Northland’s Future Impresses Visitor

Northern Advocate, 27 January 1939, Page 7

Northland’s Future Impresses Visitor

That Northland has greater farming potentialities than the Waikato was the opinion expressed by Mr R. A. Candy, a director of the New Zealand Co-op. Dairy Company, and chairman of the Dairy Board Herd Recording Committee, when interviewed by an “Advocate” representative at Kaitaia. “I feel that two problems face Northland farmers,” he said. “The flat i lands appear to be equal”to any found in most parts of the Dominion, but it is evident |hat there is a distinct problem in flood prevention. There is evidence on every hand that all flats suffer from floods and, witliThe usually abundant rainfall of the North, there must be a great danger of permanent destruction of pastures and soil erosion. The Second Problem. “The North has a large proportion of light country which is capable of much fuller development and production, and the second problem—and the limiting factor—-is whether or not the country will show a sufficient return in the capital asset to warrant the cost involved in bringing it into production.” ' ; Because of production costs, or for other reasons, Mr Candy said that apparently a number of Northland farmers were not farming intensively enough.

Holdings Too Large?

It was probable that the main reason was that a number of the holdings were too large and the capital outlay too great to allow them to be brought in. Cutting-up would tend towards more rapid development. There were, he considered, much greater potentialities in the North than in the Waikato. The North now produces more than Taranaki does, and Mr Candy’s opinion was that,, even allowing for its problems, Northland had more scope for farming than almost any other part of the itominion. ' Wintering Advantages. Before the inception of the guaranteed price, Mr Candy said* the slightly improved price obtained for wintef! produce led some Waikato farmers to* maintain production into the winter. Whilst he had done this himself, he is now of the opinion that it is advisable to give pastures and herds a rest. “With a natural flush of feed in the summer, peak production is easily reached,” he said, “but with sparse growth in winter, even hand feeding brings cows in as well as if they are fed under natural conditions;

“Northland is again fortunate,” he added, “in that she has a naturally equable climate,, which should also allow of slightly longer seasons than is the case further south.”