MORE AND EARLIER LAMBS

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29146, 5 March 1960, Page 8

MORE AND EARLIER LAMBS

Continuation Of Trend Foreseen

season and again this season freezing works in the province have been under tremendous pressure to kill lambs. Mr H. E. Garrett, reader in the farm management and rural valuation department at Canterbury Agricultural College, who is a frequent contributor to this page, believes that lamb production will go on increasing and that more and more of these lambs will be killed early. In the accompanying article he says:

Farmers in the South Island, especially in the drier areas of Canterbury and Marlborough, have had a difficult time over the last two years. Lambs which have been fit to kill have had to be held on diminishing feed supplies with the result that the lambs themselves have often gone back in condition and they have made serious inroads into the small quantity of high quality lambfattening feed still remaining. The telephone lines have been as hot as the nor’-westers which have swept across the plains, and many of the lamb drafters have had a compulsory course in diplomacy which would fit them for vacant posts in Washington or London. Most people have put these difficulties down to the weather situation. Certainly the 1958-59 farming year was the driest in Canterbury for over 40 years, and even worse in Marlborough. This present season has been a great deal better in some places, although the uneven spread of rainfall has made it very unsatisfactory for some districts. Heavy rains in May followed by a late spring, and the early onset of dry weather, made the early drafting of lambs essential over large areas. Partial stoppages in killing aggravated an already difficult situation at some freezing works. Not Full Story There is a tendency among many people to put the whole thing down to the weather. This is far from being a true explanation in my opinion the circumstances merely highlighted a situation which has been building up over a number of years. As can be seen from the following table, the number of breeding ewes in the South Island has been building up steadily over the past few years: 1954 11,320,843 1955 12,082,422 1956 12,408.006 1957 13,415,361 1958 14,454,572 1959 14,648,026 These increased numbers of 1 breeding ewes have been associated with a similar increase in the number of lambs killed at South Island works, as shown by the following table: 1953- 6,596,295 1954- 7,374.259 1955- 8,210,207 1956- 7,647,670 1957- 8.661,247 1958- 10,179,836 (N.B. To these numbers should be added between .3 and ,4m lambs killed each year for local consumption.) Short Tenn The immediate question is, “What is likely to happen in the future?” There are a number of factors involved. The most important one just now is the weather. Large areas are still suffering from the effects of the weather, especially as far as pasture is concerned. The natural and prudent move here is for an easing of stocking until pastures recover and feed reserves are built up again. The pronounced rise in wheat production in response to price changes may be expected to replace some sheep and the decided reduction in net profits may reduce, possibly quite

drastically, the amount of money available for land development. It could be expected then that the rate of expansion in lamb production will be slower in the short run but there is no doubt about the ultimate movement—the production will continue to go up. The reason for this is because the expansion has been soundly based on the story of land development which is now more and more widely understood.

This is the process of the proper cultivation and establishment of good pastures, or even their establishment without any cultivation at all under certain conditions, the use of the correct seeds in conjunction with appropriate liming and fertilising, and the subsequent subdivision and provision of water supply to allow the successful management of both pastures and stock. This is being applied to a greater and greater area of land and, in most cases, more and more intensively to the existing area of land. The answer must be. a progressively greater production as time goes on given that the cost and price framework allows the work to go on. Early Lambing With the establishment of larger areas of high quality pastures maintained in a fertile and freely-growing condition, the problem of winter feeding has diminished. The winter has telescoped at both ends. One of the results of this has been that lambing can now be earlier without undue hardship. This is a prime factor in success where heavy stocking is practised on light and medium land and farmers appreciate this and the time of lambing has been getting earlier and earlier. This movement has, without a doubt, contributed considerably to putting extra pressure on the South Island freezing works in the period before Christmas. In years gone by, Hawke’s Bay was the only district whore consignments of earlier lambs for the London Christmas trade could be obtained. Over the last few seasons Canterbury has equalled and even surpassed Hawke's Bay in its volume of earlier lamb production. This is not a temporary phase, it is permanent and in the future more farmers will produce still more lamhs requiring to be killed in late October, and particularly in November and December. Feeding System For those not familiar with the idea, the “Wallace” system of feeding can be described briefly as the feeding off of the normal winter supplements at a heavy rate in the late autumn and early winter. The point, as far as this is concerned, is the confining of the flock or herd to a smaller area in the process. By this means large areas, even up to 80 per cent of the whole farm, are closed for autumn-saved pasture and wintersaved pasture. The winter supplements are used to the extent of some probable three-quarters or seven-eighths of the total by about two-thirds of the way through the winter, and the pregnant animals then go on to a ration of the saved pasture with a small proportion of good quality hay as a balance. The result is that the herd calves in splendid order toned up by the high quality of

the saved grass, and there is still a large area of saved pasture for early milking feed. It is found that this gives a considerably greater total production. This is particularly due to the better management of the feed supply as the high quality pasture goes into an animal which is producing on a high level in the spring and not into one which has practically finished production in the late autumn. There is also quite a sizeable hidden gain owing to the fact that winter-saved pasture recovers in the early spring much faster than a similar pasture that has been hard grazed over the cold winter months, and this sort of management gives a much greater total production from the area. This system is gaining ground “hand over fist” in the dairying districts of the North Island. I do not know a man who has honestly tried it out and gone back to the old style of running the herds round the paddocks as long as he could into the winter and so finishing up with a bare farm but postponing the feeding of supplements until the last possible moment. This appears to be a prudent policy but, in point of fact, is far less successful than the other method. Greater Plaee I believe the “Wallace” system has even greater application to fat lamb farmers except, perhaps, in districts where the climate is so cold that autumn-saved pasture is not successful because of frost damage. Even here where fertility and nitrogen levels arc high and potash is satisfactory, it is surprising how autumnsaved grass will survive low temperatures without undue loss. There is no doubt, in my mind, that this system will gradually be adopted over large areas in the South Island. The results will be both an increase in stock numbers, a greater proportion of the ewe flock working on an early calender of operations and a higer percentage of lambs fat-bff-the-mothers requiring to be killed before Christmas. The weakest feature of South Island fat lamb farming outside

of Southland is the percentage ■ drafted off the mothers. The real , lamb is the lamb with the greatest • element of profit. There is not the • slightest shade of doubt that farmers will move towards draft- ‘ ing a greater percentage off-the-mothers, and we may even achieve a respectable 60 per cent in a few years’ time. However, I would suggest that no-one who is not achieving 70 to 75 per cent off-the-mothers has any room for complacency or the feeling that he is really doing an efficient job of work. The Prospects To summarize, however, I have not the slightest doubt that the movement is definitely towards a still earlier calender of operations and a higher percentage ofl-the-mothers, with all that this means in associated demand for killing increased quantities before Christmas. I believe that this will apply especially in the North Canterbury, Mid-Canterbury and South Canterbury areas, but to some extent elsewhere. In these specified districts it would not surprise me to see nearly 50 per cent of the lambs killed by January in 10 years’ time. I do not wish to give the impression that freezing works have not been moving in the field of expansion of services I know they have all been active in this at considerable expense of money, time and effort. I am also well aware of the fact that they have had perhaps more than their fair share of troubles, frustration and disappointment. I merely wish to say quite strongly that I believe that the move towards higher output in fat lambs is still a feature in the South Island and that it will continue although, for various reasons, there could be an easing of the rate of expansion over the next season or two. This ultimate expansion, plus the inevitable advance in the timetable of fat lamb farmers, must cause extreme pressure on the killing capacity of practically all works in the pre-Christmas period, and both farmers and particularly freezing works should plan accordingly as soon as possible.