Discussions On A Mixed Farm At Rokeby

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29246, 2 July 1960, Page 9

Discussions On A Mixed Farm At Rokeby

rTHX 310-aere cropping and r sheep farm of Mr D. 8. Thomas, at Rokaby, came under very close scrutiny this week when farmer* attending the winter farm ooutm at Rakaia first walked ov»r the property with officer* ot the Department of Agriculture and later heard Mr John Oldfield, a field officer in the farm management and rural valuation department at Canterbury Agricultural College, com* meat on aapecta of the operation of the farm. The farm 1* on medium sandy loam, and Mr C. P. Whatman, farm advisory officer of th* Department of Agriculture in Ashburton, described it a* among the best mixed farming land. Mr Thomu took it up in IM* and at that stage 177 aeraa were under cereal* and there were about 300 sheep. During Mr Thomas’* occupation from 120 to ISO acre* have been under caih crop* and small aeeds production annually—in th* laat season there were <0 acres of wheat, is acre* of barley, 18 acre* of peas, 22 acre* of short rotation ryegrass and 38 acre* of clover. Sheep number* now stand at 1070 with ewes including bought in four-year-olds and older ewe* apart from a small group of hogget* which have also been put to the ram. Pasture* Mr Thoma* emphraiaed that a heavy cropping programme was being undertaken apart from th* aheep carrying enterpriae and after two dry seasons, which had opened up pastures, and gras* grub and porlna attacks, psstures were not comparable with those of straight out graziers. For grass grub and porlna control DDT is drilled in at the seme time as pastures are sown with Blackmore coulter*. ■ Mr Whatman said that this was not generally recommended for although the Blackmore coulter* gave a more even spread with 7-inch coulter* the DDT was placed an inch or two below th* surface where it might not be so effective. Noting that Mr Thoma* was planning to sow to wheat * paddock broken out of barley stubble, Mr Whatman said that this wa* also not the general procedure and while he could not see anything against it there was a likelihood that the wheat would be more susceptible to diseases like fusarium and take-all. Farmers noted that in his fertilising programme Mr Thomas had occasionally used sulphur super. He explained that after he had sown a paddock down with llcwt. of super he had

found that it contained gran ■rube and another ficwt had been applied with DDT so that the paddock had received about ♦cwt of super and in six months the paddock was “blooming.'* Thia, be had been told, was due to the sulphur in the super ana he had subsequently used sulphur super spasmodically with good results. Mr Thomas said that he had difficulty in getting new pastures going, a factor which he assumed was associated with cropping. Explanation Where postures were sown within a month or so of breaking out of barley, wheat of- pea stubble the new pastures would be weak for a start, said Mr Whatman, but they would bloom from the start If a four months* fallow was allowed. It was a matter of economics whether bag nitrogen should be used, but he believed that a i cwt of sulphate of ammonia or nitro lime at sowIng down would be economic. Mr Oldfield suggested that a crop of lupins between two wheat crops would -not only retain fertility but provide a useful bite for sheep saving pasture and hay. If farmers really appreciated the value of nitrogen he said that ryegrass prices would not be what they are today. It was his estimate that 3 cwt of nitrogen would double yields after two crops of wheat/ Mr E. Delehunty, farm ad* visory officer of the department, said that departmental officers in South Canterbury were concerned about the possibility that if nitrogen was applied early there might not be the normal response when it was applied to the seed crop. An interesting discussion developed around a 18 acre crop of chou moellier on the farm. This is the first season that Mr Thomas has grown such a crop for winter feed.

Mr Oldfield Mid bluntly that ha did not care much for chou moellier and wondered whether with 8000 to 4000 bales of hay mved Mr Thomas might not need the crop. Nothing, he Mid, had been heard about ryegrass straws and under the Wsllacegpystem of feeding they could he fed early in the autumn with paddocks being closed up from that stage. Apart from two or three weeks for flushing the ewes could continue to eat straws or good quality hay with paddocks locked up until six weeks to two months before lambing. This too could obviate the use qf chov moellier. Both Mr Oldfield and Mr Peter Falconer, advisory officer of the Lauriston Farm Improvement

Club, favoured soft turnip* tor winter teed. Mr Falconer am* phasised that whereas the ehou moellier had to go in in October the paddock for soft turnip* could be free for grazing until January and there would not be much difference in the feed off the two crop*. Mr. Oldfield aald that turnip* sown at th* end of February would provide good feed and of better quality. When a farmer interjected to say that he had been caught with turnip* Mr Oldfield Mid it went to show that farming was not a precise subject. Early feeding of ehou moelier was recommended by Mr Oldfield. Where it was fed about lambing he Mid that there had been cate* of red water in ewe* and also what veterinarian* had described a* constipetlon. Another farmer Mid that he had ewe* on it near lambing and they had alto lambed on it with* out harm. They had no hay and only a few swede* with it There 1* a 22 acre stand -of Provence lucerne on the farm which was sown in 1868. Mr Thoma* Mid that the variety was too early for a first hay cut and hi* sheep did not like the fresh young lucerne. In the last season th* stand produced <OOO bales of hay in four cut*. An Mpect of the farm that caught the eye of visitor* was a lane through the centre of part of the farm. Worked out a* the farm wm subdivided Mr Thomas ■aid its main object had been to help, in the campaign against footrot but It was also very convenient The ewe* on the farm have been brought in from Central Otago and are about Romney three-quarterbreds. Last season the lambing percentage was 107 per cent and the year before 100,

but previously lambing had been of the orderof IM to 116 per cent. The year before last Border Leicester rams were put out and the M. females that resulted were put out last year with the rams. Apert from ,11 that did not lamb .naif of the remainder gave twins and the lambs did extremely well. Tbie year 78 hoggets have been put. to the ram again. Mr Oldfield suggested that something might be lost by mating hoggets for he considered that they could be useful as dry sheep for bearing oft a seed pasture and for finishing up greenteed. it it was the practice to mate them why not bring in twotooth ewes.

Mr Oldfield Mid that the aim must be to lamb early and draft early at light weights and in some seasons it might enable an

additional light elover seeds crop to be taken.

More Crop In a deliberately provocative frame of mind Mr Oldfield suggested that .more of the faftn might bo devoted to small Meds and cash crops and less to sheep in the light of market trends, but Mr Whatman in summing up Mid that fat lamb production must continue to play an important part on such farms, at least until there was a further marked* drop in lamb prlcos. To. show that Mr Thomae’s enterprise had been successful Mr Whatman Mid that out of income ho had been able to build a cottage, a hay barn, implement shed and grain shed, sheep yards, a woolshed and make alterations to his house and carry out a large programme of fencing.