Improvement In Feed Position

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29192, 30 April 1960, Page 8

Improvement In Feed Position

r FHERE has been a very great A improvement in the’feed posi- ; tion on the majority of Canter- . bury farms in the last month, but rthere are a few districts where farmers are still in an unhappy position. In many respects this autumn has followed the pattern of the last. The rains came later this year and where there were good rams there has been a good recovery in growth with the rela- ■ lively mild conditions experienced lately. | Two seasons of drought have, however. left their mark and there is a widespread tendency for pastures to be open and not to be las productive as they would have been under more favourable seasonal conditions. Moisture Short I In those areas where feed is ■ still short and slow in coming away lack of moisture is at the i root of the problem. The I Amberley-Waipara area is said J to be tn this position and the | Cxst-Bennetts district is another. One farmer in the former area has had to sei! up a buffer Sock of 500 or 600 ewes and cull at the ewe lamb stage instead of at the twp-tooth ewe stage.. Still another farmer has already fed out a good many nuts. He has , had only 99 points of rain in the ; last five weeks. 1 The recent good weather has . been ideal for preparation of land for wheat and it is understood I that some sowings have already i been made. Farmers who had | wheat drowned out last season in I May er who were unable to sow I in that month because of the wer I conditions may feel that they will ; have their crops established

before the winter rains come, out Mr H. E Garrett, reader in thr ' farm management and rural Valuation department at Canteri bury Agricultural College, said ■this week that there was a danger ; with early sowing of wheat for the crop to be nipped m the : flower stage by a late frost. The , | trouble with this sort of damaae < as that a grower did not see I the effects until he came to hari vest his crop when he wondered iwhy it had yielded only 40 bushels to the acre instead of 60 , Feeding Off Where farmers had sowed their I crops early they might give eon-j I sideration to feeding them off . [between mid July and mid . ' August if suitable ground condt- | turns prevailed, he said. How-

ever, feeding should be completed by mid August and he did not ■ believe in feeding off wheat on light to medium land Prospert Looking at the general picture t of seasonal conditions Mr Garrett! considers that the time may not : be long delayed before Canterbury will be in for a "father of a winter, out he regards the present recent favourable autumn 1 conditions as part of a levelhna up process after earlier less favourable conditions. To further help the position Mr Garrett says that an meh of easterly ram without any deposit, of snow on the mountains would j be welcome, but that might be .asking for too much.