Programme Takes Shape For Lincoln Farmers’ Meeting

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 29070, 5 December 1959, Page 9

Programme Takes Shape For Lincoln Farmers’ Meeting

A LTHOUGH the 1960 Lincoln College farmers’ conference is still the best part of half a year away planning for the meeting is going ahead steadily and a programme is being worked out. Subjects which are perennially popular and some new are being blended in the programme. Beef cattle have rightly a place on the programme again. 111-thrift still qualifies for high ranking. There will be sessions on stock breeding, tussock grasslands, fodder conservation, budgeting for farming and the knotty problem of taxation and provision for continuity in farming.

Guest Speaker The guest speaker this time will be Mr A. P. O'Shea, Dominion secretary of Federated Farmers, who will be looking in both directions on “Farming as I have known it and some thoughts on the future.” On the remainder of the first morning there will be two sessions—one for sheep farmers and one for dairy farmers. The sheep farmers’ session on stock health matters will include reports from Mr W. G. Hartley, of Wallaceville Animal Research Station, an expert on the application of selenium, and from Mr G. G. Thomson, of the college’s veterinary department. There will be also other speakers at this session. The dairy farmers at the same time will hear Mr T. G. Tyrer, managing editor of the “New Zealand Exporter,” on self feeding of silage and other phases of modern stock feeding practices in Britain, and Mr M. G. Hollard, senior lecturer in the animal husbandry department at Lincoln, on Solids-not-fat in milk.

Dr. McMeekan In the afternoon all farmers will be together again to hear Dr. C. P. McMeekan, of the Ruakura Animal Research Station, discussing the future of the pedigree breeder, and Mr J. R. Little,

of Hui Hui, Hawarden, on constitution and vigour in livestock. Tussock grasslands, beef cattle and wool topics will provide varied fare on the second day. Mr George Burdon. of the Mount Burke station, Central Otago, will be heard on high country management and another speaker will probably contribute a paper on management of lower country. Dr. Kevin O’Connor, of the Grasslands Division of the D.5.1.R., and Mr H. E. Connor, of the Botany Division of the same department, are to report on research into the tussock ' grasslands. In the beef cattle session, speakers will be Mr M. M. Chisholm, manager of the Lands and Survey Department’s 450.000acre Molesworth station, on beef production, and Mr E. D. Fielden. of the Ruakura Animal Research Station, on increasing calving percentages. Results of recent wool research and its application on the farm will be the subject of a paper by Dr. A. E. Henderson, head of the college wool department.

Final Day On the final day Mr W. Faithfull, of the Department of Agriculture in Invercargill, will be speaking about the management of high fertility farms, Dr. I. E. Coop, head of the animal husbandry department at Lincoln, will be discussing nutritional aspects of fodder conservation, and Mr G. G. Lindsay, lecturer in the agricultural engineering department, will be heard on the mechanical aspects of the same subject, budgeting for farming will be dealt with by Professor A. H. Flay, head of the farm management and rural valuation department at Lincoln, and a speaker still to be announced will be handling the problem of providing for taxation and continuity of farming. The conference ■will be held from May 18 to 20.