Within a twenty kilometre radius any number of things can be happening in the bush. On sunday the cotton block received 15mls of rain. Definately not what the doctor ordered when the boys had only been harvesting for two days. At the main homestead a handy 32 mls gave our young thristy oat plants a long drink and added to the moisture profile for our coming winter crop program. Over the border there is a fierce mouse plague going on. The little horrors have chewed through the stems of cotton and sorghum plants over the last two months keeping agronomists very busy monitoring population numbers and the subsequent baiting required. To the east of us neighbours are supplementing cattle feed with grain due to the nutrient deficit grasses left behind in low lying areas following the January floods. It’s still partially overcast here, not exactly good cotton picking weather. David (who also contracts for other cotton growers) is moving his team about 50 km away to pick a friends crop while ours drys up, so it was up to Goondiwindi yesterday with numerous eskies to purchase more food supplies. One of the team is from the Scottish Highlands (Falkirk) and we had an interesting chat about the geography of Scotland and the area of Tongue ( One of the areas I visited and used in my novel The Bark Cutters). We’ve had no shortage of backpackers applying for positions and this year there are a large number of Irish visiting Australia due to the woeful state of the economy over there. If backpackers want a second year visa stay in Australia they actually have to work for three months in a rural area in the first year. Our new Scottish friend felt he was the middle of nowhere-no mobile service (most backpackers have vodaphones-a no go in the bush) and no TV in the quarters where they are camping, not that anyone has time for that druing picking unless it’s wet. As with the summer crop harvest last year there is a shortage of cotton harvesters. Years of drought combined with bank pressure in some cases has led to the shortage and with cotton pickers in the vicinity of $800-900,000.00 clearly it’s not something everyone will be rushing into unless you have a client assured of water for 2 to 3 years.  Have a great tuesday!