FARMING TOPICS

Waikato Times, Volume 106, Issue 22606, 10 May 1945, Page 9

FARMING TOPICS

SUCCESSFUL SCHOOL GREATER KNOWLEDGE NEEDED A thirst for greater knowledge among the young farming community was amply demonstrated at the farm school conducted by the Waikato suh-provincial executive of the Farmers’ Union at the Claudelands showgrounds this week. The fact that 81 young farmers enrolled for the school clearly demonstrated that there is a great need for more educational facilities as far as agriculture is concerned. The response to the Claudelands farm school lends force to the argument that there should be an agricultural college in the Waikato and that the Government should take steps to fulfil the present want. The Waikato executive of the Farmers’ Union has set an excellent example in inaugurating such a school and it was indicated by the president, Mr H. Johnstone, at the opening, that it was hoped to continue with the schools. The students demonstrated that they wanted to learn everything they could about every aspect of farming, and the fact that some of them travelled from remote districts in North Auckland indicated their enthusiasm. Successful Shorthorn Sales

The prices realised at sales of pedigree dairy Shorthorns during “Shorthorn Week” in the Waikato last week were the highest obtained in the district for approximately 20 years. Values throughout the various sales were certainly a happy augury for other pedigree breeders contemplating sales this season. One of the features of the sales was the dispersal of the Matangi Stud, the property of Mr J. M. Ranstead, exceptionally keen prices being paid for a'number of aged cows. The Matangi Stud, founded as long ago as 1902, has played a notable part in the establishment of the dairy Shorthorn breed in the Dominion and the careful breeding methods of Mr Ranstead have done much to improve the breed. The excellent condition in which the stock was brought out at the sales was a great credit to the breeders and the great encouragement they have received was richly deserved. Post-War Markets

A survey of post-war marketing possibilities was given the Dairy Industry Council at its last meeting by Mr W. Goodfellow, who was present at the invitation of the Dairy Board. Dealing with European post-war recovery, Mr Goodfellow said that from information which he had received he believed that the recovery of Europe would be a good deal more rapid than most people thought. His feeling was that the countries of Europe would be so anxious to secure British goods that they would eat margarine themselves, and ship butter to Britain. He thought, therefore, that fairly substantial quantities of butter would be coming on to the British market two years after the European war, and had prepared an estimate of what he thought was likely to happen in the way of supplies. Many factors might change the picture, and it was at best only an estimate. The total imports of butter into the United Kingdom in 1938-39, including the United Kingdom’s own production, was 517,000 tons, which gave a total butter consumption of 24.1 lb per head per annum, over the whole population, or 7£oz per week as against the present 2oz per head a week. Butter From Baltic It looked as if, in future, butter from the Baltic countries would go to Russia, continued Mr Goodfellow, but it was likely that Denmark would send more butter to Britain than in pre-war years. He thought that at present Britain was probably getting somewhere about 180,000 tons of butter a year. He estimated that in 1945-46 she would get 262,000 tons and in 1946-47 about 370,000 tons. The latter he thought was a conservative estimate, and probably on the low- side. Those imports would compare with pre-war figures of 470,000 tons. Britain was not likely to manufacture butter after the war, and all her dairy production would go into liquid milk for the towns. Although Denmark’s output of butter had shrunk 40 per cent, due to the shortage of feeding-stuffs, enormous quantities of which were ordinarily imported, it was understood that 90 per cent of her stock was still intact. It was obvious therefore that at the end of two or three years considerable quantities of butter would be coming into Britain, and it was important that the consumption of margarine should be decreased.