Stock Thrive

Press, Volume C, Issue 29680, 25 November 1961, Page 6

Stock Thrive

Those without experience in drought conditions may be surprised how their stock thrive if they handle the situation carefully along these lines. In some cases it will be quite a cost and the present lamb prices do not make the situation any more attractive.

(6) The winter feed: If the dry weather keeps on the outlook will be grim, but we can usually back on having hardly any Winter following on a summer drought. Where farmers get their tractors out and put in plenty of time summer fallowing using a good genuine grubber they will be all right. The idea is to sow a sizeable area into greenfeed—l prefer Italian ryegrass and York Globe turnips myself, but other species are also successful. Farmers should then find that next winter will not present a problem—in fact the ewes will pick up all the way provided the feed supply is properly handled. Prices: Undoubtedly store sheep will be hard to quit if this dry weather keeps on. The irrigation men will make a few shillings they did not expect. The prices of breeding ewes will be well down if it keeps dry right through to ewe fair time. The prices for ryegrass, in particular, and to some degree for white clover, have already hardened appreciably. There is no doubt that yields of ryegrass will be substantially lower, and I should doubt very much if they will improve very much now even with immediate rain. White clover is another story and there are some excellent crops on the heavy land and in South Canterbury, but there is no doubt that a continuation of dry weather will have a lowering effect on the total quantity harvested. These various recommendations will not be needed if we get a substantial rain in the near future. One of my Motukarara friends has requested three inches over three days. Of course the prime purpose of writing an article about dry weather is to get the necessary rain to fall.