Angus breeders’ glimpse of West Coast

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32612, 21 May 1971, Page 12

Angus breeders’ glimpse of West Coast

Councillors and members of the New Zealand Angus Cattle Breeders’ Association, who have been spending this week visiting herds in the Canter* bury-Westland ward of their association, flew to the West Coast at the beginning of the week for a day and a half to make the first national tour of cattle in that part of the country.

They came away with an impression of well-grown and useful cattle, and in fact were a little surprised with the way that they thrive on what seemed lush pastures to Canterbury eyes and to those from the drier areas of'the North Island. One of the party of a little more than 30 in number commented that the cattle did not seem to scour in this environment, where they certainly would if they were in the unlikely situation of being on similar pasture in his part of the country. Another visitor noted that there had almost been no talk of disease problems. There was a surprise when Mr Arthur Condon brought to the roadside, a little north of Franz Josef, the “bottoms” of a line of 18-months steers the surprise was that these cattle could grow to this size at so young an age. The leader of the party and president of the Angus association. Mr J. B. Hickman, of Blenheim, said afterwards that clearly this Coast country was not cropped out and must have the elements and nutrients that contributed to cattle being very forward in growth at a very early age. Mr Hickman said that they had all been impressed with the good type of animal that they had seen and also with the numbers, of them. They had also been pleased to see the country that they were helping to develop and had been interested to hear from

farmers of the part that these cattle were playing in this process because of their adaptability. To Canterbury members of the party, whose eyes have become accustomed to the brown grass and grey earth in recent drought years, the lush green of the coast was like soft music on tired ears, even if Mr T. W. C. Lyes at Kowhitirangi reported that the area had had something of a drought this year—about 30 inches of rain compared with about 52 inches in the comparative part of a normal year. The southernmost property visited in the course of the West Coast tour was that of Mr P. W. G. MlUton. just below Franz Josef, where, according to a booklet supplied to members of the party, the annual rainfall amounted to a mere 15ft lOin a year.

There was also talk of rainfall to make cattle men from drier climes marvel when a stop was made for a picnic lunch at the 1500 acres property of Mr H. B. Brereton at Nelson Creek, not far from Hokitika. Mr Brereton recalled one very bad lambing season when it rained consistently for about 10 or 11 days and he held his hand above the ground to indicate the amount of rain that had fallen—about 30 inches. After about four days, he said, they had given up trying to look after the lambs and the losses in a small flock had run into about 200.

The tour opened on the largest property In the Westland district and also one of the first to be farmed on the coast—Waipuna station near Ikamatua and 35 miles north of Greymouth. There since 1946, when he took over the management of the property of his great-grandfather (it was first taken up in 1862), Mr G. K. Ferguson has lifted stock numbers from a mere 800 sheep and 250 cattle to more than 14,000 sheep, including 10,000 ewes, and more than 1000 cattle, including 637 breeding cows. Wool production, for instance, has leaped in 34 years from 65001 b to 173,1041 b last year.

And Mr Ferguson is still pressing on, having just taken up a five-year lease of 3229 acres of forestry

land where he is starting to clear trees, drain swampy land and oversow with two tons of lime and 5 cwt of

ana clover. He is hoping that a mill for pulping timber will be set up in this area in the next five years, or else he will just have to push the trees down. The black cattle are playing their part in helping to consolidate the country.

“You would not be able to imagine what will happen here in five or six months’ time when cattie are put on in the summer and we are frightened about bloat,” he commented in explaining the way that country treated in this way would come away.

The visiting party was obviously impressed by Mr Ferguson’s courage and confidence in the future of farming in tackling this seemingly difficult terrain at a time when such confidence is not a universally held feeling. In talking to the Angus party, he described their breed as the Southdown of the beef industry and urged on breeders that while emphasis should be put on identifying the best

performers, they should not succumb to allowing their cattle to be turned into black and whites. He suggested that a levy on all bulls sold should be directed towards combined beef research.

Mr Ferguson noted that facial eczema had been diagnosed on the property for the first time this year, but he added that he believed that stock on the property had had it before.

On the 540 acres farm .of Mr F. Wall at Kowhitirangi, where there are 20 registered Angus cows to calve this year and yearling bulls are sold for local dairybeef production, the visitors also had a glimpse of the dairy industry, as Mr Wall has just erected a new dairy shed with 4000 ft of roofing and extensive space for holding cattle under cover, which, he said, was more pleasant for cows and also for those handling them. Some 120 cows are being milked and dairy beef steers are also finished.

Nearby a call was made on Mr Lyes, who this year exhibited the champion beef cow at the Westland show—one of the two heifers from Hundalee with which he established his stud two years ago. He is developing 357 acres out of swamp to rear and sell beef calves and for the last

six years his calves have topped the sale at Kokatahi, this year making SB7. Just before dusk on the first day of their West Coast visit, the party reached the Whataroa property of Mr S. T. Kitchin, who runs 900 sheep and 150 breeding cows and 35 registered cattie on his homestead farm of 1000 acres and 950 acres of swamp. About half of his young cattle are fattened and the rest sold as stores in the spring or autumn. As on this property, some of Mr Millton’s cattle were inspected in the yards on his property of 2700 acres where he carries 1000 sheep and about 400 cattle. He sells commercial Angus and

Angus-Shorthom cross calves at the Whataroa sale. These have averaged SBO in the last two years. Yearling stud bulls go to local buyers.

Mr Mill ton said that It cost more than $lO a head to send cattle to the works from his area and 75e per lamb, but on the cattle side, at least, there was a local inquiry as yet unsatisfied by local production that meant that high transport costs were avoided. As the party returned, a stop was made at the Lands and Survey Department’s La Fontaine block near Hari Hari where some 400 black cattie were yarded.

Here time was taken off from cattie to briefly see something of a form of diversification in primary S reduction—a factory set up i the redundant dairy factory to process eels for export to Europe and Japan. Six cents per lb are paid for the live eels, which are. held for 10 days in tanks of fresh water before being electrocuted in preparation for processing and packaging. The largest eel yet handled weighed 341 b and measured 7ft long. For two days the party was treated to perfect Coast

weather—brilliant sunshine and hardly a breath of wind —and as its members briefly relaxed outside Mr Brereton’s new home at Evans Creek he told them he enjoyed fanning on the West Coast and did not want to see more people coming into the industry and more development of West Coast lands for that would mean that the West Coast would “not be different,” but like every other place, where there were

more people. Along tiie journey three stock firm men, Messrs B. T. Mirfin, W. A. Jones and B. R. Peterson, and the coach driver, Mr G. Northcroft, with a fanning background and a wide knowledge of the area, helped to fill in details and local colour that added to the interest and enjoyment of the visit