Farm club to mark 25 years

Press, 27 March 1981, Page 13

Farm club to mark 25 years

In the 1950 s and 1960 s there was an upsurge of new organisations in the rural areas of the country. These were the so-called farm improvement clubs with advisers, who provided farmers with more detailed and continuing advice than they had received from officers of the old Department of Agriculture and other advisory services. In the South Island the Lauriston Fann Improvement Club in Mid-Canterbury was the first and is one of

the few clubs still operating on a very similar basis to that under which it was J first set up back in 1956, Because of its pioneering role the club has had quite a marked influence on the development of advisory services in other parts of the country as well as in its own district. Following its next annual general meeting on Friday,' June 26, the dub is planning to celebrate its twenty-fifth anniversary and is inviting all former members and advisers and their wives as

well as present members, advisers and their wives to join it for the occasion and is asking that they contact the club secretary, who is also the secretary of Mid-Canter-bury Federated Farmers, P.O. Box 414, Ashburton, or phone 5113 or 7669 Ashburton by April 20. ’Key figures in the early development of the farm improvement club movement in Mid-Canterbury and in other parts of the South Island were the late Professor A. H. Flay and the late Mr Harry Garrett and also Mr Jack Oldfield, from Lincoln College. with the valuation and farm management course at the college providing many of the first advisers. In the case of the Lauriston club the first chairman, Mr C. W. Mackenzie, of Mitcham, and the first secretary, Mr Jack Crozier, and also the late Mr Forrest Letham, a later club chairman, were those who battled round to foster interest in the concept and to get people to the first' meeting. Since those days the club has drawn membership from all parts of Mid-Canterbury, so in a way the name Lauriston has become something of a misnomer and also an obstacle, but it was from around Rokeby, Mitcham and Lauriston and up to Lyndhurst that the original members were drawn so the name has historical significance.

A man who has been on the executive of the club from the start is Mr S. F. Jackson, of Rokeby, who is now farming in partnership with two sons. Mr G. D, Kelly, who farmed in the Springfield area near Methven, was also a foundation member of the club and both these men later served as club chairman.

In its early days the club movement was viewed with some suspicion by some people. To some farmers the whole idea of accepting advice from someone else was an anathema. However, the early enthusiasts for the clubs felt that the Department of Agriculture was not able to provide a complete advisory service for more than a limited number of people and its advice was often confined to specific problems, and with the movement of department staff around the country there sometimes tended to be a lack of continuity of advice.

The club movement was a manifestation of the whole farm approach to farm problems and progress. Some of the early members found that there was too much effort involved in taking advantage of the advice that they were given and they fell’by the wayside. In

the first year the membership of the Lauriston club got up to 24 and then it fell away again to about 13. According to Mr Kelly, one of the reasons was that some farmers felt that they were tarnishing their image with their fellow farmers in indicating that they were not capable oi running their own show. But there were clearly plenty of farmers who were prepared to sink any such pride when it meant that their returns were swelled as a result of outside advice. Mr Jackson remembers receiving a piece of advice when the Lincoln team called on him when the club was being formed — as a result of that he saved a paddock of white clover for seed rather than feeding it to lambs, harvested 26 sacks of seed selling at about 25c per lb and received enough money to pay his club fees for several years. The first club adviser was Mr R. A. Knox, who was with the farm management and rural valuation department at Lincoln College and worked part time for the club.

He was one of those who went off to Western Australia to do similar work there in a dairying area. His successor Mr P. M. Falconer did likewise, going to a sheep and wheat growing region; but during his period with the club the membership built up to a full size group of 40 and members were also drawn from areas other than where the club was initially formed. The club also got a boost when some very prominent farmers joined’it. In the Jate 1960 s the club expanded until it had four advisers and more than 160 members and a waiting list as well.

As in all walks of life, however, the club has had its ups and downs. In December, 1968, all four advisers resigned after they had put forward a proposal that they should contract with their farmer clients individually rather than continue being employed by the club. When they left the advisers took some of the club members with them for farmers and advisers often develop very close relations, but according to Mr Jackson he has always benefited from the fresh approach brought by a new adviser. However, in 1969 two new advisers were employed but in 1973 there was a repetition of the-1969 experience and one of the present advisers, Mr Barry Croucher, who started with the club in 1973 found that there were then 56 members. . .

One of the early advisers, Mr John Kinvig, who was with the club from 1961 to 1967 before also going to Australia, returned to the club in 1975 and now he and Mr Croucher have more than

4U members each, and each of their groups has a waiting list of two who also pay some fees and receive spasmodic service — no larger wailing list will now be accepted., At the last annual general meeting the members considered whether the club should seek to expand further but the decision was that in the meantime they should remain as they are. Over the years the club has had a hand in the establishment of other clubs on the West Coast, in the Leeston district, South Canterbury and in Southland.

In Mid-Canterbury, also as a consequence of the club to some degree, there are now said to be more advisers in relation to numbers of farmers than anywhere else'in the country.

Mr’ Kinvig sees this as being due to the diversity in farming in the district and also the possibility of drought and its effect on farming fortunes. Mr Kelly believes that the ups and downs that the club has had has helped to fashion its services better to meet the needs of the farming community, and he thinks that other advisory services have also improved as a result of the establishment of the club.

One of the changes made has been in respect of charges. Once all members paid the same. Now they pay according to the time that advisers spend with them, although most take a full unit, which is about 32 hours a year before an extra charge is made for further time.

Over the' years the club chairmen have been Messrs Mackenzie, R. J. Dunkley, Letham, Jackson, Kelly, H. A. Jones, J. W. Marshall and D. L. Anderson and the present chairman is Mr H. B. McLay, of Ruapuna, who, however, will be away overseas at the time of the celebrations and his place will be taken by Mr D. G. Rountree, who is the deputychairman.