino Fleece Young Judges State Final which was held at the Sydney Royal Easter Show on Sunday.

The Hay Inc Rural Education Program is a three-week course run in the Hay district, over a five-month period generally aligning with farming seasons. It provides hands-on training modules covering all the necessary skills of stockmanship in sheep, cattle and farming skills.

Hay Inc committee recently won Ambassador Award at the 2023 Hay business Excellence Awards.

Kurt Woods is one of the best examples of how far love for one’s job can lead. He won the Business Champion Award at the 2023 Hay Business Excellence Awards.

The future of Landcare funding in NSW is uncertain, in the lead up to the March 25 state election.

After another sucessful Jerilderie Working Dog Auction lot 16 ‘Bart’ took the honours for highest sale price of $22,500. Pictured is (back row from left) Elders’ Nick Gray, breeder Brad Pellow, Elders’ James Kennedy and event organiser Warwick Doolan. Front row: Jaxx McBride and handler Joe Pellow.

The debate over the raising of the Wyangala Dam wall continues to rage as the NSW Government promotes its commitment to the delivery of the Final Business Case. The Final Business Case is on track to be submitted for review in the first half of 2023.

Booligal resident Bill Sheaffe describes the move as “an expensive exercise in environmental vandalism.”

Image: visitcowra.com.au

Dimity Comb of Speckle Park will offer 30 bulls, 30 females, recipient cows and embryo packages at the stud’s inaugural sale in March.

Quietly spoken John Vagg is pioneering a bloodline of poll

goats, using decades of observation and trials to produce animals

that consistently out perform their horned counterparts.