Some beat trend

Press, 8 June 1979, Page 8

Some beat trend

By grain feeding their ewes last year some farmers in Canterbury increased their lambing percentages last spring against the general trend. As a result of the extensive summer and autumn drought in 1977-78 the national lambing percentage last year declined by between two and three per cent. However, while the national trend had emerged very much as expected, some Canterbury farmers had had higher percentages than normal, said Mr A. South, an animal husbandry adviser with the Ministry of Agriculture in Christchurch. “About 10 field days were held in central and North Canterbury last year to discuss ways of avoiding the expected drop in lambing percentages. About 200 people attended each field day. “As a result of these discussions, many farmers adopted grain feeding programmes to combat the expected dedine.” Seven Canterbury counties — Rangiora, Eyre, Waimairi. Akaroa, Ellesmere, Strathallan and

Waimate had greater than 100 per cent lambing averages — the national figure was 97.1. Paparua, Mount Herbert, Wairewa and Ashburton counties all had lambing percentages above the national average for 1978. Seven Canterbury counties, however, experienced lambing percentages lower than the national average. “The drop in lamb numbers has not been fully compensated for by better fattening rates,” said Mr South. “A number of farmers have had trouble fattening lambs this season. Some have tried mineral mixes with a degree of success.”