AUSTRALIAN DAIRYING

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24432, 18 October 1940, Page 12

AUSTRALIAN DAIRYING

PLAN FOR WAR-TIME INCREASE CO-OPERATIVE FODDER RESERVE (From Our Own Correspondent) ' SYDNEY, Oct. 10. The former Leader of the Federal Country Parly, Sir Earle Page, M.P., is to bring before various responsible organisations a constructive scheme of co-operative fodder reserves to increase Australian dairy production from present areas, and with present stock, by at least 50 per cent. Sir Earle Page said that the day war broke out he had submitted to the Prime Minister, Mr Menzies, a scheme of dealing with the wheat industry. Under this scheme several million acres of wheat would have been cut for hay to form the foundation of a great national fodder reserve. Events had proved that hay would have been njuch more profitable to the farmer than unsold wheat and would have saved thousands of cattle, maintained dairy production, and perhaps enabled Australia to keep up its export of fat lambs to Britain. Australian dairy production had been so variable, because of climatic conditicns, that, in the last six years, dariymen had lost at least £15,000,000 compared with what the same cows and the same farmers produced in one good year. “I am satisfied.” said Sir Earle Page, “ that these losses can be removed to a great extent by a policy of water conservation and food conservation that would not cost as much as the losses in those six years. We should get on with these schemes as part of our war effort. The urgent need is to produce more feed and produce it quickly, without increasing unduly the debt and the overhead costs of the individual farmery Community action directed and controlled by the skilled employees of the butter factories could immediately lift our production and save cattle if means were found to enable the necessary capital equipment to be purchased by the factories. This equipment could be loaned to farmers at a rental able to amortise the capital debt in a suitable term of years, and used by the farmers under the guidance of trained men.” ... Irrigation plant which could serve a number of farms, lucerne landling equipment, and equipment to grow green fodder quickly and make silage out of maize and other crops were the needs of dairy farmers, said Sir Earle Page. The capital cost should be factories, implement makers, banks “ What is needed is quick action by the factories, implement makers, banks and farmers,” he added. “ The less Government regulation or interference the quicker the job will be done, but every advice and assistance should be placed at the disposal of those communities which are willing to help themselves in this way.”