DANISH FARMING

Opunake Times, 21 February 1933, Page 1

DANISH FARMING

WHY IT PAYS. VARIOUS COMPARISONS. I have recently spent some months on a Danish farm and, being pretty thoroughly acquainted with English farming, have been able to make various comparisons—l think of some interest and I hope of some value—emerge says an N.Z, writer. The farm on which I worked was on Als, a pleasant little island Just off the coast of Southern Jutland.

At 5.30 I was called to help with feeding- the pig’s, and was surprised to find that by this time the men who attended to the cows had already been up for an hour. At 0.30 a.m. we stopped for breakfast and I was able to study the staff. Besides the farmer, his wife and their two sons there was a third young man who looked after the horses, and a married stockman whose wife helped with the milking. This seemed a rather large staff for a peasant farm, but I soon discovered why. Ours was about twice the size of the typical peasant farm. It might reasonably be argued that lessons drawn from a study of such a farm are

worthless; but so anxious were my hosts to give me a correct impression of rural Denmark that I was shown many farms in Als and even in Jutland. I formed the conclusion that in everything except size the farm on which I lived was typical of the peasant farms of Denmark, and further that the small size of most Danish holdings is not the direct cause of the success which Danish agriculture achieves. The land itself was highly farmed and was devoted almost entirely to the production of home-consumed feeding-stuff s. The livestock consisted of about 30 cows in milk and over 200 weaned bacon pigs, together with the young and breeding stock necessary to keep these numbers fairly constant. In addition, there were six horses and 300 hens. The “whole” milk was collected daily by the village cooperative dairy, and the “separated" milk was returned to the farm, where it was used for feeding the pigs. When the pigs aU tained exactly the right weight, we despatched them to the nearest co-operative bacon factory. Our cows and pigs were housed in clean, roomy, two-storied buildings, the upper floors being used for storing fodder and litter, and at the same time serving to maintain the interior at a more equable temperature. The fullest use was made of electric light and power. Factors in Development.

To what, then, ;s the high state of development of Danish agriculture chiefly due? I would say, —

1. To the sheer hard work and self sacrifice of the agricultural population. 2. To advantageous marketing conditions and legislation. d. To agricultural education and research coupled with an advisory system which ensures that the technical progress and development of modern times reaohts the smallest of small-holders as well as the largest farmers.

Although the second and third of these cause have rightly obtained much publicity in this country, the first, in my view, attributes most to the success of Danish farming. Even Saturdays and bank holidays were not different from the normal 12-hour working day. Moreover, there was always routine work connected with the stock to be done on Sundays. In England, Sunday work is usually lightened by preparation of the food on Saturdays. lu Denmark, on the contrary, many jobs, such as the weighing of pigs, are specially held over till that day. During harvest there was no rest weekday or Sunday until all the corn was safely garnered. The work was done quite cheerfully and with little grumbling, even at the weather.

Judged by English values, the standard of living of rural Denmark is not high. The low cost of living is partly explicable by the fact that most of the food is home-produced. Our meat consisted chiefly of such pig products as were unsuitable for export, Danes do not know the taste of the bacon which they produce, and butter is considered a luxury, only supplanting margarine on special occasions.

Nevertheless, the food was wholesome and sufficient, and though at first it seemed unappetising, hard work in the open air soon taught me to relish most of it. The homes of the peasant farmers contained mairy comforts and there was always an air of contentment and quiet cheerfulness.

The movement towards small holdings which started in Denmark about the dose of the last