Fast Five: The hottest news in SA ag

The confidence in the sheep industry is still coming through strongly, with prices high right across the board.

This starts right from the genetics with the strong performance during ram sale season reaching a new peak as an on-property record was set for a Poll Merino ram.

The Moorundie Poll ram sold at $58,000, while the stud also achieved a sale average of $4270 across its 160 rams, breaking a record just weeks old.

Aussie Whites are also proving their worth for breeders, with the top price paid for commercial Aussie White ewes breaking records for the fourth time in just two months.

After selling for the already unimaginable price of $1015 just weeks ago, last week, a pen of 26 ewes sold at $1210 on AuctionsPlus.

And while no one has been game to forecast any more records for ewes, expectations for the upcoming off-shears and ewe sales are already high, based on the early markets.

A ewe and ewe lamb market returned to Karoonda and attracted prices just shy of record levels while agents are tipping prices could climb an extra $20 to $30 on top of last year's already healthy prices.

It's not just limited to breeding stock.

After the initial August Murray Bridge market was cancelled due to low numbers, the selling season there kicked off with a solid start for crossbred lambs.

A new report on the governance of wool body Australian Wool Innovation has said while there has been improvement, there was still more to go, to meet woolgrower expectations.

Among the things considered were board culture, which the report says had experienced significant improvements since 2019, but "external perception lags behind the improvements".

This report comes just weeks before the WoolPoll vote to determine the levy for AWI going forward.

Industry group WoolProducers has released its recommendation to voters, pushing for a 1.5 per cent levy.

WoolProducers' Ed Storey says AWI information shows that should be sufficient for the company to continue its operations.

This 1.5pc could also be boosted along by a predicted increase in wool production in the coming year.

Within SA, production is forecast to grow by 6pc, year-on-year, for the 2021-22 season on the back of better weather conditions in key areas.

It's not just livestock experiencing a boost in prices, with canola leading the charge with its golden streak.

Prices in SA have been sitting about $877 a tonne, with analyst Tobin Gorey saying they should stay strong for a little while longer yet.

"So for Australian growers, it is a sweet spot season - prices are well up there and crops look good - that doesn't happen very often," he said.

Wheat is also holding strong, despite some pressure on international markets.

There has been a lull in the price of some commodities but Mr Gorey says this is more a breather in the market than a long-term issue.

In a darker mark for the future of grains, there has been news of some strains of ryegrass resistant to both glyphosate and paraquat.

While this could be a major blow, to lose two such reliable herbicides, weed resistance specialist Peter Boutsalis says it has been limited to small areas.

While there was widespread disappointment late last year with the news the Strathalbyn Abattoir was closing down, there have since been signs of hope, with a new buyer for the land and a business case commissioned by the RDA.

Now there is the most positive sign yet, with an announcement made it will re-open again later this year as part of a Fleurieu-based community co-operative.

The re-opened site would reduce required transportation for a number of producers in the area, while the newly formed caretaker board says they want to focus on connecting farmers with end-users, working towards a goal of paddock-to-plate production.

It's a good sign for the region, which still hosts its own cattle market - with prices lifting a healthy 40 cents a kilogram to 60c/kg at the latest yarding.

With those interstate still dealing with the impact of the Delta strain, leading to strict lockdowns, the uncertainty has forced the cancellation of a number of events.

Among these are several country shows, and the Riverland Field Days, with organisers saying while they are disappointed by the decision made, they were concerned about the potential impact of being forced to cancel closer to the event.

But there is one event still determined to continue, with the Yorke Peninsula Field Days planning going full steam ahead.

There will be strict guidelines with an expected cap of 5000 on crowd numbers but organisers are still hopeful of a good event.

The Livestock SA annual general meeting and the Grain Producers SA AGM have also managed to go ahead, despite the cancellation of the Growing SA event.

Livestock SA has set its board for the year ahead, as well as discussing some of the topics it will focus on in the next 12 months, including the pastoral region reforms.

There has been a slight change-up to the faces at GPSA, while it has also affirmed its goals for the coming year.

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