Contributor, The Koondrook and Barham Bridge Newspaper

A soil aeration trial on a Caldwell farm has delivered strong gains in feed production, helping carry more cattle through dry periods. Working across his 1100-acre farm east of Barham, Don Hearn has spent several years trialling soil aeration, a process designed to relieve compaction and improve pasture growth.

Patrick Tucker. Farmers across the region are preparing for a series of VicGrid visits to properties in the coming weeks, as part of ongoing efforts to conduct ecological studies linked to the proposed VNI West transmission project ... "This is the second attempt from VicGrid to get access to our properties to do the ecological study," he said.

Cohuna is back on the national barefoot waterskiing map, with Sunday's Oz Open drawing locals to Gunbower Creek ahead of the Australian titles' long-awaited return to town. The free exhibition event gave spectators an early look at the speed and spectacle to come before the 64th Australian National Barefoot Waterski Championships got under way on Tuesday at the Cohuna Ski Run Reserve.

Patrick Tucker. A local farmer has been left out of pocket and frustrated after more than 1000 litres of diesel is believed to have been stolen from his property. Benjeroop farmer Lindsay Schultz said the fuel went missing sometime in March after a fresh delivery ... he believed the scale of the incident pointed to something more organised.

A forum highlighting the negative impacts of the basin plan on rural communities was held in Barham recently – hundreds were in attendance or have watched the forum online. Southern Riverina Irrigators (SRI) joined the Central Murray Environmental Floodplain Group, The Bridge Newspaper and Upper Goulburn Catchment Alliance to organise the event which included a variety of speakers across industry, science and agriculture.

Gus van Hart. The Murrabit rodeo is fast becoming one of the district's standout community events, with organisers saying this year's crowd and support pushed the annual show to a new level ... "It was just all about the rodeo on the night, and the vibe was awesome. Everyone had an absolute blast."

The NSW Government has announced an expansion of their Drought Plan and while welcome, more needs to be done, according to Country Mayors Association of NSW (CMA) Chairman, Mayor Rick Firman OAM (of Temora Shire). "Our farmers in south-west NSW are struggling and they need support with fodder and water freight costs. Keeping core livestock alive is a priority and simply enabling bigger debts is short on insight," he said.

Gus van Hart. Two Moulamein sisters are set to pull on New South Wales colours at Barastoc 2026 after both landed surprise representative call-ups in different squads. Barastoc is an annual three-day interstate polocrosse carnival featuring representative state teams from across the country.

Gus van Hart. A quirky paddock full of handmade "Minions" is stopping traffic in Koondrook, with families pulling over at a local farm to snap photos from the fence line. The display, built from recycled farm and industrial parts, has quickly become a fun roadside attraction for the district, drawing regular visitors and giving travellers a reason to slow down and take a look.

Gus van Hart. A young angler has landed the catch of a lifetime off the Cohuna pier, reeling in a metre-plus Murray cod that has kids around town asking him how to fish. Personal trainer Jye Hill, who recently turned 20, was only a few minutes into a session at the popular Cohuna spot when his rod suddenly came to life.