Grain, and grass—Marshland farmer happy with change

Press, 15 October 1976, Page 2

Grain, and grass—Marshland farmer happy with change

By

TERRY McGOVERNE

A grass grub with a flair for geometrical precision is (eating its way across a piece iof prime turf on a market (garden in Marshland. I The grass grub is really a i turf-laying company, which (is harvesting instant lawn from the property of Mr lan ■Stevenson at the corner of Marshland Road and IMcSavenys Road. Mr Stevenson, to some extent made history in the traditionally market-gardening district last year by harvesting a crop of wheat which yielded about 100 bushels to the acre. After he had ploughed in the stubble, a turf-laying company took over two acres and sowed it down in fine grass, which grew and consolidated over the winter and is now ready for harvest. Last week, 150 square metres of lawn was taken up and sent to a buyer in Nelson. The rest of the lawn will find its way into various subdivisions and commercial properties. Once all the lawn is gone, Mr Stevenson will sow another crop of wheat or barley, and plough back the stubble — which will replace the little bit of soil the instant lawn people took I away. i Growing lawn and a grain (crop, both of which entail ■ not much work for the pro--1 perty owner, is a much more attractive proposition than growing vegetables. From the lawn people Mr Stevenson got more than three times as much income as he would have -had he leased the land to another grower for vegetables. He had the same land in production for the whole year and was committed to very little work. More significantly, he had no worries at harvest-time about being at the mercy of a fickle auction system. Mr Stevenson, like other Marshland market gardeners,

■has found it necessary to ; /engage in other employment] , to meet the discrepancy between projected income and actual income. . , He works as a green-[ i keeper at the Shirley golf; ; course. Other gardeners, some of whom have been on) ! the Marshland soil for years, Hare driving trucks, working: ’■at the freezing works, or' I travelling for produce mer-i chants. J The sale of fruit and pro-j Jduce on the Christchurch; J markets yesterday high-i /lighted the steady increase! jin prices for cabbage and! pother greens. II Strangely, there was an ;i exceptionally heavy volume of cauliflowers on the floor, : drawn from local and Oam- ! aru gardens. The price con- ■ sequently tumbled to as ■ little as $1 a bag of eight, while the best made only! , $l.BO. By contrast, cabbages; ' brought up to $5 a bag fori , drumheads, and on Wednes-j ! day supplies from Pukekohe; reached $9.70 a bag — moreJ than $1 each. j Silver beet yesterday! made up to $3.20 a case,'; ( with a minimum of $2, and ! . spinach about 30c a bunch.; , Broccoli made 70c per Ibi /and the best celery $1 a; 11 stick. Other celery fetched! J from 25c to about 65c a (stick. i Asparagus sold at 55c to I 62c per lb and from 36c to . 61c by the bunch. i Mushrooms were again in i short supply, and made 80c to $1.20 per lb. There was a ■ better supply of strawberries i from the North Island, ; which brought the price ■ back to $1.35 a punnet, com-; ■ pared with $2.31 last week. i ■ The markets do not expect; ■ to see local strawberries for! ■ another six weeks or so be-< ' cause of the lateness of the • season. ; Two lines of pears were ; sold by auction yesterday, • and brought $12.10 per bushel case. It is unusual to ■ see pears sold at auction, and , the reason given was that

I they were scarce. Retailers :;said they did not believe ■ this, but still pushed the price from the opening jfigure of $7 to $12.10 to get 'access to them. i Root crops are improving as the season draws to a ‘(close. ‘ Carrots made up to 11c per lb, and parsnips im- ' proved to about 7c per lb. are 6c per lb but i there is still no improve(ment in potato and onion iprices. | Pumpkin has moved up a further 3c to 33c per lb, which is reputed as its highest price yet. Kumeras are a better buy, at 20c to 40c per lb, but cucumbers from local and North Island growers are still expensive — up to $5 for a case containing about six, although smaller varieties are bringing about is2 a case. 1 < Retail prices ! Cabbage prices are high in >!the shops this week as local i supplies come to an end. •jThe spring cabbages still (available are 30c to 40c j each, but drumhead from i further north are 60c and J 70c. J Cauliflower prices are exceptionally low. The smaller , cauliflowers are only 25c and 29c, and the larger ones , are up to 55c each. ■ Pumpkin is still expensive, at 85c to 90c per kilogram for the best quality and 65c for lower quality. A range of prices is:— Silver Beet (kg), 55c to 64c. Spinach (bunch), 45c to 150 c. . Lettuce, small, 20c to 29c. J Lettuce, large, 50c to 55c. ' Broccoli (kg), $1.79 to $1.98. ‘ Asparagus (bunch), 55c. Celery (bunch), local 29c; N. 1., 50c to $l. , Mushrooms (kg), $2.43 to $2.80. i Radishes (bunch), 25c I to 30c. ; Cucumbers, small, 45c to

50c: large, 80c to $l. Parsnips (kg), 55c. Swedes (kg), 22c. Carrots (kg). 33c. Yams (kg), $1.35 to $1.55. Kumaras (kg), $l.lO to $1.55. Onions (kg), 22c. Potatoes (kg), 15c to 20c. Tomatoes (kg), $2 to $2.64. ; Pears (kg), 72c. ’ Bananas, Isla..d, (kg) 55c; Equadoran, 66c. Oranges, Australian, (kg), J7c. Strawberries (punnet), $1.30 to $2.