Farmers Struggle With Drought Conditions

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31588, 27 January 1968, Page 8

Farmers Struggle With Drought Conditions

Farmers are having a trying time in the droughty areas of South Canterbury and North Otago.

Mr H. Elliot, of Waikakahi, near Waimate, farms 264 acres which ranges from flats to quite steep hill country. Last year the rainfall recorded on a neighbour’s property was 16.13 inches, but quite a lot of rain fell in small quantities and was followed by heavy winds so that its effectiveness was much reduced.

Two years ago Mr Elliot’s ewe flock was up to 980 head and in 1966 about 1130 lambs were bom. The first draft of lambs totalling 470 went off in the first week in December.

By the end of June, last year, with the onset of dry conditions, he said that turnips and Italian ryegrass sown in the first week of February, could all have been burnt off.

Recognising that he would not be able to maintain his stock numbers in the face of these conditions, Mr Elliot cut back his ewe flock in the autumn to 800, but even then he had to buy in 600 bales of hay, to supplement 1300 or 1400 made on the place, and also 100 sacks of peas. Compared with the previous year the number of lambs bora on the place last spring dropped to 813 and the first draft totalling only 243 did not go away until January 21. With rape and grass, he, however, expects to be able to fatten the rest.

The wool clip per head for the ewe flock dropped by about 21b—it was slightly under 81b not including crutchings and that was with 13 months’ fleeces.

So far only 100 bales of hay have been cut on the place this season and already 1000 bales of meadow hay have been bought in—Mr Elliot has not had to buy meadow hay for years. He has 20 acres of lucerne and would normally have taken three cuts and off some of it got a fourth cut. So 'far apart from the-100 bales,

the lambs have used all the lucerne this season. He also sent 836 ewes out to grazing in the Montalto district just before Christmas and he has asked that they should remain there until the end of next month. Had not the Government assisted by paying the transport cost on the sheep to grazing, he said he could not have afforded the 32c a head and would have had to quit his sheep.

Before the sheep went off to grazing he mouthed them and found that, although only half of the flock is older than a sixtooth, some 436 of these ewes will have to go out of his flock simply because of the effect of hard grazing of bare pastures. Mr Elliot is in the habit of growing about 25 acres of wheat a year and last year for 26 acres his average was 64 bushels, but this year his expectation is for 40 to 50 bushels. On the flats where he had hoped his wheat might go 80 bushels this season, he says that it might now yield 50 bushels. Lack of moisture is the crux of the problem.

His aim is also to take short rotation ryegrass seed and then white clover after wheat, but for the last three or four years he has not been able to save either. A heavy stocker because he has been attempting to hold and even increase his income in the face of rising costs and lower prices, he says that in the coming year he may have to lower his sheep numbers again to 700 or even less. In extra costs and loss of production, Mr Elliot estimates that the drought has thus far cost him the best part of $4OOO. The outlook for making a living in the immediate future is not very bright. Inland in the Cannington district on a 'property ranging from 650 ft to almost 1000 ft in altitude, Mr D. G. Baker says that they have not had a good soaking rain for two years and the position has been serious since this time last year. He has

never seen the ground so hard and he says that soil temperatures this summer must have been at record levels. Neighbours have stock out grazing who have never had to do this before. The rainfall in the area last year was just over 17 inches compared with an average of about 28 inches. Mr Baker said that he had had more than half of his breeding herd away for six weeks. All young cattle had had to be quitted as yearlings instead of being taken on to 18 months or more, and it seemed as though calves would have to be sold instead of being wintered and marketed as forward stores or as fats at 18 months.

No hay has been made this season and already 2000 bales have been bought in and another 1000 bales will have to be acquired. An extra 3000 bales also had to be bought for last winter and also 25 tons of sheep nuts. Lamb weights are down by about 21b a bead on present killings and every possible old ewe has been put out of the flock. Of 78 acres in wheat, Mr Baker said that the normal yield would be 60 bushels, but they would be lucky if they got 40 bushels this season and then it would be doubtful if it would be of milling quality. Mr J. A. Kingan, of Maruakoa, about 16 miles from

Oamaru, is in one of the worst affected districts in North Otago. He puts the start of the present drought at about four years ago last September. In 1964, he had to feed off 52 acres of wheat on account of it being drought affected. Neighbouring farmers who harvested their crops that year only obtained about 10 to 12 bushels to the acre.

Last year’s rainfall was 15.40 inches and here again some of the rain fell in pitifully small quantities and was followed by a lot of wind.

This is a hill farm of 800 acres ranging in altitude from about 400 to 850 ft. Normally it would be carrying about 1400 ewes and 400 replacements, as well as growing about 50 acres of wheat and 20 or 30 acres of oats, with some grass and clover seed being saved under favourable conditions.

Actually no small seeds have been saved for the last five or six years. And in more normal times some lambs would also be bought in for fattening and to carry through for the butchers’ trade.

At present, there are only 900 lambs and 230 ewes on the place. One hundred and seventy two-tooth ewes have just returned from grazing at Fairlie. These were first sent away at the end of August, came back at the beginning of October and went away again in mid-November. And if it does not rain they are due to go off again to Omarama this time in early February. Nine hundred ewes are also out grazing on a nearby tussock block. Last winter to help feed his stock Mr Kingan bought in 600 bales of hay, 110 sacks of peas, and 115 sacks of oats. The lambing percentage last year on the basis.of lambs tailed was 105, compared with a normal 125 to 130. Ewes were flushed on ryecom last season. The first draft of lambs, which was about only half the normal size, went away at a light average of 23|lb. Nine hundred still remain to be fattened compared with 250 to 300 in a normal season.

If there are good rains soon Mr Kingan hopes to build ewe numbers up to 1350 or 1400 again, but if it remains dry he intends not to buy. any more replacements and to cut back on older ewes and to put into crop what he would otherwise have sown to feed. The effect of drought grazing on the teeth of his ewes is such that now the ages of the sheep cannot be assessed by examination after they are past being four-tooths.

Wheat crops have also been light in recent drought years. In better times they have ranged up to 73 bushels to the acre but an average of about 50 to 60 might be expected in a normal season. This year, however, the average is more likely to be about 25 bushels. Pastures have taken a pounding under the prolonged spell of drought and Mr Kingan says that virtually all pastures will need to be renewed to restore carrying capacity to the levels of 1963 and obviously this will have to be done over a period of years. Possibly because of a hard pan underneath, lucerne does not seem to be the answer in tins country. It also fades out under continued drought. Income since 1964-65 has been progressively declining and in the earlier stages of this period Mr Kingan was engaged in development, particularly in subdividing large blocks. On a neighbouring property spray irrigation has obviated the need to send ewes out to grazing, but numbers were cut down last autumn from 1800 to 1300 with no replacements being fed into the flock. Combined with a poor lambing there were 700 fewer lambs on the property last spring than in the previous year. A third were drafted off the mothers this season, again with the aid of irrigation, at an average of 26J lb. With less sheep 75 acres were put in wheat, but where normally a harvest of 40 to 50 bushels to the acre might be expected, the outcome this year could be about 20 bushels with some 15 acres not being worth handling.