Hill Development Out Of Income

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31209, 5 November 1966, Page 9

Hill Development Out Of Income

What approach should a farmer make to a development programme? Should he endeavour to develop out of income, or seek loan moneys in order to carry out an accelerated programme ?

This topic was canvassed when members of the Cheviot branch of Federated Farmers last week visited Beckenham Hills, Ethelton, a 4215-acre property farmed by Mr R. G. Anderson and his two sons, Robert and David.

Development on Beckenham Hills is being done out of income, and while progress was not claimed to be spectacular, it was cited as a good example of steady progress, with expenditure on improved pasture being backed up by subdivision with permanent fencing, increased stocking with both sheep and cattle, and improved stock watering facilities. Much of Beckenham Hills is fairly steep tussock country, running up to 1530 ft above sea level, but with the establishment of tracks, it is accessible to utility vehicles. Mr Anderson purchased the property six years ago, and after a fairly large programme of topdressing and subdivision has now reached the next stage in development —cultivation.

He told visiting farmers that he and his sons were developing out of income, so progress might not seem as fast as expected. Very little topdressing had been done at the time they bought in, but once a programme had been undertaken, stock numbers had increased each year. As at December, 1960, Beckenham Hills carried 2031 ewes, 891 ewe hoggets, and 100 rams and wethers. The cattle consisted of 43 cows and 50 young stock.

Stock numbers at present stand at 2600 ewes, 1230 ewe hoggets, 180 rams and wether hoggets, 212 cows and 84 younger cattle.

The property in 1960 consisted of four tussock blocks, and since then 480 tons of fertiliser have been sown by air, and another 60 to 70 tons used in sowing down in arable country. Clover at a rate of 2Jlb to 31b an acre has been used when oversowing the lower hill country. New fencing has amounted to four miles and a half, being constructed with standards and T irons, with concrete strainers and stays.

So far 320 acres of downs and flats have been cultivated. Winter feed is grown the first season, followed by autumn-sowing of permanent pasture. This year the Andersons beestimated 70 to 80 acres began work on the hills, an ing bush and bog disced. The owners plan to subdivide the hill blocks and cultivate the spurs. “You get the increase as soon as it is sown down,” Mr Anderson said. Mr Anderson said one of the things which would help their programme would be the new water scheme, if it could be put as far as Ethelton.

Asked about staff, Mr Anderson said it consisted of himself, his two sons, and Mr Travis Barnes, who had done a lot to get development started. To another question, he said initial topdressings on the hill had been made at lewt an acre, while 2cwt was used in sowing down on arable areas. Mr P. Thaine, of the Department of Agriculture at Rangiora, commented that

“current thinking was coming round to 2cwt as an initial dressing; with another lewt the following autumn.” Sulphurised super should be used in each case.

Another Department of Agriculture speaker, Mr M. J. H. Davison, of Rangiora, said he believed that with present over-sowing methods, the hill country could be as productive as some of the arable ground. In this type of development, good access was a must, with both main tracks and secondary tracks. He suggested the grade of main tracks should not be more than 1 in 6. It was much better to build a track on which it was possible to travel at 20 miles an hour, than a track one would bounce over at five miles an hour for the next 20 years. Discussing fencing, Mr Davison said he knew of farmers who expected to con-tract-build fences for £3OO a mile. He suggested fencing was worth thorough consideration. He knew of one case where, through subdivision alone, there had been a 100 per cent increase in stock numbers. Mr Davison said that if all development costs added up to about £lO a ewe, or its equivalent, then farmers were within the accepted figure. “If this country can be improved from one ewe to three ewes and a half an acre—which it is—then you should be aiming for 250 extra ewes for each 100 acres developed,” Mr Davison said. Commenting on the use of cattle, Mr Davison said that with prices the way they were, cattle did seem to be an expensive way to stock up.

He thought that with sheep in suitable mobs, just as efficient utilisation of the extra feed could be achieved. On the use of fertiliser, Mr Davison said the application of superphosphate should be kept in perspective with the number of sheep a farm was running.

Mr Davison produced a breakdown on the costs of development on a per acre basis. These were: fencing, £5; water, £1; fertiliser, £5 10s; seed, £2 10s; flying on, £1 10s stock, £9 3s 6d—a total of £24 13s 6d. The fencing cost is based on 70-acre blocks at £4OO a mile, while the cost of extra stock is calculated at two ewes and a half per acre at 75s a head.

On a ewe basis, the cost per head of extra stock on the above scale works out at £9 17s.

On the question of stock management, Mr Davison said he would favour mob stocking through to lambing. Asked what he considered the ideal sized block, he said this would depend on stock numbers. With a 2000-ewe flock, a farmer would get by with 100acre blocks, but with more stock, he would require smaller blocks.

On country like Beckenham Hills he favoured fencing sunny country from shady faces where practicable. A member of the field day party, Mr B. D. Childs, felt the rise in ewe numbers on Beckenham Hills had not been very great, and asked whether there had been a limiting factor in stock increases. Mr Anderson said that after a drought no increases were made during that year, but increases had been made every other year. It was over the

last two yean that they had been getting substantial results. Finance could have been a limiting factor originally, but the development programme was now paying its way. Now the property was producing greater wool weights, higher lambing percentages, with more lambs away to the works off the mothers. The 3600 sheep shorn last year averaged 10.51 b a head, and on an acre basis, this worked out about 101 b. Questioned about expected stock numbers, Mr Anderson said this would be very hard to answer. But if a water supply could be obtained, they would be able to subdivide into smaller blocks.

The question of whether a farmer should develop out of income, or obtain loan money and accelerate the programme provided a keen talking point. Mr Thaine said he thought that for young people taking over properties It would be best to obtain loans and develop at a faster rate. There were two schools of thought on the question and it'depended on the person’s individual outlook.

Mr R. A. Milne, senior farm advisory officer for the Department of Agriculture at Rangiora, said it was easier for young people to accept the ideas of borrowing on the future. It was probably cheap development In the long run, bearing in mind the devaluation of money.

Travelling in four-wheel-drive vehicles, the visiting farmers were taken into the back of Beckenham Hills where, as a contrast, they saw a block which had not been subject to any development apart from access tracks.