Changes at Telford

Press, 7 April 1978, Page 8

Changes at Telford

, An extensive reorganisation of the farming policies and management of the Telford Farm Training InI stitute near Balclutha has I been initiated, according to i the chairman of the I institute’s board of man- ' agement, Mr R. A. Burnside.

This is being undertaken with the full support and assistance of the director and staff of the Advisory Services Division of the Ministry of Agriculture. Late last year a detailed report was prepared for the Telford board by Mr H. .1. Jagger, farm advisory officer with the Ministry in Balclutha. This report gave detailed recommendations for the management and development of the Telford farms. It has been adopted by the Telford board of management -and is now being implemented. The Telford farms will continue as three basic units, although boundaries' have been changed. These are a dairy farm with a piggery sub-unit, a sheep breeding farm with associated Romney and Hereford studs, and a mixed cropping and lamb

fattening farm, which in the future will have an intensive beef finishing unit attached to it. These will be farmed as normal commercial units, under the sole responsibility of an individual manager, with the aim of maximising net farm profit and thus being able to realistically demonstrate modern and efficient farming and management techniques. Until now the Telford farms have been operated primarily to provide training in farming skills for the students at the institute. This has sometimes led to the situation where farming efficiency has suffered. As the role of the institute is moving steadily more towards providing short courses for a wide range of people engaged in all aspects of agriculture, it is becoming increasingly important that the institute’s farms are able to be used as models of modem efficient farming practices, and are seen to be so. There are also obvious advantages for the full-time students at the institute in their training in farm management principles. The new policy is to develop and organise the training programme to fit in with normal farming operations rather than vice versa To facilitate this, the board of management has isolated a further 23 ha block from the main farming units and designated this a training unit. This area, and the stock on it, will be used in the detailed training of trainees at the institute in essentia! practical farm skills, thus allowing the other units to operate on a

normal commercial basis without being hindered in any way by this requirement. Maximum use, however, will still be made of the main units for training requirements when this does not interfere with their efficient operation. Farm managers will continue to have groups of students assisting them in their day-to-day farming operations. To facilitate this policy the Ministry will be employing a farm supervisor, who will be seconded to the Telford board of management. He will be responsible to the board for maintaining the maximum efficiency of the Telford farming operations. To ensure this, he will be coordinating all training activities with farming activities. This position of farm supervisor is now being advertised by the Ministry and it is hoped an appointment will be made shortly. In anticipation of the appointment of a farm supervisor and t.o provide further assistance in developing and implementing these policies, the Ministry has made one of its senior advisory officers, I Mr B. J. Hockings, avail- ' able to the board on a short > term basis. Mr Hockings is j at present at Telford establishing the reorganisa- ' tion of the farming units, ' formulating methods . whereby training requirements and farming require- \ ments can be co-ordinated > and establishing the precise | role and functions of the farm managers. farm I training officers and the 1 future farm supervisor in , controlling the Telford ■ farming and training operations. •