FAT LAMB EXPORT

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22755, 16 December 1935, Page 9

FAT LAMB EXPORT

MEAT BOARD’S COMPETITIONS FIELD DAY AT BURNSIDE INCREASED ENTRIES FORWARD The Central Otago District Competition for the New Zealand Meat Producers’ Board’s Perpetual Challenge Shield and cash prizes was conducted at Burnside on Saturday when a highly successful field day was held at the New Zealand Refrigerating Company’s freezing works. Increased entries and a high standard of quality made the display by Central Otago and Taieri graziers a highly creditable one, and the admirable manner in which the day’s programme was carried through reflected grdht credit on Mr A. F. Duthie (secretary of the Otago A. and P. Society) and Mr H. Clark (manager of the works). The organisation of the field day called for a great deal of preparation and arrangement without which it could not have been the unqualified success that it was.

For the purposes of the competition the South Island is divided into 10 districts—one each for Nelson and Marlborough, three each for Otago and Canterbury, and two for Southland.

It was expected this year that increased entries would be received from most districts, and the anticipation was fully realised on Saturday when 216 excellent lambs came forward at Burnside from the fattening districts for which these up-to-date works ,are the centre.

The conditions provide that each individual pen shall consist of three lambs and the entries from each farmer are limited to not more than two pens. Exhibits were transported by lorry from the Taieri Plain, Strath Taieri, the Maniototo, Ida Valley and Roxburgh districts, and considering the distance most of the lambs were carried, they arrived in remarkably good order. At_ the inviation of the New Zealand Refrigerating- Company a large and representative gathering of farmers and those interested in the export business were. present at the judging and demonstration, which was in the capable hands of Mr M. Hanan, the New Zealand Meat Board’s supervising grader at Christchurch, associated with him was Mr C. Neil, the New Zealand Refrigerating superintendent grader, also from Christchurch.

The judge said the exhibits* were a credit to the district, and after selecting the best 45 lambs, which will be shipped and finally judged at Smithfield, he found it somewhat difficult to select from them the six best pens for the local district prizes provided by the Otago Agricultural and Pastoral Society. The judge further remarked that several food lambs might have been in the finals, ut for slight bruises, and one particularly good pen would have been placed higher had the lambs’ tails been shorter. The visitors, who were the guests of the New Zealand Refrigerating Company, were welcomed by the manager, Mr Clarke, who expressed his pleasure at seeing so many present, and congratulated the exhibitors on the quality of their lambs. Mr R. T. Kirk, president of the Otago A, and P. Society, complimented the owners of the first 15 pens and wished' them success in the final competition in London. Mr James Begg referred to the benefit derived by New Zealand through the district competitions, and proposed a vote of thanks to the management and staff of-, the New Zealand Refrigerating Company, the officiating judges, the stock and station men, the A. and P. societies who had all helped to make the field day and the competition a success. . RESULT OF JUDGING. The following is the result of the competition. The first pens selected for shipment to London (the order is alphabetical): — Boyd’s Estate (North Taieri). A. Carruthers (Middlemarch). Crossan Bros. (Roxburgh). F. C. Johnstone (North Taieri). W. D. Mason (Middlemarch). A. D.. Matheson (Middlemarch), two pens. G. M’lntosh (Poolburn), G. Renwick (Middlemarch). Alexander Thomson (North Taieri). F. R. Tucker (Middlemarch). John Williamson (North Taieri). R. G. Woodhouse (Roxburgh). John Young (Allanton), two pens). For the Otago A. and P, Society’s ■ prizes the winners were:— F. C. Johnstone (North Taieri) ~ 1 G. Renwick (Middlemarch) ~ .. 2 Boyd’s Estate (North Taieri) .. .. 3 Very highly recommended: A. D. Matheson (Middlemarch). 1 Highly commended; Crossan Bros. (Roxburgh). Commended: A. D. Matheson (Middlemarch) . For the prizes offered by the StrathTaieri A. and P. Society for lambs from that district judged on their feet: — A. D. Matheson (Middlemarch) .. .. 1 A. D. Matheson (Middlemarch) .. .. 2 A. Carruthers 3 In a competition for lambs from . the Roxburgh district judged on their feet the prize winners were; — ]P. J. Scott v .. ~ 1 P. J. Scott 2 Crossan Bros .. .. 3 It is interesting to note that all the winning lambs were sired by .Southdown rams except one pen sired by a Shropshire ram. The dams in most cases were Romney cross and Corriedale cross ewes.