Dairy deputy speaks out for farmers

Press, 7 September 1984, Page 12

Dairy deputy speaks out for farmers

Mr Owen Thomas, of Oxford, the new junior vicechairman of the Dominion dairy section of Federated Farmers, is not shy to speak out on issues which affect fanners.

Mr Thomas, who milks 165 cows at the foot of Mount Oxford, believes farmers should make full use of the agropolitical wing of Federated Farmers to press their claims in farming matters. “Farmers are a difficult group to represent because they are individualistic, but they have no other organisation to speak on their behalf,” said Mr Thomas.

Some farmers often complained that issues affecting them were not being handled in the right way by their representatives, he said.

“But the only way to change the system was from within.” Mr Thomas said he had taken on official positions in Federated Farmers because he felt he could reflect the view of an average farmer.

“I know what it is like to struggle to make ends meet.”

Carrying out the duties for Federated Farmers on a provincial and national basis was not easy because he did not have the advantage of substantial financial backing behind him, said Mr Thomas.

“I am only an average farmer and could not have carried on with outside responsibilities without the help of my wife, Margaret, and family.” Mr Thomas’ election as a Dominion dairy junior vicechairman comes after a city upbringing followed by 22 years farming art Oxford. He was chairman of the North Canterbury dairy section for five years.

Mr Thomas feels that farmers’ organisations have still not got the message across to the general public of the precarious financial state of many farmers. If New Zealand’s devaluation was not made to work

properly, , the financial plight of farmers will get worse, he said. Mr Thomas believes devaluation should have occurred several years ago instead of the introduction of S.M.P.S. This would have allowed money to be channelled into other areas, such as industries which could stand on their own feet New Zealand farmers had a responsibility to be as efficient as possible and in return expected other parts of the economy to be efficient, said Mr Thomas. Farming incomes in real terms had been dropping for the last nine years, but in that time fanners had made spectacular increases in production. “New Zealand can not continue to afford the overmanning and ineffectiveness in servicing industries typical of recent years,” said Mr Thomas. “The tragedy of S.M.P.S was that they allowed farmers to pay their bills but the servicing industries could continue on a costplus basis.” In spite of the world surpluses in dairy production, Mr Thomas does not agree with suggestions to limit New Zealand production. New Zealand supplied a very small percentage of the world’s dairy goods and would have virtually no effect on world surpluses. The United States and Europe obviously had problem? with surplus dairy products and realised that they could not afford to continue to subsidise producers to create surpluses, said Mr Thomas. World surpluses would obviously affect New Zealand but there was little New Zealand could do, said Mr Thomas. “There have always been ups and downs in the dairy industry. Only 15 years ago we were advised to bulldoze down the milking shed because dairy prospects looked dismal.” Mr Thomas is firmly behind the expansion of dairy-

ing in Canterbury on light irrigated land which provides dry wintering conditions for stock and few animal health problems. “If I was starting again in dairying that type of country would be where I would head, where water was guaranteed. “It has been proved that light ground with irrigation can grow as much grass as anywhere.” Mr Thomas farms in partnership with his wife 80ha of mostly Mayfield stony silt loam between the north and south branches of the Eyre River. The land dries out very quickly in droughts, but is ideal for block grazing in winter. The drought of 1981-82 was the worst in Oxford’s history and many wells dried up for the first time, said Mr Thomas. The drought coincided with the installation of an irrigation system to cover 36ha of the Thomas’ farm but this was not totally effective because of a dry well. However the irrigator helped the Thomas’ through the drought that year and the next year, although Mr Thomas said the drought knocked back pastures and stock.

, The effect of the two successive dry years will be felt for some years to come because stock born during •droughts would continue to be poor producers for the rest of their lives.

“I hope we never see another drought like that again.” Mr Thomas has plans to extend the irrigation scheme to cover the whole 65ha in the home block, but is at present looking at ways to reduce the risk of wells going completely dry in droughts.

Wells in the district are only about 18m deep and there is no history of successful deep wells. Some have been put down to about 60m, but they provided little water.

However, in most years a lack of water in wells would not be a problem because rain in the nearby hills can soon recharge the acquifers. Mr Thomas has seen his well level rise 6m in 24 hours.

Butterfat production took a hammering from the drought on the Thomas’ farm as it did with other dairy farms in the district. From a peak of 17,000 kg in the year before the drought, production fell to 11,000 kg the next year, and increased to 14,000 kg and 17,200 kg in the following two seasons.

Mr Thomas feels that production would have reached 24,000 kg by this season if the drought had not occurred. The Thomas’ took over the farm 22 years ago when it had a herd of 50 Jersey cows. They have been converting to a Friesian herd using articifial insemination and last season wintered 165 Friesian and Friesian cross cows and 55 yearlings. The season before the drought, the farm carried 140 cows, but the dry conditions forced cow numbers down and they are only now starting to increase. Mr Thomas is aiming at a herd of 200-220 cows producing about 24,000 kg.

To help ease of calving and retain a high percentage of butterfat in the milk, Mr Thomas intends putting Jersey bulls over some of the bigger boned Friesian cows and all the heifers. He has always bred his own replacement stock and now uses semen from the Dairy

Board’s sire proving scheme.

Calf rearing is a family affair, ■ with Margaret in charge. Last season they reared 50 heifer calves and 50 bull calves.

Because the drought knocked back the whole farming operation, the Thomas’ have not been able to cull cows in the last two years. The Oxford district is by no means ideally suited to dairying, largely because of the short growing season for grass. The area is 300 m above sea level and has a rainfall of about 1200 mm which can be spread unevenly during the year. The district is prone to long spells of dry weather and at the other extreme Mr Thomas can remember snow in November. However when the grass does grow it really moves and could provide an embarrassment of feed at times, said Mr Thomas. Last season he made 900 tonnes of silage, enough to

get'the herd through two winters.

Mr Thomas moved to silage about five years ago because the weather often did pot allow hay to be made early in the season. Because of the likelihood of summer drought, he aims to have all his supplementary feed made before December, giving paddocks sufficient time to recover before the summer. Mr Thomas points to the launching this year of the • North Canterbury Dairy Farmer of the Year competition and the advent of close co-operation between dairy companies as two important milestones for the dairy industry during his term as provincial chairman. The dairy farmer contest would help to identify efficient farmers and provide encouragement to the industry, said Mr Thomas. Organ-

isers were staggered to see 200 people attend a field day in May on this year’s winner’s property.