STUDIES IN FARM MANAGEMENT

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 71, Issue 1, 16 July 1945, Page 59

STUDIES IN FARM MANAGEMENT

A Hakataramea Arable Farm i

1lllllllilllllllllllIlllllllll!l■lllllllll11!<I It Illi Illllllillllilllllllllll By

T. A. SELLWOOD,

Instructor in Agriculture, Oamaru,

ARABLE farming, featuring grain and small seed production, in combination with fat lambs and wool, is the main feature of farming in the Hakataramea Valley in South Canterbury. Another striking point in the farming of this district is the high state of mechanisation that has been achieved by many of the farmers.

SOME 60 odd miles from Oamarii lies the Hakataramea Valley, bounded on the north-west by the Kirkliston Range and on the east by the Hakataramea River, while the Waitaki River forms the south-west boundary. Parallel to the Hakataramea River is a range of low-lying hills which are subdivided into several small grazing runs. Although the Hakataramea Valley is included in the Waimate County, considerable business from this locality is transacted in Oamaru and the valley is regarded as part of the North Otago district. The foothill country is both down land and fiat country, while the range country is .used principally for the production of wool, although in many

illlliilsillHiiiiiiiisiiiittlllllliiiliH: >nlinx iiilii im llllll ii iii:kuni cases a considerable "number of fat lambs are drafted. The main ' agricultural farming is confined to . the lower areas, which are situated approximately 14 miles from the railhead at Kurow. The mixed farming practised in this area includes the production of wool, fat lambs, and small seeds, and the growing of wheat. In recent years

the farming has become much more intensive, due mainly to the establishment of better pastures, large-scale production of small seeds, and a complete change over to - mechanised equipment. Soils of the Valley The Hakataramea Valley is just over 30 miles in length and ranges from 2 to more than 8 miles in width. It is bounded on the west by the Kirkliston Range, which rises to just over 6,000 ft., and on the west by the Hunters Hills. The valley comprises more than 200 square miles of rolling and terrace country, the general boundaries being shown in the accompanying sketch. The soils (apart from the alluvial soils formed by the Hakataramea River in recent times, and numbered 1 in the sketch) are related principally to changes in the climate of the valley from one end to the other. At the southern end the climate is dry (17.5 in. of rainfall annually), and there has been little leaching of plant foods from the soil. The soils here fall into a group termed the Omarama series of soils, which, in spite of drying out rapidly in summer, are , well supplied with plant foods. Nearer the head of the valley the climate becomes damper and rather colder (owing to increase in altitude) and the Omarama soils give place to a group of soils termed the Kaikoura series, which are rather more strongly leached. These soils are poorly supplied with plant foods, and require dressings with lime, and probably other artificial fertilisers as well. Where the soils are moderately steep, i.e., just beyond the limit of ploughability, the letter “a” is added to the number. Where the soils are steep “b” is added to the number. Climate The climate of the Hakataramea Valley is one of extremes of heat and cold. During the spring and summer the weather conditions are usually

very good, but during the winter it is extremely cold; very hard frosts are experienced and at times heavy falls of snow cover the entire valley. Rainfall The following rainfall figures for the period 1936-43 are recordings on one particular farm. It is the general practice in this valley for the farmers to record their rainfall. Inches. Year. Rainfall. 1936 .. 25.10 1937 25.58 1938 32.71 1939 .. .. .. .. 18.76 1940 25.68 1941 .. . . .. .. 18.92 1942 .. .. 23.47 1943 .. .... .. 32.61 Average rainfall' for 8 years: 24.94 in. The rainfall on the foothill farms is at times considerably heavier than that on farms further out.

Annual Crops The annual crops grown are as follows: 1. Cereal crops: wheat mainly for threshing; oats for chaff and threshing; oats for greenfeed. t 2. Brassica crops for supplementary feeding: rape and turnips. 3. Grass seed crops. 4. Lucerne for haying. GRAIN AND PULSE CROPS, Waimate County (Acres). Crop. Season. 1938-39. 1940-41. 1941-42. Wheat .. .. 11,304 18,311 19,349 Oats—Threshing .. 3,599 5,857 6,453 Chaff .. 9,682 10,657 9,644 Greenfeeci .. 1,482 2,175 1,660 Barley-r-Threshing .. 582 1,124 1,275 Feed .. 81 757 \ 349 Peas .. .. .. 301 533 737 26,831 39,414 39,467 Increase wheat 1940-41 .. 7,007 acres. ” ” 1941-42 .. 1,038 The marked increase in 1940-41 is due mainly to the response to the call for increased production, particularly of wheat, as a war measure.

GREEN, ROOT AND OTHER CROPS, Waimate County (Acres). Crop. Season. 1938-39. 1940-41. 1941-42. Turnips and rape .. 1,061 2,343 472 Chou moellier & rape 13,623 14,900 17,320 Turnips .. .. 17 688 12,288 . 5,330 Mangolds .. ..'377 706 717 Potatoes .. .. 1,879 1,668 • 1,505 34,658 30,005 24,344 The increases in rape and mangold crops and the decreases in turnips and potatoes are significant. ’ GRASSES AND CLOVERS, Waimate County (Acres). Crop. Season. 1938-39. 1940-41. 1941-42. Grasses and clovers cut for seed— Perennial ryegrass 1,990 4,148 5,118 Red clover .. 1,309 , 2 006 3,580 White clover .. 491 643 1,481 Grasses and clover cut for hay .. 4,406 1,507 1,736 Grasses and clovers ' sown Since Jan. 31 . 20,683 20,627 22,675 Note the marked increase in the production of small seeds and the increase of some 2,000 acres in the area sown to grass in 1941-42. A HAKATARAMEA ARABLE FARM A description of general practice on the farm of Mr. George Grant, jun., is typical of farming operations in the valley. On this farm, however, as on most good farms, one sees outstanding features, such as the situation of the farm, well-planned shelter belts, plentiful water supply, and good gates and fences. These features all lend themselves to the best development of a farm, and, coupled with the foresight and judgment of the farmer himself, greatly assist in the building up of a high standard of efficiency.

The total area of the farm is 702 acres. It lies at a height of 1,200 ft. above sea level. The soil type of this typical farm is a good loam and is representative of the class of soil found on the foothill farms. There is an area of 55 acres of rough grazing land, but a considerable portion of the latter is now occupied by good shelter

belts. The remainder of the area is in the following crops: — PLAN OF FARM SHOWING CROPS AS AT JANUARY, 1944. Field No. Area. Type of Crop. ac. 1 43 Pasture, Stock ryegrass 1 bus.; pedigree white clover Ijlb. 2 40 Pasture, Mother ryegrass 1 bus.; Mother. Montgomery v red clover 3jlb. ' 3 37 Pasture, Mother Montgomery ' red clover 3|lb.; perennial ryegrass 1 bus. 4 52 Pasture, Mother Montgomery red clover 4|lb.; Mother ryegrass 111 b. 5 50 Fallow tor wheat. S 20 Wheat 1943-44. 7 54 Pasture, Pedigree perennial ryegrass 1 bus.; white clover 11b; Montgomery red clover 21b., and broad red clover lib. 8 '26 Wheat 1943-44. 9 37 Pasture, Pedigree perennial ryegrass 1 bus. white clover 11b.; Montgomery i . red clover 21b.; broad red clover 11b. 10 30 Bare fallow. 11 29 Rape Broad Leaf Essex I|lb.; Pedigree Montgomery red clover 3|lb.; Mother Seed ryegrass 101 b. 12 51 Imperial Green Globe turnip 9|oz.; Montgomery red clover 3|lb.; Mother Seed ryegrass 101 b. 13 , 40 Pedigree ryegrass 1 bus.; Pedigree white clover Ijlb. 14 13 Wheat 1943-44. 15 20 Wheat 1943-44. 16 20 Greenfeed, black barley 2 bus. 1943-44; and fallowed for wheat. 17 30 Pasture, Pedigree perennial ryegrass 1 bus.; Pedigree white clover 2lb. 18 25. Pasture, Pedigree perennial ryegrass 51b.; broad red clover 31b.; sown with wheat 1942-43 for - green manuring. 19 5 Fallow for lucerne. 20 20 Lucerne, 151 b. per acre, seed inoculated. 21 6 Pasture, Mother Seed ryegrass 1 bus.; Montgomery \ red clover 21b.; white clover 11b. 22 6 Pasture, Mother Seed ryegrass 1 bus.; Montgomery red clover 21b.; white clover 11b. 23 5 Native grasses. 24 3 Fallowed for lucerne. 25 2 Holding paddock.

Rotation The rotation is a seven-year one. The pasture is broken up in the late spring, cultivated, and summer fallowed for wheat. The wheat crop is

followed either by rape, turnips, or barley ’ The land then ploughed and prepared for the sowing down of the pasture, which is down for four years, after which it is ploughed again

for wheat. A typical rotation would be as follows: Pasture ploughed September-Octo-ber, 1940. Wheat sown March-April, 1941

Wheat ploughed March, 1942. Turnips sown December, 1942. Turnips fed off May, 1943. Grass sown October-November, 1943. Grass ploughed October, 1947. Wheat The variety Cross 7 has entirely replaced the old Hakataramea Velvet. As a heading wheat it has no equal, and consequently in districts where header harvesters are operated it is highly favoured. All seed is treated with a mercurial 'dust previous to the sowing season, which is in April or early May. The seeding is 1-j bushels per acre and superphosphate is sown at lewt. per acre. Yields of wheat average approximately 45 • to 50 bushels, but in some seasons, when grown on the heavy land near the foothills, the yield ranges from 50 to 70 bushels per acre. Rape Rape, used for lamb fattening, is sown by the ridger or drill. When the ridger is used rape is sown in 26in. drills and the seeding is . ljlb. per acre, but when drilled it is sown through every coulter in 7 in. drills at 41b. per acre. The ridger is used when conditions are satisfactory and favourable, as this practice, together with cultivation, usually gives a more satisfactory crop. When climatic conditions show a tendency for a dry spell drilling is done on the flat. Fertiliser is used at the rate of ljcwt. superphosphate per acre, all sown through the front box in the case of the ridger, or, if drilled, lcwt. is sown through every coulter with the seed. The rape crop (Broad Leaf Essex) is sown in November, and is fed off in breaks during January and February. It has proved a very satisfactory crop, and the fact that the average weight of lambs produced is 401 b. is sufficient evidence of the value of this crop for fattening lambs. Barley The barley crop is always spring sown, the variety mainly used being Chevalier and the seeding If bus. per acre. This crop is not fed off, and when harvested it is windrowed and picked up by the header harvester. The average yield of barley is 60 bushels per acre. Turnips Turnips are sown in early December, the variety mainly used being Imperial Green Globe. Good crops are usually grown, and they provide good supplementary feeding for the

winter period, when the crop is fed off in breaks. The seeding is 9|oz. per acre, and superphosphate is used at lewt. per acre.

Implements

The farm is highly mechanised, the implements being as follows: — 2 tractors (41 and 28 h.p.). 2 headers. 1 5-furrow plough, used principally for ploughing wheat stubble and green crops. 1 4-furrow and 1 2-furrow plough. 1 3-furrow plough. 1 set tandem discs. 1 9ft. Cambridge roller. 1 15-coulter grain drill. 1 set 24ft. harrows. 1 18 h.p. pickup baler, which can press up to 900 bales per, day. As a considerable amount of capital outlay is involved in purchasing mechanised farming equipment, it is very necessary that the machinery concerned should be well cared for and well housed. . Many thousands of pounds’ worth of farming machinery shows rapid deterioration through lack of care and attention. Particularly is this the case with machinery that is poorly housed, or in many cases left out during the winter under all weather conditions. Mr. Grant has this important point well in mind. All equipment when not in use is housed in an implement shed which gives a storage space of 6,000 square feet. A modern, well-equipped workshop allows a considerable amount of repair work to be carried out on the farm, saving much valuable time and allowing immediate attention to be given to breakages. This is most important, particularly during the harvesting period. Cultivation The initial break-up of pasture is done by skim ploughing to a depth of 3 or 4in., and the turf is allowed to lie for 6 weeks, after which a system of dry soil cultivation is carried ' out by discs, grubbers, and harrows, mainly ■ the two last-named. After this the land for wheat is deep ploughed in the early autumn to a depth of 6 or 7in. For preparation of land for a spring-sown crop the disc harrows and tine harrows are used to mulch the soil for moisture conservation until such time as the crop is to be sown.

Sheep and Wool

The total number of sheep carried on this farm all the year round is 939, made up as follows: —Breeding ewes 675 (Romney-Corriedale cross); rams 14 (9 Southdown and 5 Corriedale); ewe hoggets 250. The average lambing percentage is 100. Fat lambs drafted to the works average 700 annually. The wool clip totals 24 bales,

the average weight of fleece per sheep being 101 b. Flock Management The rams go out in the middle of April, and lambing operations commence in the middle of September. Lambs are weaned towards the end of January. One third go off as fats from the mothers, while the remainder are finished off on the rape. The practice on this farm is to keep 250 ewe lambs for breeding purposes. This season, however, only 50 were retained, and 200 were bought in as replacements. The ewe lambs are obtained off the high country. Pastures When grass is to be established the field is first deep ploughed and is then left to the action of the winter weather. In the spring, as soon as weather conditions are favourable and the land is workable, if lime has not previously been applied during the rotation, it is applied at the rate of 1 ton per acre. The soil is then disced with the disc harrows and given a

light grubbing. Harrowing is then carried out periodically so that surface weeds will be kept down. The best sowing period is from November to January. The land is rolled previous to sowing, and the seed sown in 7in. drills; the final operation is to harrow the field with a set of light harrows. Superphosphate is sown

with the crop at lcwt. per acre, and grass is usually topdressed with superphosphate at lcwt. per acre. The general practice for pasture control is to concentrate the stock on the pasture. In seasons of very flush growth when control by stock is insufficient the power mower is used for topping the pastures. After the wheat is harvested one ton of carbonate of lime is usually applied to the fallowed land during the spring. Haying Crops Lucerne is the main hay supply, as this crop gives an excellent result and is permanent.. It is generally sown at 151 b. per acre in November or December. The three cuts per year supply approximately 2,000 bales of hay. The average weight per bale is 701 b., the 2,000 bales harvested giving a total weight of 62 tons of hay for 20 acres. At £5 per ton this returns £3lO. Small Seed Production Small seed production is a prominent feature of the farming operations on this typical farm, the small seed crops being certified perennial ryegrass, certified white clover, and certified Montgomery red clover. Pastures sown down for seeding and grazing are sown with a mixture of 11 bus. ryegrass, and 21b. of white clover. Sowing is carried but during November or December. Fields kept for seed production are closed during September or early October. Montgomery clover fields are sown down with a mixture of 3 to 41b. of clover and J bus. of perennial ryegrass. Montgomery clover areas z for seed production are grazed until ' late November, and are usually heavily stocked previous to closing up to ensure a uniform growth of clover. The average area set aside for small seed production is 283 acres. All harvesting operations are carried out by header harvester. Ryegrass and white clover crops are first cut by a power mower into windrows, and the ' crop is finally picked up from the windrow by theheader. Montgomery red clover crops are headed direct. Cocksfoot is either windrowed or sheaved, and is, therefore, either picked up or threshed out of the stook by the heading machine. Cocksfoot No cocksfoot is used on this farm, because ryegrass and white and Montgomery red clover pastures give highly satisfactory results, both from the point of view of grazing and seeding. Cocksfoot, however, does well in the valley, and quite a considerable area is harvested at times. In the main this is the only seed crop which

Mr. Grant does not grow. His farming operations are similar to those of the other foothills farms in every other respect. Dressed Seed Yields From 1936 to 1944 the following yields of ryegrass and Montgomery red clover were obtained:— Montgomery Ryegrass. Red Clover. 1936-37 .. 238 bus. 4,4001 b. . 1939- .. 86 ” 7lb. 5,8561 b. ‘ 1940- .. 1,249 ” 12lb. 8,6231 b. 1941- .. 180 ” 6,0471 b. i 1942- .. 275 ” 101 b. 7,7181 b. • , 1943- ..850 ” 101 b. 1001 b. 2,879 bus. 191 b. 32,7441 b. 4 This gives an average of 479 bus. over a six-year period. Over the same period . 32,7441 b. of Montgomery red clover seed was also produced, an average of 5,4571 b. over the six-year period. These yields include good and bad seasons. Conclusion It will be seen that the seven-year rotation of this typical farm is very satisfactory, lending itself to the production of wheat, wool, fat lambs, the grazihg of supplementary feed crops such as rape and turnips, and the production of small seeds. The lucerne gives a satisfactory hay supply and renewal of the stand is not necessary for several years at least.

Acknowledgments Thanks are expressed to the Soil Survey Division of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research for data in the soil map and to the Lands and Survey Department for the drawing of maps. SOIL EROSION AND HIGH COUNTRY DETERIORATION r 7F'HE menace of soil erosion in New THE menace soil possibilities Zealand and the possibilities of recovery as indicated by the response to spelling, surface sowing, rabbit control, and the elimination of burning are the subject of a booklet just published -by the Soil Conservation and< Rivers Control Council, “Tackling High Country ‘Problem Land’ at Molesworth” (Bulletin No. 2). This timely study of an abandoned property ruined largely as a result of short-sighted farming practices is well illustrated and evidences a serious and determined approach to a problem of vital importance to New Zealand’s agricultural and pastoral future. Copies are obtainable from the Soil Conservation and Rivers Control Council, Wellington. The weight of a cubic foot of roots in a clamp or pit is as follows:—Turnips, 331 b.; swedes, 341 b.; mangolds, 351 b.; carrots, 311 b.; parsnips, 311 b.; potatoes, 421 b.

PLAN OF FARM

LEGEND cz=l Trough O Tank © Spring D Pump T Shelter trees A. Homestead. B. Implement shed. C. Cottage. D. Creeks.

Views Of The Farm