THE WAR EFFORT

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 60, Issue 250, 30 July 1940, Page 6

THE WAR EFFORT

MORE PRIMARY PRODUCTION.

APPEALS MADE TO FARMERS.

DETAILS OF REQUIREMENTS. The urgency of the need for increased primary production was placed before farmers of Mid-Canterbury this afternoon when appeals were made to them by Messrs R. P. Connell (Department of Agriculture), G. H. Grigg (Hororata), H. F. Nicoll (Ashburton), JDunlop (of the Dairy Board), W. W. Mulholland (president of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union), and R. McGillivray (Fields Division of the Department of Agriculture). There was only a fair attendance, presided oyer hy Mr T. V. Wilkinson (president of, the MidCanterbury provincial executive of the Farmers’ Union). The chairman said that farmers Jealised the need for increased production but they also knew that the increased costs of production held them back, and lie urged the visitors to go back to Wellington with a determination to do something about it. Mr Nicoll said he would not advocate unrestricted ploughing of grass lands. There was a great need for more production and the most important was wheat. The growers had done their best to increase their cropping against difficulties, but they were being asked to make another effort. The extra acreage asked for Ashburton County was 2500 acres, and he thought there should not he much trouble in getting this amount. Fodder cropswere the next important. There was a possibility that in the future there might be stoppages of shipping for a while and that meant full works and no chance of fat stock being killed. If fodder was available, these animals could be kept on the farm to carry them through It was up to every farmer to see that he had sufficient chaff and other fodder on hand to see him through next winter. Barley and peas could also be grown more prolifically. He thought the Government finance scheme for farmers was somewhat vague and he could not see that it would help the Ashburton farmers very much.

Mr Connell said that all the production plans that had teen drawn up would give a reasonable financial return if carried out with reasonable efficiency It was a serious matter to ask farmers at this time of the year to find another 25,000 acres for wheat growing. South Otago had been asked to grow an extra 3000 acres. Extra oats for threshing wanted from Ashburton was 1000 acres, field peas 700 acres and feed barley 900 acres, to meet the increased requirements of the pig industry: as big an increase in pasture seed and certified seed; 100 per cent, in the output of ryegrass (400 to 500 acres); 50 per cent, of Italian ryegrass; 35 per cent, of whiHe clover (with, also, as much as possible of Montgomery red clover); root and forage crops, an increase of one acre for every 10 acres grown last year. It had been suggested, Mr Connell said, that the organisation of this increased programme should be carried out by small committees set up in each district. These c-ould be; very effective. An organising committee could arrange for the district committees and add to the personniel of the District Council of Primary Production by adding to it three or four good farmers. Representing the Canterbury Sheepowners’ Federation, Mr Grigg said that co-operation was the keynote of the order for more production . and the motto should bei efficiency. The farms should be made m’ore efficient. Wool, cheese and meat (pig first and mutton next) were being asked for by the Old Country. Good feeding of the ewes would result in good bambino-. Lucerne, he thought, was the host balanced diet for sheep, and lucerne should be grown in greater quantities. To produce' more from the sheep, the farmer must feed them more.

Mr Grigg appealed to farmers to tackle the footrot question intelligently, taking the lines advocated by the Department of Agriculture. (Proceeding.)