PROGRESS IN WESTLAND Some Hopeful Trends

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29264, 23 July 1960, Page 8

PROGRESS IN WESTLAND Some Hopeful Trends

it is often thought that fanning on the West Coast is in the doldrums—and there is no question that there are very substantial problems in the way of progress stock carryinghas been increased quite markedly fn the last decade.

Speakers at a farm school held at Ahaura last week under the auspices of the Department of Agriculture were confident that farming on the Coast has turned the corner and that further substantial increases in production can be expected.

Mr W. Clayton, " president of the Grey Valley Federated Farmers, said that many people coming over to the coast had asked what farmers had been doing there the years. But in addition to farming Mr Clayton reminded his listeners that the coast also had mining and sawmilling industries that had been able to offer much higher wages and in the past had tended to overshadow other activities. But now there had been a turn for the better for farming. Farmers and the Lands Department were breaking in land and when others saw what they were doing still more land would be brought into production. It was his view that in the future there would be as good grazing land on the coast as anywhere in the country. After quoting figures for increases in sheep numbers in the Westland land district in the last 10 years Mr J. M. Lockhart, farm advisory officer of the Department of Agriculture at Greymouth, said he doubted if they could be bettered anywhere in the country except in districts where there were Government land development schemes. He expressed a belief that the West Coast was entering /an era where land holders would be getting nearer the stock carrying capacity on their land.

Sheep Increase From 73,500 in 1948, Mr Lockhart said that sheep numbers in the land district had gone up to nearly 80,000 in 1953 and nearly 124,000 in 1958. That represented a 68 per cent increase in 10 years and a 55 per cent gain in the last five years. Dairy cow numbers had increased slightly from 12,500 in 1948 to 13,000 in 1953 and nearly 15,000 in 1958—a gain of 18 per cent in 10 years and 13 per cent in the last five years. In the same period production per cow had risen from the lowest level in the country to near a reasonable figure. Between 1948 and 53 total cattle numbers had moved up from 48,300 to 53,500 and by 1958 had increased to 57,700 —a 29 per cent rise in 10 years and 8 per cent improvement in the last five years.

The real reason for these increases in carrying capacity were to be seen in increased provision of winter feed in the form of root crops or hay and silage. In 1948 there were 734 acres of green fodder and root crops. That was only about two thirds of an acre per farm. By 1953 this area had doubled and by 1958 it had increased to 3469 acres—a rise of 373 per cent in 10 years ,and 147 per cent in the last five years. Over the 10 years the area saved for hay and silage had gone up‘ from 2200 acres to 3500 acres—a 61 per cent rise—and in 1957

there" was the greatest acreage ever saved for hay and silage ait 3835 acres.

Looking at the future potential of the West Coast, Mr Lockhart said that just taking production figures that .people were actually achieving and applying them to a similar class of land over the whole district it had been found that wool and meat production could be increased four or five times and dairy production by about six times. These predictions were considered to be quite reasonable and were exclusive of doubtful areas. In support of them Mr Lockhart said that there were people who were securing just under 2001 b of butterfat to the acre and a man south of Greymouth was carrying just under six ewes to the acre. The Commissioner of Crown Lands for Westland, Mr J. Fitzharris, said that with the acquisition of a property at Hari Hari, which it was about to take over, his department would have nine blocks on the West Coast. Theas included about 2600 acres at Cape Foulwind, 715 acres at Burkes Creek, about. 2000 acres at Ahaura, 9000 acres at Bell Hill,, 800 acres at Rimu, 1130 acres at Raft Creek on the Kokatahi swamp; a little over 1000 acres at Hari Hari and 900 acres at Whataroa. The total area involved is about 19,000 acres.

Mr Fitzharris said it was hoped to develop more land on the West Coast this year, The ultimate objective was subdivision and settieimenit but he could not say when that would take place. Ahaura farm settlement would probably be the first to be settled. It was carrying most stock.

What each district needed was more economic farms operated by men who owned them. However during development operations quite a considerable amount of money would be spent in local shops and stores and with local contractors so that everyone would be benefltting.

Tracing the development of the Ahaura larm settlement Mr R-. J. Simpson, field officer in charge of the settlement for the past three and a half years, said that in 1950 the whole area was in scrub and gorse. Today, it was a highly producing farm with 1450 acres in grass, 110 acres in swedes and turnips, 10 acres in lucerne and 430 acres in bush and swamp. At the end of June it was carrying 4877 sheep including 3513 breeding ewes,llo6 ewe hoggets, 75 wether hoggets 91 two-tooth wethers, and 92 rams and 278 cattle, including 91 breeding cows, 44 yearling heifers, 47 two-year-old heifers, 43 heifer calves, 51 steer calves and two bulls. .The carrying capacity was better than 34 ewes to the acre. Mr Simpson mentioned that originally the policy had been to proceed from crops to grass after clearing of the land with mowing, crushing and burning but progress had been too slow and with interest bills mounting up the policy had been changed in 1956 to going direct from clearing into grass and that year 335 acres had been sown directly to grass. Mr Simpson said that regrowth gorse was however becoming a real problem. A great deal of spraying had been done but not all of it had been successful by any means. Boom spraying because of its damage to clovers had been a write off. Gun spraying had been as successful a method as it had been possible to get. Last year about 240 acres had been sod-seeded using 3 to 41b of clover and associated with topdressing results had been outstanding. In fact Mr Simpson described this as one of the best things that they had yet done. On country which was stony it was. stated that the disc seeder was preferred .to a tyned implement which pushed up the stones. Mr Simpson said he was not happy about turning ground over for winter feed crops—and more gorse—and suggested that more hay and silage might be the answer.

To a questioner who asked whether it would not have been better to go into permanent pasture out of a catch crop or temporary pasture to condition the soil, Mr Fitzharris said the idea had been to grow some grass and get some stock on the job. Though there was a gorse worry this country had carried a lot of stock and there had been a great deal of production off it. Although there was a gorse problem he would tackle this country in exacly the same way again. Going into grass by way of crop Mr Simpson said they would have been four or five years behind

the present stage of progress. Although detection of cobalt deficiency in 1953 was an important step forward in stock health, Mr Simpson said that he was still not particularly proud of an average lamb weight of 31.51 b from Romneys.