Awards to farmers

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33650, 27 September 1974, Page 8

Awards to farmers

Two North Otago f armers are among those who will receive awards from the Grassland Memorial Trust for outstanding contributions to the progress of grassland farming. They are Mr S. M. Hurst, of Kenthur.st, Georgetown, and Mr 1. M. Anderson, of Ben Ledi, Danseys Pass. They will each receive a cash award and special citation at the annual conference of the New Zealand Grassland Association at Oamaru in late November. On his 428-hectare property, mainly on the lower Waitaki river plain, Mr Hurst has carried out border dyke irrigation development at a greater rate

than anywhere else in the district and on improved irrigated pastures he has achieved a 500 per cent increase in stocking since he acquired the block in 1968. He is also involved in the joint ownership of farm equipment with neighbouring farmers and attracts and retains good labour through shareholding opportunities and management responsibility. He has large shareholdings in two other farm properties close to his own and in a 400-hive bee-keeping enterprise, which is located on his land. He is a director of several companies and a member of national and local irrigation committees. Mr Anderson took over his 6106-hectare.s tussock country property five years ago and has since over-

sown and topdressed 200 to 400 hectares a year, fenced the improved country into 160-hectare blocks, constructed a stock water dam in each oversown block and bulldozed 32 kilometres of tracks. In this period through land improvement, subdivision, grazing management and supplementary feeding he ■ has increased stocking by more than 80 per cent from 5900 ewe equivalents to 10,680. Mr Anderson is also a prominent dog trialist. Mr P. J. Rumball, who is officer-in-charge of the Kaikohe regional station of the Grasslands Division of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, will also receive a travel grant to make a study tour in Australia.