ABC Rural Report
Central West Rural Financial Counselling Service = loses=20 staff
Rural Financial Counselling Services - = significant=20 funding shortfall
Sally Bryant
At a time when the western region's starting to = recover=20 from years of drought, the Central West Rural Financial Counselling = Service is=20 being forced to axe some of its operations.
An $800 thousand shortfall means the service will = have to=20 reduce its number of clients by around 400.
Unless the service gets more money from the State = Government, from July the first jobs won't be renewed, offices will = closed and=20 operating hours will be slashed in the central west.
Chairman, Rod Cooke, and the Chief Executive, = Jeff Caldbeck=20 say it represents a huge retraction of services.
Northern Australian cattle producers in a = state of=20 flux
Amy Phillips
Cattle are stranded in ports, on trucks and in = holding=20 yards right across northern Australia because of yesterday's decision to = suspend=20 live exports.
We have already heard that 2000 head are being = fed at Port=20 Headland because the ship they were set to sail on was cancelled.
Elders own those cattle as they were destined to = be sent to=20 their feedlot in Indonesia.
Chief executive, Malcolm Jackman has told = newspapers today=20 the company has requested immediate discussions with the Federal = Government as=20 the cattle now have nowhere to go.
Apparently in Townsville around 7000 head of = cattle were=20 set to sail on the 16th with Wellards Rural Exports.
Cattle had not yet been trucked but graziers had = mustered=20 and drafted them.
Where those cattle go is now in limbo.
7000 head of cattle are sitting in Darwin too = waiting to be=20 loaded on a ship that was set to sail tomorrow.
Beef Levy under attack
Warwick Long
Farmers are questioning the levies they pay for = industry=20 body Meat and Livestock Australia.
Five dollars from every head of cattle sold are = taken in=20 levies and some are starting to question how they are being spent.
Michael McCormack, a beef farmer from Tallangatta = in north=20 east Victoria who sits on Cattle Council Australia is still happy to pay = the=20 levy.
He says the five dollars doesn't go that=20
far.
Sheep losses in cold weather
Sally Bryant
With the onset of bitterly cold conditions across = much of=20 NSW, poor quality dry feed in many areas and flocks of ewes approaching = lambing,=20 some sheep growers are suffering stock losses from pregnancy = toxaemia.
Senior veterinary officer with the Lachlan = Livestock Health=20 and Pest Authority, Liz Braddon warns that heavily pregnant ewes are = unable to=20 maintain the necessary energy levels on dry foods alone.
She says many of them are carrying twins and = there simply=20 is not room in their frames for the bulk of food they need to get the = necessary=20 nutrition.
"Supplement feeding is the answer.
"Otherwise you face the very real risk of = pregnancy=20 toxaemia.
"If sheep are standing around in a field, looking = depressed=20 and confused, with snotty noses, then you probably have a problem.
"A high energy drench will help get them going = again.
"But if heavily pregnant ewes go down, then you =
are=20
probably going to have losses."
Commodities
July wheat futures are currently trading at 784.4 = cents a=20 bushel - a rise of .4
July Canola futures are trading at 592.4 Canadian = dollars=20 per metric ton - rising by 5.20 the previous close
And cotton on the New York Board of Trade: the =
July=20
contract is trading at 145.05 cents a pound, a fall of 3.58 on the =
previous=20
closing price.
Sheep Dog Trials this long =
weekend
The Trunkey Creek Sheep Dog Workers Club will =
hold=20
their 9th annual sheep dog trials this coming Queen's Birthday long =
weekend=20
(June 10th, 11th, 12th and 13th - Friday through Monday) at the Trunkey=20
Creek
Sports Ground. Action gets underway at 7.30 am = each day,=20 entry is free and refreshments are available. Contact Barbara 6368 = 8640
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