
Cootamundra mixed-farmer Justin Roberts said the decision to burn his stubble after harvesting, has paid off.
With the growing of wheat, canola as well as managing livestock on his block of 600 hectares, Mr Roberts knows of a few in the nearby farming community that have retained their stubble, and as a result a larger mice load despite baiting efforts.

In Harden, Kennett Rural Services is noticing mice-related damage in silo bags resulting in contamination of grain, mainly from west of the Newell Highway.
Growers are seeking help to move these grains away from infested regions in order to avoid total losses.
A silo bag is said to hold approximately 240 tonne of grain and could be valued at $250 a tonne in the current market.
Manager Andrew Kennett said he has heard of rejections from end users as consumers are unable to use mouse contaminated products.
The message now is simple, throw more baits, move the product along and pray for a cold snap as well as more rain.
Mr Kennett said farmers in most impacted areas from the mouse plague are having troubles on two levels.
The first issue they are facing is damage and contamination of old season stored grain and the second being issues with new crop sowing.
Although the cold snap has finally arrived, it was not soon enough for farms out in areas like West Wyalong, as a surge in mice has resulted in them digging the seed out of the ground whilst farmers are sowing.
These mice are also said to be eating the plant off the surface.
After droughts, bushfires, China’s tariff slap and now a mouse plague, farmers in the Riverina have not been given a break, both physically and mentally.
The spotlight was put on the worsening mouse plague “crisis” in regional and rural NSW last week, after the rejection of a petition from NSW for a $25,000 rebate from the State Government.
Instead, there was a “simpler” solution, as said by NSW Minister for Agriculture and Member for Northern Tablelands Adam Marshall MP.
In response the NSW Government announced $50 million in funding with free baits to all primary producers, eight grain treatment stations to be set up, eligible household rebates [for the purchase of baits] through Service NSW of $500 and small businesses $1,000, and a mice workshop on May 26 in a number of areas, including Junee and Young.
At the end of last week, The Times contacted the office of Mr Marshall MP and they said information on the location of the eight grain treatment stations will shortly be announced in the coming weeks.
It is said the locations will be set up along areas most impacted by the plague, a setup near West Wyalong could be one of them.
The National Farmers’ Federation has welcomed the response from the State Government, and is “relieved” that help is on its way to assist NSW farmers most impacted.
President Fiona Simson said mice were not only impacting crops and pastures, grain storages and farm equipment, but households too.
“The mice have infiltrated almost every corner of farmers lives and businesses and the problem is not only applying financial pressure,” she said.
Locally there’s been increasing traction last week on the community noticeboard, regarding a number of residents seeking advice for baits and containment methods.
One resident in Cootamundra said they were infested with up to 10 to 20 mice per day, mainly in the walls and floors, chewing through that.
Others have been clever enough and revealed their trapping method with peanut butter applied on the lid of a storage bin, then a plank leaning onto the bin to lead the mice into it.

This caught more than 10 a night.
Another raised the issue of poison as a “nightmare” for other animals including birds, owls, and cats, who would die if they ate a baited-poison mouse.
Meanwhile, the State Government is making efforts for “urgent approval” from the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority to allow them access to the strongest bait in the nation, Bromadiolone.
Mr Marshall MP told ABC he is confident it will be granted.
“It’ll be the equivalent of napalming mice across rural NSW,” he said in an ABC story last week. “This chemical, this poison will eliminate mice that these baits within 24 hours.”
Christopher Tan