Sheffield engineer is president

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32874, 24 March 1972, Page 6

Sheffield engineer is president

An agricultural engineer and contractor, Mr F. C. Taege, of Sheffield, is this year’s president of the Malvern Agricultural and Pastoral Association.

Mr Taege believes it is only the second time in the history of the association that someone other than a farmer has served as president. The other person to do so was his own father, Mr H. F. Taege who also had an agricultural contracting business. He was president in 1955.

Mr Taege’s family has a long association with the farming industry throughout Canterbury. His grandfather came from Germany and is thought to be the firat person in Canterbury to own a header. H e was a contractor in the Greendale district.

Mr Taege’s father began an agricultural contracting business in Sheffield in the traction engine days. Throughout the years, equipment changed and by the time Mr Taege entered the business, the chaff cutters had almost been replaced by hpy balers.

Today Mr Taege runs a very successful engineering business and is in partnership with Mr J. Holliday in the agricultural contracting affairs.

The engineering business began when Mr Taege and his father began buying engineering equipment to do repairs on their own contracting plant. They soon found there was a demand for such a business in Sheffield and so a very successful agricultural engineering career began.

Much of the agricultural equipment made by Mr Taege and his staff has been constructed to meet the requirements of the individual farmers. A potato harvester and portable silo manufactured in his workshop have proved very popular and a great help to fanners.

Mr Taege said more than 100 of the portable silos have been manufactured by

his firm for farmers throughout Canterbury.

One of his latest innovations is a cattle cradle, used for lying cattle on while they receive veterinary attention. It was built to a fanner’s requirements and has already attracted a lot of attention.

Mr Taege has just completed building a cattle ramp which will be used at the show tomorrow. Because there is no permanent cattle yards at the domain all the pens and gates have to be specially erected.

Mr Taege has been a member of the Malvem Agricultural and Pastoral Association for about 20 years and a committee member for about 12.