It was a year when farmers were rewarded for outstanding fodder.

And livestock prices held up to provide good returns.

The season was far from perfect and there was a lot of pressure on the winter crop.

A difficult finish, combined with frost earlier on in the year was enough to diminish yields in many parts. However, the resilience of the Riverina producers was clearly evident. The Wagga Livestock Marketing Centre (WLMC) dominated headlines in 2014 for breaking records.

In early January the centre hosted a $3.6 million cattle sale after 6538 head went under the hammer. At the time WLMC general manager Paul Martin said the sale attracted about 300 head more than the previous record sale in December 2013. January also threw up some challenges for producers and fodder and infrastructure was lost to fire.

The Minnimbah blaze burnt 10,800 hectares of farming and forestry land and destroyed homes and livestock.

The formation of the Riverina Local Land Services (LLS) started to take shape in February and nominees attracted votes.

Helen Dalton, John Davey and Peter Spiers were elected to the Riverina LLS board and Sam Archer was appointed board chairman. The LLS has been described as one of the biggest rural shakeups in decades.

Leaders in the sheep industry were identified in the comprehensive Peter Westblade Memorial Merino Challenge.

The event attracted 32 different bloodlines and scrutinised some of Australia’s most productive flocks.

“Some of the Merino industry’s largest breeders and most influential bloodlines are represented in the challenge which will identify the range in performance for wool and meat over two years,” said challenge organiser Craig Wilson.

Buoyed by confidence in the prime lamb industry values for replacement first-cross ewes climbed high.

The Barellan First Cross Ewe Sale in February is known as one of the premier locations to source quality breeding stock.

At the sale the Flagg Family Trust from “Townswell Park”, Moombooldool sold a line of 296 March 2013-drop, October-shorn ewe lambs for $178.

In March the Wagga City Council was successful in preventing coal seam gas (CSG) exploration by voting on a moratorium.

It was a devastating year for Test cricket fans and the Hughes family after Phillip Hughes died. Mr Hughes, who was also involved in breeding Angus cattle, visited the Ireland’s Stud at Book Book in March 2014 and secured a bull for $10,500.

The Riverina showed it is a breeding ground for Australia’s best horsemen after Tumut competitor Scott Bandy won his fifth Man From Snowy River title at Corryong.

Mr Bandy teamed up with the talented horse, Knight’s Top That, owned by Terry Hillier from Illabo, to win the event.

The commercial traits of cattle bred by Steve Carter from Tumut were recognised at the Sydney Royal Easter Show.

Mr Carter exhibited the champion carcase steer, which was an Angus/Shorthorn cross.

Meanwhile, the merits of Spry’s Shorthorns from Wagga earned more kudos in 2014 and a bull made $28,000 after being bought by the Loan family from East Devonport in Tasmania.

Yanco Agricultural High School student Jack Turner from “Ren-Rutek”, Marrar was rewarded for his grain judging talents in 2014.

Mr Turner won the Sydney Royal Easter Show grain judging final.

And Cooma cattle stud Hazeldean continued to be a dominant force after selling bulls to a top of $20,000 to Roger Harbison from the Dunoon Stud at Holbrook.

Fellow studstock specialists, the Scott family from Valley Vista Poll Dorset Stud at Coolac earned the top accolades at Australia’s most prestigious sheep show.

Andrew Scott exhibited the champion interbreed prime lamb at the Australian Sheep and Wool Show in Bendigo.

In August and September the beef market kicked and prices for secondary lines including bulls climbed to more than $2 a kilogram.

The market surge was attributed to export demand. “Supplies are down, the US cattle herd is at a 60-year low,” said  Meat and Livestock Australia chief economist Tim McRae.

Reiland Angus Stud returned a successful result at the on-property sale with bulls making a top of $21,000 for the Lucas family.

The Henty Machinery Field Days, which attracts more than 60,000 visitors was again declared a success.

Farmers were rewarded for innovation and attention to detail.

Bruce Hutcheon from Coolamon won the machine of the year with his 50-tonne chaser bin.