CONFERENCE AT LINCOLN

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28897, 18 May 1959, Page 3

CONFERENCE AT LINCOLN

Farmers’ Interest In Session

One of the main events of the year for Canterbury and South Island farmers—the Lincoln College farmers’ conference —will be held at the college this week, beginning on Wednesday and continuing until Friday. The conference secretary, Professor L. W. McCaskill, said at the week-end that many late applications to attend the conference had had to be turned down. “Every bed and every seat is taken,’’ he said. Altogether about 380 persons will attend the meetings, of whom 115 will stay at the college. Presiding over this year’s meetings will be Mr C. S. Bowmar, of Gore, who was also chairman last year. The conference will be officially opened by the chairman of the college board of governors, Mr W. H. Gillespie, M.P. Subjects of a highly topical nature for farmers will be dealt with at this year’s conference and a feature of the programme is the high degree of farmer participation. The programme will open on Wednesday when Mr John Andrew, of Hyde, who is a former president of the International Federation of Agricultural Producers. will discuss .some international aspects of agriculture. Later that day, sheep management on North Island hill country, fencing in hill country, farm water supply in the South island, and grass grub and porina in the hill country will be the subjects on which papers will be read. Thursday will be a stock health day when, in the morning, scientists, veterinarians and farmers will deal with animal health problems—notably white muscle disease and ill-thrift—and in the afternoon there will be a visit to the college’s sheep research farm and Ashley Dene. On the final day there will be a series of papers on cutting costs in farming and various aspects of wheat production including varieties, hazards in growing the crop, moisture in grain and bulk handling and storage. The Director-General of Agriculture, Mr P. W. Smallfield, will also be heard discussing diversification in farming.