Turning of circle for A. and P. president

Press, 9 March 1984, Page 19

Turning of circle for A. and P. president

The Mayfield Agricultural and Pastoral Association is to hold its fifty-ninth annual show tomorrow and the man at the helm this year is Mr Ron Bush.

Mr Bush, with his wife, Audrey, farms 300 hectares near Lismore in partnership with his son, Martin, in a situation that Mr Bush likens to the circle turning from his first days.

Mr Bush moved to the district in 1949 to farm in partnership with an uncle. He later took over, has since added to what started as bare land, and now father and son share equivalent amounts of land and responsibility. They will winter about 3700 sheep this season on the property which has 220 irrigated hectares. They had about 40ha of crop this season, and a deer herd, now standing at 60 head, is being built up. The Bush family also comprises two daughters, Christine, who is a nurse at Ashburton, and Joanne, who is a Geraldine High School student.

Martin’s speciality on the farm is the deer, while Mr Bush’s main farming activity is breeding elite sheep — a cross between the Romney and Coopworth — with the intent of improving muscling and wool-clip.

“Extreme pressure” on farmers under the meat grading regulations are among Mr Bush’s reasons for seeking an animal that will consistently fill the criteria.

Both breeds had desirable characteristics, said Mr Bush, and while the “purists” may shudder at his blending of the two, he feels that for some practical situations cross-breeding is the best. The Bush home is set in beautifully-kept gardens which reflect the loving care of Mrs Bush, who counts that as one of her main pastimes. Mrs Bush, who was originally from Peel Forest, is a member of the Mayfield Garden Club, the Country Women’s Institute, and she finds time to enjoy cooking and sewing as well as helping on the farm when needed.

Mr Bush is a member of Federated Farmers, serving a term as branch president, and a member of the Mayfield-Hinds Irrigation Committee.

A shared activity from which both Mr and Mrs Bush get immense satisfaction and enjoyment is participating in a scheme that enables folk from other countries to holiday on

farms in this country. They began in that three years ago and have had guests mainly from the United States but some, too, from Australia. The United States’ visitors mainly hail from the West Coast, but some Central States’ families also have visited.

The work of the president of an A. and P. association is eased by a good committee, according to Mr Bush, and he has praise for his colleagues who have pitched in to bring the grounds up to order, and to organise the many events. Among the improvements this year is an extension to the produce shed, permanent amenities for the shearing section and provision to move the cattle entries to another shed. And behind all the work, organisation and running of the show, says Mr Bush, is the secretary for the past 20 years, Mr Alan Bean, whom he describes as a “talented and organised man.”

Show associations find it difficult to survive on gate takings alone, and for Mayfield, its gift lamb section helps considerably. That has been well supported again, says Mr Bush, and a good crop of barley has been harvested from what will be tomorrow’s car park to help fill the coffers.