To Farm In North mid

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31380, 27 May 1967, Page 9

To Farm In North mid

Another of the province’s leading stud dairy cattle breeders is moving to the North Island. He is Mr F. W. Hansen, of Lilac Grove, Fernside. The movement of 125 head of stock from Fernside to his new property at Pirongia, . about five miles from Te Awamutu, will begin on Monday.

Mr Hensen, who has been breeding Jornoy cattle for about 34 yeOse, has been funning at Fernside for the lest 23 yean. The initial 73-acre homectead block had to be broken out of swamp and gone and in the first year on the place he milked only 11 ©owe. About four years ago the herd included 72 mMkeca and production that year wee at its Ugheet print with the cows averaging 464M> of butterfat. By then he bad also taken over » of nearly 70 acres but lari year while the run-off was dosed for hay production he had 180 heed of stock on the original 73 acres, end under the favourable condition then prevailing ho waa able to cut 1000 balee of hay off it too.

Apart from the milking cows, Mr Hansen has been carrying about 80 young stock and fattening about 300 ewes.

Mr Hansen's interest in Jerseys goes back to when he was a boy. He then spent all his holidays on the Tekoa Glen property at Greenpark of the late Mr C. Watson, who was a brother of Mr H. E. B. Watson, who was one of the leading Jersey breeders and judges ,of many years ago. He recalls that he got his first cow when he was only 18 year* old. It came from the Tekoa Glen stud and he called ft Tekoa Glen Treasure. He has been breeding Jerseys ever since. Cattle, however, have been in' hia Mood too. His father before him was a dairy farmer it Greenpart and then Ohoka and hia father's parents came from Denmark. His cattle have had an impressive record at shows. Thor have been shown from Auckland to Invercargill. One of the cows he Is taking with him to Te Awamutu is Lilac Grove Heidi, a rising 14-year-old. In her Mr . Hansen behevea that they own the only eow in the country that has won a New Zealand championship three times. She has done 6001 b of butterfat for three seasons and is also a 1000-gailon cow. At the same time she has produced eight heifer and three bull calves. Three of her daughters have averaged more than 6001 b of fat end one has produced 7271 b of fat in a season. oA. snra* Jas

champion cow at the all New Zealand world Jersey conference show held at Palmertson North a year or two ago.

At last year’s Royal show la Christchurch, Lilac Grove cattie won all the female classes except the aged class, filled reserve champion cow and bull positions, won the junior heifer championship and also the junior heifer reserve championship. As well as breeding and milking cattle, Mr Hansen has been fattening 700 to 800 pigs a year at Fernside, and up On his new IQHcres undu-

lating and well sheltered property at To Awamutu, he hopes to concentrate entirely on his cattle. He will not be running pigs. He expects to be milking 75 to 80 cows there this season. Why has he decided to leave Fernside? He says that he expects fanning to be easier in the North Island because of a kinder climate. With the shorter winter it would not be necessary to have such big reserves of feed. And, of course, being In the home of the Jersey cattle he will be in the midst of the market for stud Attic, he says. With competition being keen he expects that there will be a challenge to breed better cattle.

Mr Hansen will take about 125 head of cattle with him to the North Island. They will travel by rail and rail ferry in a 31-hour journey from Rangiora to Te Awamutu. In seven T waggons they will leave Rangiora about 9 pan. on Monday. From Ficton they will cross to Wellington in the Aramoana. There there will be time for the cattle to be watered and hand fed. About 45 cows wilt be in the group, and although most are now dry, about seven will have to be milked on the journey and for this purpose Mr Hansen has developed a "mini** milking machine, electrically driven and mounted on a sack barrow.

The waggons will be hitched on to the express goods train for the final stage of the journey to Te Awamutu, where they are due in the early hours of Wednesday morning. Mr Hansen is a former chairman of the North Canterbury Jersey Club and has served on the executive of the dub. Be is also an official judge and classifier of the New Zealand Jersey Breeders’ Association. He has also served as chairman of the Canterbury section of the pig breeders’ organisation. Mrs Hansen has helped with the milking of the cows and has taken over responsibility for the herd when her husband has been away on judging and classifying duties. In the photograph above Mr Hansen Is shown with rising If-year-old Ulae Greek Heidi, who has been Now Zeeland etamptta throe times.