For The Man On The Land

Waikato Independent, Volume XL, Issue 3707, 21 May 1940, Page 2

For The Man On The Land

WINTER FEEDING PLANNING A PROPER • PROGRAMME Feed supplies on most farms are ample till June at least. It is more frequently during the early spring that lack of feed becomes apparent. By the conservation of permanent pasture in May, and by the intelligent rationing of the feed on hand it is possible to obtain more prolonged use from available feed supplies. It is desirable during May to shut up a few well-drained and topdressed permanent pasture paddocks which contain a good sole of ryegrass. Phosphates may somelimes be applied to advantage for producing out-of-season growth. These paddocks may then be fed off in the very early spring. In order to do this it will be necessary to commence an earlier feeding out of hay and ensilage.

Temporary Pastures

During the late autumn and winter months, green feed, oats and barley and temporary pastures of Italian ryegrass or Western Wolths, give a valuable supply of fresh feed. Such supplies of feed are desirable for cows which are to be milked in the winter. Root crops are then also being fed out in conjunction with hay and ensilage.

On land liable to pugging the best practice is to concentrate the feeding out on to two or three paddocks, either those that have a very Jight soil or those of which the pastures are becoming run out. On the light land the stock manure will improve the fertility, and on the run-out pastures much seed from the hay may be dropped and will

establish later in the spring, or the paddock may be later ploughed up. Winter Milking

Although late autumn calving cows are very much in the minority, there are an appreciable number of farmers carrying out winter milking, mainly those farmers who supply milk for the larger centres. Owing to the higher price generally received for winter milk it is payable to feed a moderate amount of concentrates —up to 41b daily a cow —in addition to the roots and hay or silage available.

To feed concentrates to cows of a low milk and butterfat production is, however, not so likely to be payable, but the amount fed in the bail to individual cows may be adjusted to the production of the cow. Again if there is little feed of high quality available in the early spring it may be profitable to feed limited amounts of concentrates to early calving cows. To obtain the maximum butterfat production it is essential to supply sufficient good quality feed in the early stages of lactation. FARM ACCOUNTS MUST BE PROPERLY KEPT In addressing the members of the Hauraki Young Farmers' Club held at Netherton Mr K. C. Niblock drew the attention of those present to the fact that farming was as much a business as any other profession or calling and thus required as much attention as any other business from an accounting point of view. He outlined a simple system of recording and analysing all income and expenditure and pointed out that the value of such analysis was: (1) It enabled the farmer to as-

certain his loss or profit on each source of income. (2) The details for taxation purposes were readily accessible and accurate. (3) The farmer at all times knew his cash position and thus could enter into future commitments with a sense of security. (4) He had at all times a record of his production, and the cost of obtaining such production for future reference. Mr Niblock added that the experience of the adjustment courts had shown that very few farmers had kept accurate records and therefore could not tell what their costs of production were.

He pointed out that the value of land from a farming point of view was what it would produce and if no accurate records were kept how could the value of the land be ascertained. If, he emphasised, the waste that occurs in plant and machinery because its value was never recorded the farming community would always be in debt for new plant, while if they had proper records they would know whether it could be afforded or not. He asked his listeners if they knew what "rising costs" meant. Farmers, he said, were always saying their returns were not sufficient to • meet costs, but how did they know if accurate records were not kept? It might be due to buying stock too dearly or even to the price they had paid for their land. In conclusion, he asked the young farmers to farm scientifically and to do this they must know the details of their income and expenditure and thus it was in their interests to keep accurate records.