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2009
10 December 2010
A dry argument
The livelihood of farmers between the Rylstone dam and Lake Windamere is being threatened by Mid-Western Regional Council's policy of not releasing water from the Rylstone Dam unless it is running over the spillway, Rylstone farmer John Mann has warned.
Mr Mann says he will have to de-stock his property if Council sticks to its water release policy on the Rylstone Dam and the drought continues.
He said not even in the driest year in his 44 years on the property on the Cudgegong River had the river dried up.
"I believe the Council's policy of not letting any water out of the dam unless it is flowing over the spillway has caused the river to dry up," Mr Mann said.
"This never happened prior to amalgamation in May 2004. The river has been drier ever since and now it has stopped running.
"I am now running out of water for both stock and domestic purposes very quickly.
"I am not asking for water for irrigation purposes. I sold my irrigation licence a year ago because there was no water.
"I am now buying water for domestic use for the first time since I moved here in December 1965."
Mr Mann said Council's policy on water release from the Rylstone Dam was affecting his livelihood now that the river had stopped flowing.
"I will have to sell off my stock if I don't have water from some source within four to five weeks as my sheep are now starting to get bogged in the river bed trying to get to water," he said.
"The river has stopped on occasions in the past, but not just one week after the start of summer, that has only ever happened towards the end of summer in the past.
"I am now afraid with the full brunt of summer to come that the water holes will dry up quickly unless the river has enough water released to make it flow.
"They don't have to let a lot of water out to get it running.
"The longer they leave, the worse it will get and the harder it will be to restore the river when water flows again."
Mr Mann said that if the water did not flow ad he had to sell stock he would be left without an income and no eligibility for Exceptional Circumstances (EC) benefits.
Mr Mann said the driest year since he owned the property was 1982 when he received just 300 ml of rain. So far this year his property has received 325 ml.
After days of trying to talk to Council general manager Warwick Bennett, Mr Mann said that Mr Bennett phoned him on Monday afternoon.
"He told me it was out of his hands and I would need to speak to councillors and suggested I go to the December 16 council meeting," Mr Mann said.
"I told him I had spoken to Cr Shelley to no avail."
Mr Mann said he paid extra rates because he was on the river and now that there was no water flowing and his livestock was getting bogged, he is paying extra rates for no good reason.
Mid Western Regional Council declined to comment1 .
2014
30 October 2014
Glenwood avg $1249
RAMS topped at $2800 when 80 of the 90 offered sold to an average of $1249 at the 13th annual Glenwood Merino ram sale at Wellington on Friday.
Principals Norm and Pip Smith sold 13 more rams than last year at auction with the average rising by $231.
Another six passed-in rams sold immediately after the sale.
The Smiths greeted many returning clients and new buyers, one of whom, Stuart Mason, "Maltara", Gwabegar, paid the top money while buying five rams for an average of $1840.
Mr Mason was looking to increase the carcase size of his New England-blood 1000 ewe flock growing 18-micron wool.
The ram was a 17.8-micron son of Leahcim 110490 with 100 per cent comfort factor (CF) wool and high Australian sheep breeding values (ASBVs) in weight, fat muscle depth clean fleece weight and staple length.
Repeat buyer Bill Mann, "Moonbucca", Rylstone, bought three rams averaging $1767 and topping at $2000 for his flock of 1300 ewes of 18.5 micron2 .
2017
19 October 2017
Glenwood Merinos to $5600
It was a day of spirited bidding at the B.N. Smith Shed on "Glenwood," Wellington, last Friday, as a large crowd gathered for the Glenwood Merinos 16th annual on-property ram sale.
Auctioneer Danny Tink, Peter Milling and Company, Dubbo, offered 120 of Norm and Pip Smith's elite soft rolling skin rams, with a clearance rate of 91.6 per cent.
The average price across the 110 sold was $1855.
This compares well to last year's sale where 107 rams were sold to an average of $1694, to a top of $5000, twice.
This year's top price of $5600 went for Glenwood 160103, a twin sired by Richmond 579, born August 2016, purchased by Bill Mann, "Moonbucca," Rylstone.
Mr Mann purchased three other rams during the sale, and was particularly impressed with the ram's figures.
"He is a very deep crimping, bold, heavy cutting ram. He has great structure and frame, solid figures across the board," he said.
The top ram had a fibre diameter of 17.8 micron, and a comfort factor of 100pc.
The offering of rams for sale averaged 18.1 micron.
Glenwood 160103 also had a yearling staple length in the top 10pc, yearling weight in the top 10pc and a yearling clean fleece weight in the top 20pc for 2016 drop Merinos.
Mr Mann is a return buyer to the sale, and operates a self-replacing commercial Merino operation at Rylstone3 .