THE FARMERS' CORNER

Waikato Independent, Volume XLIII, Issue 6036, 23 October 1946, Page 2

THE FARMERS' CORNER

Young Farmers Hold Field Day

VISIT TO RUAKURA

RESEARCH STATION INSPECTED

There was an attendance of over 200 at a field day arranged by the Waikato District Committee of the Young Farmers' Clubs at the Ruakura Animal Research Station on Wednesday. As well as a good muster from Cambridge, the senior agricultural pupils from the local high school, members of the Kaipaki Young Farmer's Club and several local farmers attended. The visitors were met at the main office by Dr. C. P. McMeekan,superintendent of the station, who led them to the highest point on the farm, ! from which he showed various points j of interest. The station is at pre-1 sent carrying 2000 ewes, half mated | to Romney and half to Southdown rams, approximately 300 dairy cattle, 45 bulls and a large number of pigs. Although the farm totals over 900 acres, only 730 are actually in grass, so it will be realised that the management must be of a high order. Also carried are 100 sets of identical twins, the largest number in the World on any annimal research station.

Dr. McMeekan warned farmers not to expect miracles from the work undertaken, and emphasised that a gradual improvement in stock health and production over a long period of years was more likely to be the result. He also gave as his opinion that artificial insemination \yas not practicable in the dairy industry for three reasons : Firstly that the necessity of having all the cows into production within a short time to cope with the spring flush of grass made it impossible to work the scheme; secondly, there were insufficient proven bulls in New Zealand; and third, the cost of bulls and their maintenance is an important consideration to the average farmer. Technically the job was quite simple and practicable, but the peculiar method of dairying dependant on grass made its widespread use impossible at present.

After Dr. McMeekan's address tht party was divided into three for convenience and each group in turn visited the dairy where milking appliances were tested for usefulness or otherwise, the nutritional set-up and the bull centre, moving from place to place in cars. At the bull centre, Mr James, who last year visited Russia, the United Kingdom and U.S.A., demonstrated the instruments used, while Mr Southcombe showed the bulls used.

At the nutrition set-up were two

very similar farms, each of 64 acres, I one farm using rotational grazing

I and the other set grazing. On the' i first the calves were moved around j ' the paddocks, which were divided | electrically. On the set-stocked farms, j i the calves were given one paddock, and drenched to control worms. In spite of this, 7 out of 30 died from this cause, none died in the other lot. At twelve months the difference in body weight between the two lots of calves was 130 pounds in favour of those rctationally grazed, while at two year the difference was still 140 lbs. in the same favour. Mrs Lees, who manages this branch of the farm's activities, mentioned, however that all the yearlings on the set stocked farm became in calf, while three on the rotationally grazed did not. At the milking machine testing dairy Mr Hancock showed the identical twin heifers in milk, which are to be used in a judging competition for production based on type at the coming Waikato show. The actual production figures will be given at the end of the season. Mr Whittlestone gave the results of his experience with various gadgets which have been claimed as beneficial to milking, but in his opinion all were useless. He also said that cows could be trained to give all their milk to machines, thus doing away with hand stripping. Visitors left the station with the opinion that more could be done in the immediate future in the direction of increasing production by more attention to adequate feeding and rotational grazing, than by relying en raising the production of their herds through artificial insemination using proven sires.