“Farming key earner9’

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32635, 17 June 1971, Page 13

“Farming key earner 9 ’

Farming must remain the key earner of overseas funds for many years, and it must therefore be maintained in a vigorous, dynamic and profitable state.

The principal of Lincoln College (Dr M. M. Bums) said this when opening the annual conference of the Dominion agriculture" produce section of Federated Farmers in Christchurch on Tuesday evening. Whether or not the United Kingdom joined the Common Market, New Zealand in the next few months would have to make important policy decisions, including deciding priorities in the allocation of resources within the whole economy, and on priorities in the production, marketing and transport of the products of the farming industries, said Dr Bums.

Everyone knew that export earnings from farming had provided for the development of the country and for the standard of living now enjoyed, but the message that this must continue to be the case for many years was tending to be smothered by the strident voices from othei sectors of the community, many of which had sound, well-documented and well presented cases, said Di Bums.

In any circumstances where there were competing claimants for th< allocation of limited resources, the de-cision-makers had to establish priorities and it took strong-minded people to disregard matters of immediate concern in the interest of long-term planning.

PARLIAMENTARY TERM Dr Bums said he doubted whether there had ever been a more pressing need for a four-year or a five-year' Parliamentary term than there was now and would be in the next decade.

There was no prospect of changing the Parliamentary term so soon after the decisive, but poorly-debated referendum of a few yean ago, and this meant that the National Development Council, with its sector councils and committees, might have to provide the thread of continuity in national policies, said Dr Buras. He said he was convinced that the national develop ment programme would remain in operation, irrespective of which political party formed the Government after the 1972 elections. Dr Bums drew attention to four fields which he believed would be the key areas for study and development in the next decade. First would be techniques

for increased efficiency in production to lower unit costs, which included specialised cropping for seed production, including contract growing for Northern Hemisphere strains, the use of superior local strains, crossbreeding in sheep and cattle to get hybrid vigour and the selection of superior sires.

Second was a diversification in production involving dairy farms producing beef, cropping farms growing process crops and berry fruits and growing occasional new crops, such as peppermint and solanum.

Third was irrigation, and its importance was only beginning to be realised. Finally there was marketing, the “in thing”. More would have to be learnt of what the customer wanted and it would have to be produced, processed and packaged to his specifications.