N.Z. Representatives

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31365, 10 May 1967, Page 25

N.Z. Representatives

The men who will represent New Zealand in the 14th World Ploughing Contest at Prebbleton-Broadfield this week both come from Otago. They are S. M. (Stewart) Allison, of Moneymore, about three miles south of Milton, and I. B. (lan) Blair, of Outram, 15 miles from Dunedin.

Allison has the distinction of being the first man to qualify for the New Zealand ploughing championships. He did this at Milton in 1956, the first year that the championships were held. He has ploughed in all but one of the national finals held since then and is the first man to win the national title twice—at Hastings in 1959 and at Gore last year. He began match ploughing in 1950 with horses and in 1956 he started to use a tractor.

The plough he will use this week has a basically Beid and Gray body to which he thas fitted mouldboards, shares, coulters and skimmers of his own liking.

He farms about 200 acres at Moneymore. It is carrying about 800 ewes and 200 replacement hoggets. About 12 acres of swedes are grown for the stock and 1500 bales of hay are made. Fifty acres of wheat are grown and this year the wheat (Aotea) averaged 90 bushels to the acre, with two first crops yielding 100 bushels.

Allison is secretary of the Tokomairiro Ploughing Match Association and a member of the committee of the Milton Agricultural and Pastoral Society and of the Moneymore school. He is also an elder of the Milton Presbyterian Church. Aged 34 years, he is married with two children. He is interested in water skiing.

The other New Zealand ploughman in the world contest will be I. B. Blair, a 33-year-old farmer of Outram. Blair farms about 800 acres in partnership with his father and a brother. It is a mixed farm. The flock totals about 2500 sheep, including about 2000 ewes. There are Bomney, Border Leicester and Southdown studs. The cropping programme includes about 130 to 140 acres of wheat. About 100 acres of swedes, chou moellier and rape are grown for sheep feed. Blair will be taking part in his fifth New Zealand ploughing final at Preb-bleton-Broadfield this week. He will be using a Bansome plough. His most successful

performance was last year at Gore when he was placed second. He has been secretary of the Taieri Ploughing Match Association for the last nine years and is a member of the committee of the Taieri Agricultural and Pastoral Association. He is married with three children.

Both men will also be ploughing again in the New Zealand championships tomorrow.