'Grow more grain’

Press, 25 May 1977, Page 2

'Grow more grain’

P \ Auckland New Zealand farmers got a message from a United States expert yesterday — grow more cereal a.id grain. Mr Harold Sanden, agricultural attache to the United States Embassy, told the annual provincial conference of Auckland Federated Farmers: “Thousands of acres of your best land could be farmed to greater advantage.” Mr Sanden said that in his three years in New Zealand, one of his main impressions was the area of land that was under-farmed. “All of us farmers have a tendency to do it the easy way,” he said.

However, by the year 2000 the world’s population would have almost doubled, and ai lot more cereal and grain would be needed. In the United States, it was felt that the most inefficient harvester was a four-legged animal, Mr Sanden said. New Zealanders should consider using acres for grain and cereal crops that were now used for livestock. “I don’t think it’s moral to sit here and say we must farm in a certain way, going to bed at night knowing that somewhere there are people going,to bed hungry because they need grain and cereals,” Mr Sanden said.