Hillersden plans for water to fatten or diversify

Press, 3 February 1984, Page 22

Hillersden plans for water to fatten or diversify

By

DAVID LUCAS

MARLBOROUGH DEVELOPMENT ; - Lt. ? ■ : ' ; ; "

Geoff and Lorraine Taylor have cleared gorse from about 175 ha of their 600 ha farm in the Upper Wairau Valley during the last four years.

The next step in their development programme is irrigation, which they believe could greatly increase production from their farm. Mr Taylor is chairman of the Wairau Valley-Hillers-den irrigation committee, which is looking at several proposals to supply water to about 55 farms in the Wairau Valley. The drought in recent years has emphasised the importance of a regular supply of water for Marlborough farms. An irrigation scheme in the Hillersden area is one of 11 possible schemes identified in the Marlborough region in a recent report prepared by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries. With regular water, Wairau Valley fanners would be able to further develop their farms by diversifying, increasing per head production and carlying capacity, and reducing pasture maintenance. Several methods have been suggested to supply water to Wairau Valley farmers, including a combined venture with the Marlborough Electric Power Board using water from the tail race of the Branch River power scheme.

This proposal would supply water for irrigation as well as power generation. Engineering reports on the dual purpose scheme will be considered by the board on February 15 when a decision is expected on

whether to proceed with further investigations into this method.

A separate preliminary engineering report on community irrigation opportunities in the Wairau Valley has been prepared for farmers by a firm of consulting engineers, Royds, Sutherland, McLeay, Ltd. A meeting between farmers, the Ministry of Works and the M.A.F. will be held early next week to discuss the next moves, including the preparation of a feasibility report. According to the M.A.F. report, the irrigable area in the Hillersden scheme comprises terraces overlain to various depths with flood deposits and wind-blown loess. The area totals 5820 ha and is at present used for livestock production. Little cropping is carried out.

Local farmers believe that with a regular supply of water resulting in more grass growth during summer, they would be able to finish fattening more of their stock.

The recent development of intensive horticulture on the Wairau Plain, which had been a traditional lamb fattening area, means that store lamb producers have had to either find alternative markets for their store stock or finish them on their own properties if there was enough feed. Small seed production and fruit orchards have been suggested as other options open to farmers with irrigation. Geoff Taylor runs 3000 Corriedale ewes on 600 ha of river terraces and this season has almost 40ha in small seeds.

The Taylors moved to Hillersden from a mixed farm near Fairlie four years ago where they had grown a sizeable area of small seeds.

The hot, dry summer

climate in the Wairau Valley is ideal for harvesting and there is a low incidence of damage to seeds by disease and insects. But because of the recent drought this season is the first time that the Taylors have been able to close up paddocks for small seed production. Good spring rains had enabled excellent pasture growth. This season 25ha of white clover and 12ha of ryegrass have been harvested by the Taylors. Without irrigation the climate is considered suitable for a seed crop every

four or five years. Mr Taylor recognises the importance of irrigation which would allow seed crops to be grown on a regular basis, and last year applied to the Rural Bank for assistance in installing a scheme to irrigate 160 ha. The application was declined, but the bank suggested he wait another 12 months. With interest now rising in a community scheme, Mr Taylor said he was glad in a way that his Stion had been because a community canal would provide a permanent supply of water.

His intention was to pump water from the Wairau River, which borders his property for about 6.5 km. The changing course of the river channel would have required the construction of a channel over Ikm long to the farm boundary. About half the irrigated area would have been devoted to small seed production with the remainder being used for fattening lambs and providing a winter feed supply. Last season’s drought forced the Taylors to sell all their replacement stock as well as 200 ewes and contri-

buted to a lower lambing percentage this spring.

Because there was insufficient feed to flush their ewes in the autumn, lambing was down to almost 80 per cent after previous figures of 90 to 95 per cent. However, Mr Taylor hopes to finish all his lambs this year because of the good growth. Clearing gorse from the terraces has been the major development work carried out by the Taylors. The gorse was bulldozed into windrows and the worked ground later sown in a winterfeed crop of turnips, then a pasture mix of ryegrass and white clover.

The pastures this season are looking good and have survived the drought surprisingly well. Another 30ha of gorse-covered land is awaiting development.