POTENTIAL FOR SOYA BEANS

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30064, 23 February 1963, Page 6

POTENTIAL FOR SOYA BEANS

(CANTERBURY has a considerable potential for soya bean production, in the opinion of Dr. G. B. Garner, an agricultural chemist at the University of Missouri, who is carrying out research under a Fulbright travel award at Massey Agricultural College. Trial areas' of soya -beans growing in Canterbury had impressed him and indicated that they were getting dose to what could be achieved with this crop. Missouri grows extensive areas of soya beans and they are the State’s second largest cash crop—second only to cotton. Very few soya beans were grown for forage in Missouri. Most of them were for oil production. The pressed meal remaining after oil extraction was used for protein-rich concentrates for stock feed. The beans were also exported and there was a potential export market for New Zealand in soya beans with the Asian countries.

Dr., Garner said that if the economics of soya bean growing were satisfactory In Canterbury there was little need for extensive research

as the United States had a considerable knowledge on their production and- use. Parent stock as close as possible to local requirements should be imported and plant breeders should then produce suitable strains or hybrids.

Dr. Garner was also Impressed with trials of lucerne and maize crops grown together for feeding dairy cows and said that soya beans could also be used in combination with maize. In the mid-west States erf the United States maize and lucerne were used together for silage making and it was preferred to grass for milk production. The United States farmer made his maize silage at a later stage when the ear was just past the roasting stage because, depending on demand, the crop could either be ensiled or saved for threshing. The New Zealand method erf making maize silage at an earlier stage in the plant’s growth meant there was some loss in tonnage but

the product was worth more. Dr. Garner's main interest is in the general nutrition of sheep and cattle and he will be carrying out research into autumn ill-thrift of hoggets in the North Island and any other ill-thrift reported which does not respond to selenium. Observations will be made of affected sheep on the farm and blood analyses will be made as part of the work.