SELLING OF WHEAT

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31226, 25 November 1966, Page 16

SELLING OF WHEAT

Present System Endorsed

A motion by South Canterbury that the Government require the Wheat Board to take over the marketing of all wheat met no support at a meeting of the Dominion agriculture section of Federated Farmers in Christchurch.

“If we accepted this, we would be in the same situation as apple and pear growers, and where would we end up,” said the Hawke’s Bay delegate (Mr P. O’Rourke). South Canterbury delegates said that though the Wheat Board took all milling wheat, farmers were left with a lot of under-grade wheat on their hands. If the board was made responsible for the marketing of all wheat, then it would have to sell this undergrade wheat. Mr G. A. Nutt (Canterbury), who is also a member of the board, said that though the board did not usually handle undergrade wheat it had power to act Last season Southland had 500,000 bushels of such wheat, and the board agreed this was a case were it could act, and did so. Another South Canterbury remit expressed concern at variations occurring in the testing of wheat Mr Nutt said it was correct that a sample of wheat could produce a 34 baking test at time of harvest, yet drop to 31 at time of delivery. But on retesting the. original sample, a 34 test had been reobtained. The only conclusion was that the crop:, had not been fully sampled in the first place.