Russia Aiming At Annual Increase In Sheep Flock

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30214, 20 August 1963, Page 15

Russia Aiming At Annual Increase In Sheep Flock

Competition between wool and synthetics did not exist in the Soviet Union, said the New Zealand Wool Board’s chief shearing instructor (Mr Godfrey Bowen) in Christchurch yesterday. M r Bowen has recently returned from a four and half week visit to Russia. The reason for the lack of competition, he said, was that both industries were State owned. “This question was answered by the Soviet Minister of Agriculture who said that synthetics were developed only to take a useful place in a restricted field,” Mr Bowen said. The production of synthetics had increased considerably in the last 20 years. The present policy was to peg synthetic production and increase the production of wool.

“This is being done by an active building programme of winter sheds for sheep; an active breeding programme in popular breeds, and recognition of the sheep and wool industry by top officials,” he said. Mr Bowen added that the top shepherd in a republic who increased lambing percentages and wool production was made a Hero of the Soviet Union, the same recognition that a spaceman received.

Large seminars and exhibitions. together with shearing championships and wool displays, were now being staged annually in the Soviet Union. These events were begun about three years ago. He said State policy from Moscow for the whole country was for an annual increase in sheep numbers. Mr Bowen said there was a big interest in the dualpurpose sheep throughout the Soviet Union. The Government was very interested in New Zealand’s Romneys, Corriedales and Border Leicester

breeds. “These three breeds would fit into the Soviet sheep pattern and the present policy of dual-purpose sheep very well,” he said. He considered grass could be used a lot more in the Soviet Union. This was a field where, he believed, New Zealand’s grassland specialists could be of assistance. Mr Bowen said he had seen many thousands of acres of good soil left to rest for a between crops, and it was only weeds “It appeared to me that even allowing for five months’ hard winter some of our special grasses could be adapted to their conditions so that these areas could be grazed much more heavily and not only produce more but put a lot back into the soil. “Together with this, of course, would have to be a policy for the development of mineral phosphates and this side of farming is only just beginning to develop in the Soviet Union,” Mr Bowen considered the Russians to be very good arable farmers. They had developed a lot of phosphates and manures for this purpose. As there were no such things as fences and no private ownership and no country homes, one could see vast areas—fields of 5000 and 10,000 acres growing wheat, barley, oats in many different strains, sugar beet, sunflowers* maizes and peas. “They are developing massive agricultural implements to work and harvest these vast lands. For example I saw a tractor pulling a 24furrow plough, a set of discs with 60 blades, and a tractor mower taking a half chain swathe with a blade in front of the tractor and winged blades on each side. “Then again it is a land of contrasts,” he said, “Over the hill one could sometimes see 500 or perhaps 1000 women hand-hoeing sugar beet, or a donkey hauling a large load of hay. At present agriculture in the Soviet Union is in a vital

transitional period. From the old methods of the peasant it is moving ahead rapidly into the modern mechanised means of today,” Mr Bowen said. Mr Bowen said that on the Saturday before he left for home Mr Khrushchev and his party travelled to the Moscow Industrial and Economic Exhibition for a shearing demonstration by the Soviet shearing champions and himself. At 11 am. exactly Mr Khrushchev entered the building after driving through crowds lining the streets. “He walked straight across to where I was sitting and shook my hand heartily expressing his sincere thanks for the help that I had been to the sheep specialists of his country. “With his grandson by his side he then watched the 1962 and 1963 Soviet shearing champions—a man and woman in each case, and myself for about 40 minutes including a full demonstration on nine sheep by myself. As a special request I was asked to show how not to shear and in this lighter humorous mood Mr Khrushchev burst into laughter like everyone else. “He then left his chair and walked across to our group, shook hands with the Soviet champions and again shook mine and offered his thanks,” said Mr Bowen.