LOSS TOO GREAT
THE danger of losing our regional newspapers is very worrying indeed.
They provide regional residents, also those in remote locations, with important hands-on contact with their community with a wide range of articles including headline news, community happenings, sporting fixtures and results, letters, historic articles, personal items and so on.
This is a list of items that would not be covered by the state's only city-based production, a production that even now is leaning noticeably towards 'bulldozer advertising' for big business, with news articles mixed in among them.
If we lose our regional papers then we lose contact with our community!
The Advertiser (unless it is some major event or happening) will not provide the rural portion of our state with the local interest that those residents need.
Can we afford such a great loss?
I would encourage anybody who has the ability or the opportunity to use these 'local rags', by way of; advertising, submitting articles or letters, personal notices, in fact anything that will give our regional newspapers the reason and support they need to continue publishing.
DENNIS PARKER,
Yongala
GRAINS LEADER RECOGNISED
GRAINGROWERS would have been interested to learn of Andrew Weidemann's recent Queen's Birthday award.
Andrew could be described as a 'mover and shaker' and a farmer representative who has been willing, under the tutelage of his more senior peers, to push the boundaries on the future direction and structure of the industry.
Upon the loss of the wheat export single desk legislation, Andrew strongly believed that the purpose built grower owned and controlled marketing company AWB Ltd should be freed of any shackles brought about by its constitutional obligation to maximise net grower returns for their wheat.
Andrew worked diligent towards that end and history tells us that the producers or A Class shareholders were removed from the company which was then fully listed and eventually passed into the hands of global mega trader Cargill.
Andrew then turned his efforts towards restructuring the Grains Council, which had been the peak graingrower representative organisation.
The new body, Grain Producers Australia of which Andrew is chair, is a corporate top down streamlined model, which is able to operate without the time consuming and frustrating checks and balances that some believe hamstring normal democratic organisations.
Andrew has now turned his attention to the declining quality of our export wheat in a deregulated market place, a difficult task indeed while ever the huge global grain cartels and local merchants control our industry,
JOCK MUNRO,
The Brae, Rankins Springs, NSW
POSITIVITY PUSH
EVERY time mulesing is mentioned in the media, it is a negative for our next generation of woolgrowers.
There is a proven solution, that is the genetic one.
This is not just the case for ourselves. There are many Merino breeders who run commercial operations where mulesing has already ceased.
These growers are selecting Merinos that are resistant to all forms of body strike with bare breaches.
They have enhanced fertility with higher genetic fat and this enables them to look after those twin Merino lambs.
Some advanced growers are joining their Merino ewe lambs at seven to eight months of age obtaining 90 per cent lambs weaned and with older ewes, up to 150pc lambs weaned.
Most of these growers are shearing at six months wool growth with 75 millimetres of staple length - without mulesing.
I see the Merino as such a profitable animal. Let's encourage the next generation of young woolgrowers.
Let's adapt to an ethical, profitable, enjoyable, dual purpose Merino with less of the unpleasant, unnecessary work.
Without enjoying work, we wont encourage new entrants to the industry.
There is no requirement to mules Merino sheep - let's bury the mulesing debate once and for all.
The solution is here and has been for some time.
DON MUDFORD,
Parkdale SRS Poll Merino stud, Dubbo, NSW
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