Keen interest in woolsheds and yards

Press, 4 June 1982, Page 18

Keen interest in woolsheds and yards

Construction of a new woolshed and covered yards is a major item of expense but one that is being given increasing attention by farmers, judging by the large number of people who attended a field day on wdolsheds and covered'yards last week.

The field day visited four properties in the Central Canterbury district, providing farmers with the opportunity to see the latest developments in shed design. Several of the 400 people present indicated that they were giving serious thought to either rebuilding or renovating woolsheds and covered yards. Mr Lindsay Galloway, a sheep and beef officer with the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries in Christchurch. who organised the field day, said that a farmer should expect to spend $30,000 to $35,000 in building a new three-stand woolshed and covered yards. Farmers thinking about improving their shearing facilities have several options open to them. Farm building is a very competitive field with many firms, ranging from big national companies offering kitset

buildings, down to small local builders.

In many cases, costs can be substantial!}' reduced by the farmer providing much of the labour. However these cost savings can often be nullified by the speed of erection by a company. A five-stand shed with a ushaped raised board was the first stop for the field day. The owner, Mr Peter Heddell, of Pendarves, said the shed had been built to ease the pressure of work during the busy shearing season. The old woolshed has been converted to covered yards and a storage area. The new shed was built by Micanta Construction, a division of Mid-Canterbury Industries, Ltd, of Ashburton. The shed plan is a variation of the M.A.F. standard design (No. 13). Mr Heddell has elected to fill the catching pens through side gates rather than from the rear. ■

Mr Galloway told the field day that small swing gates leading into the catching pens from the rear could be useful.

According to Micanta, the price of a shed built to the M.A.F. 13 design including a covered yard of 27 metres by

15.9 metres, would cost about $62,000. A two-stand raised board woolshed with covered yards on the’ property of Mr Roger Boon, Killinchy. could be extended easily according to the designers. Fletcher Brownbuilt.

The steel, portal frames and iron cladding were predrilled for ease of construction. The shed features an adjustable ridge ventilation system and a cantilevered raised board. The value of the kitset is $21,400.

The third shed inspected was also of a two ; stand, raised board type ' with covered yards on the property of Mr Derek Saunders, of Irwell. Treated timber for the shed was supplied by Peter Stevens, Ltd, and it was built by Mr Saunders and a local builder. Mr Saunders said the complete building had cost about $24,000.

A comprehensive set of sheepyards on the property of Mr N. C. Greenwood was the last stop. The yards have been designed to streamline the handling and drafting of sheep and have been positioned to make them suitable for covering if required.

After drafting, the sheep can be directed nine different ways. A variety of speakers addressed the gathering on subjects associated with shearing and woolsheds. Mr Ray Dunnick. the South Island shearing instructor for the New Zealand Wool Board, talked about shearers' likes and dislikes in woolsheds, and Mr Trevor Wearne, South Island secretary fpr the Workers’ Union, explained union requirements.

Mr Peter Glassford, an appraiser with the Rural Banking and Finance Corporation in Christchurch, explained the policy of the bank in lending money to build woolsheds, and Mr Rob Woods and Mr Peter Stevens, of Peter Stevens. Ltd, talked about timber preservation. A large variety of sheep and wool handling equipment was on display at the farms. A feature of the display, which was organised by Wrightson NMA, Ltd. was a demonstration of five different sheep weighing crates. Prices of the sheep weighing crates ranged,from $650 for a mechanical type to almost $2500 for an electronic model.