Farmers Undecided On Export Wheats

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31782, 12 September 1968, Page 14

Farmers Undecided On Export Wheats

No decision was taken by the agriculture executive of North Canterbury Federated Farmers yesterday on adopting an official view of developing higher-yield-ing wheats for export.

The question had been held over from the August meeting for further discussion, and arose from the Wheat Research Committee’s decision to adhere to its policy not to release any new varieties unless superior to Aotea in milling and baking qualities. Referring to the growth in grain-growing in wide-spread parts of New Zealand, the chairman (Mr A. L. Mulholland) said the point to remember was that growers were

threatened last year by selfsufficiency. There was a threatened price reduction and a survey of the new season’s acreage indicated that self-sufficiency would be “on” again this year.

Mr Mulholland said there had been some misunderstanding over the suggestion to press for higher-yielding wheats. No-one had suggested that growers should produce poor-quality high-yielding wheats. However, he did not think that cereal breeders should concentrate on wheats of high baking scores, to the exclusion of yield. The director of the Crop Research Division (Dr Harvey C. Smith) had emphasised the desirability of developing good baking wheats, and feed wheats on parallel lines. After Mr Mulholland’s remarks, five members said they were not in favour of growing higher-yielding wheats if it meant a reduction in quality. “While we are on the point of self-sufficiency, we should not sacrifice quality,” said Mr E. T. Streeter. He was supported by Mr E. T. Matherall.

Mr S. M. Wilson said that, as a farmer who had been through the depression, he thought farmers would be foolish to grow more wheat than the country required. There were other grains which offered possibilities for export. He thought barley, as a spring crop, was a much better export proposition. Mr K. M. Wells said that the Oxford branch was not in favour of growing higheryielding wheats at the expense of existing varieties. “If we want to achieve something, we should try to get nitrogen at an economic price; then we would get greater yields without introducing any new varieties,” he said. Supporting Mr Mulholland’s view, Mr P. G. Morrison said he thought plant breeders should be given the opportunity to “see what they could

do.” Mr R. G. Rainey, the United Wheatgrowers’ representative on the Wheat Research Committee, said he did not think Canterbury could grow much more wheat. He considered that barley offered good prospects as an export crop. Mr Rainey said that the Wheat Research Institute had made inquiries about marketing. One of the best answers had come from Canada, which had ascertained three essential factors—a top-quality product, uniformity, and an unlimited supply. Mr Mulholland said he felt some members had misunderstood the points he had tried to make—that high-yielding wheats need not be of lower quality, and that cereal breeders should be encouraged to develop high-yielding feed wheats along with wheats of higher baking score.