FARMING WORLD

Waikato Times, Volume 124, Issue 20845, 1 July 1939, Page 26 (Supplement)

FARMING WORLD

BY “STOCKMAN"

Sire Procuration Scheme The most satisfactory feature of the sire procuration scheme recently launched by the New Zealand Cooperative Herd Testing Association is that intending purchasers visit the farm of the vendor and there see the animal which they intend to purchase. Seeing the animal itself in its natural environment is, of course, no small advantage, but the really big advantage is being able to see the sire and dam of the animal and possibly some of the prcigeny of the animal. Wise men, whenever possible, see the sire and dam before purchasing a pedigree animal for no matter how impressive a pedigree may appear on paper the actual animal may itself prove a great disappointment. The New Zealand Co-operative Herd Testing Association realises that any improvement in our dairy herds must come largely from the sires and it was this that prompted it to launch the sire procuration scheme, which is a scheme (as has been explained previously in these columns) designed merely to bring buyers and vendors together. In the catalogue issued by the association arc listed the various vendors (all members of the association ) and the animals they wish to sell. The price of each animal is also given. To buy an animal appearing in the catalogue, the would-be buyer visits the farm of the vendor and there, if everything is satisfactory, makes his purchase.

Wool From Waikato When the farming produce of the Waikato is discussed the subject of wool is not often mentioned but still wool is a definite factor in the farming wealth of this district and is destined to become even more so within the next few years. Waikato producers do not make any pretence about the quality of their wool for they realise that wool production is merely subsidiary to fat lamb production and that under the circumstances the wool cannot be expected to be of the highest quality. The very nature of the country in the Waikato is not conducive to the production of line quality wool and it is realised that the district must remain primarily a dairying one. Although the great bulk of Waikato wool is of the coarse variety, there has been a slightly increasing proportion of finer wool. Waikato sheep men during the last two or three years have been purchasing high quality southern rams and by this means have been grading up their flocKs. Purchases have been made from some of the best studs in the south and this new blood may spell a minor revolution in wool quality in this district. While some are inclined to take a glo-omy view of the future of wool and look askance at the progress that is being made by wool substitutes, others are firmly convinced that the future of wool is as bright as ever. The recently established International Wool Secretariat has done much to aid wool sales and to combat the propaganda issued on behalf of wool substitutes. Waikato wool growers are indirectly contributing to the expenses of the secretariat and its activities, which are reviewed in the farming columns today, should be of particular interest. Visitor From Argentine A reoent visitor to the Waikato was Senor Alvear, of Argentina, who made a survey of farming methods in the Dominion. In an interview, Senor Alvear stated that the Argentine cattle men grew special crops for their cattle—green oats for winter feeding when the grass feed is poorest, while lucerne was also used to a great extent as green feed in the spring and summer months. The result is that their cattle never suffer a setback and prime chilling types are available at three years. The Argentine visitor said that he believed that New Zealand farmers would have to work on similar lines to obtain the same success as that being obtained in the Argentine. Of the 33,000,000 head of cattle run in the Argentine, he said, some 37 per cent —approximately 18,000,000 —were Shorthorns, 10 per cent (3,200.000) Herefords, and 5 per cent (1,600,000) Aberdeen Angus. Cross-breeding was not practised as the farmers found that type was better when their breeding operations were confined to sires and females of the same breed. Some 300 pedigree bulls were purchased on the average each year from England, some high prices being paid. Such purchases enabled the Argentine to maintain the strong position of the Argentine product and it seemed that New Zealand would have to spend more money on

1 pedigree beef sires if she were to equal the Argentine product. Criticism of Chillers Senor Alvear stated in his opinion the chilled beef carcases be had seen in New Zealand were not chillers. At Ihe least they were four years old and would not be valued very much in the Argentine. In discussing marketing methods, the Argentine visitor mentioned that he thought that the New Zealand system gave the producer a proportionately greater return for his produce. This was due to the fact that in the Argentine it was only of recent years that the producer had had much say, the big meat firms having controlled the position. For the past five years they had a meat board in the Argentine, and of all the cattle slaughtered in the republic one per cent of the proceeds was put into the board’s funds. 'Of this 80 per cent was used for the establishment of farmers' meat works, in which the farmers were given shares and the remaining 20 per cent being used for the board's expenses. Today the meat board, through these meat works, had a quota to supply 11 per cent of the Argentine's export. The recent cut of 10 per cent applied to supplies of mutton and lamb from foreign countries entering Great Britain did not affect Argentine men to any great extent as the bulk of the mutton and lamb produced in Argentina was consumed locally.