Farming Potential as Guide to Land Planning

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 85, Issue 2, 15 August 1952, Page 144

Farming Potential as Guide to Land Planning

Pauatahanui - Judgeford - Horokiwi Survey

By

R. H. SCOTT,

Land Utilisation Officer, Department of Agriculture, Wellington, and

R. T. du FAUR, Research Officer (Farm Management), Department of Agriculture, Palmerston North

MAN demands the use of land for many purposes, and since, as a general statement, it is true that the land area of a country is finite, it becomes necessary for any country as its population increases to weigh carefully the competing demands for land before a shift is made from one use to another. New Zealand is becoming more conscious of 'this need, and from time to time the Press contains statements in which objections are raised to a shift in the use of land; this may be encroachment of urban areas on to market garden and agricultural land or it may be the use by mining interests of alluvial flats. This article gives details of a survey which was made by the Department of Agriculture in connection with a proposed change in use of agricultural land in the Pauatahanui-Judgeford basin-Horokiwi Valley area near Wellington.

SIX basic uses for land suggested by L. D. Stamp, Professor of Geography, London University, who is also well known as the Director of the Land Utilisation Survey of Britain, are: — 1. A source of food supply. 2. A place to work: the demand of industry for land for factories. 3. A place to live: the demand for sites for homes. 4. A place for recreation: sports grounds, golf courses, national parks, etc. 5. The need for mobility; under this heading comes land for roads, railways, aerodromes. 6. The need for security; here the demands of the fighting services for training grounds have to be considered. Planning Legislation New Zealand has legislation which enables some cognisance to be taken of the various demands of man for the use of land. In 1926 there was passed the Town Planning Act, which placed

all boroughs over 1000 in population under a statutory obligation to prepare town-planning schemes, and at the same time provision was made for the preparation of “extra-urban” planning schemes by county councils. The latter schemes are required to take into account the present and future requirements of the rural areas to which they apply and also the geographical and economic relationship of the areas to any neighbouring cities or boroughs. Once a scheme is approved by the Government Town Planning Board a local authority can enforce its provisions. Thus if an approved scheme provides that a certain area is to be used for agricultural purposes and a request is made that part of the land be subdivided for dwelling sites, the local authority will not consent to the subdivision. In 1929 an amendment to the main Act was passed making provision. for the preparation of regional planning schemes. Several local authorities can combine for the preparation of a scheme to cover an area which has a

community of social and economic interests. The committee formed to draw up a scheme consists of repre sentatives of local authorities within the region, and others with special knowledge can be co-opted. . lhe schemes to be prepared by regional planning committees have to deal, among other things, with communications and transport and the allocation of land for urban development, agricultural purposes, and public utilities, and amenities. The functions of the committees are advisory, and they make recommendations to the local authorities within their region on the preparation of town planning and “extra-urban” planning schemes or on any matters which relate to these schemes. In effect for the planning of land resources the organisation provided tor by legislation is: — A regional planning committee, which can make recommendations on the utilisation of land resources within a region. Local authorities within a region (cities, boroughs, town districts, and. counties), who can implement the recommendations of the regional planning committee by incorporating them in their plans for the use of land within the areas they control. A town planning board, which can approve of these plans and thus enable a local authority to enforce the provisions of its town planning or extraurban” planning schemes. The depression of the early 1930’5, and the Second World War resulted in very little being done on the lines of planning land resources m the Dominion, but today some work is. being done, of which that of the Wellington Regional Planning Council is an example. The Wellington region comprises the Counties of Hutt anal Makara, the Cities of Wellington and Lower Hutt, the Boroughs of Upper Hutt, Petone, and Eastbourne, and the Town Districts of Johnsonville and Tawa Flat. The council when considering the future development of theregion has endeavoured to weigh all the competing demands for land and this article includes information collected on behalf of the council. Future of Farming Area The future of the PauatahanuiJudgeford basin-Horokiwi Valley area has had to be considered by the Wellington Regional Planning Council and one aspect on which the council required information was the present farming systems in the area and its farming prospects. The Department of Agriculture undertook the survey, which from its point of view became one of assessing the farming potential.. Location The area is approximately 18 miles; north . of Wellington ; and 10 miles north-west of Lower Hutt by road. There is a good road passing through

the basin from Lower Hutt to the main north highway at Paremata, and the old main north highway passes through Pauatahanui and up the Horokiwi Valley to Paekakariki. Communication with Wellington is by road and proximity to the city has had a considerable influence on the farming systems adopted. There are 35 farms in the area which might be affected partly or completely by any shift in land use. Historical The district was one of the earliest settled around Wellington, most of the land having been taken up in the 1840’s and 1850’s. Some of the present occupiers are descendants of the original settlers and there is evidence of less intensive land development and utilisation than in areas where greater difficulties in the financing of properties by new settlers have been a spur to steady improvement and increased production. However, during recent years there have been changes and some farms are being developed into highly productive units. Topography and Climate Most of the 35 farms have flat land in the valleys and the greater part of their areas is flat and easy to moderately rolling country. However, some farms have country reaching heights of over 500 ft. where there are some steep faces, but generally grades are reasonable and with tracks made by bulldozers it is possible to reach most parts of the farms with tractors. Several farmers have constructed these tracks to facilitate topdressing the steeper portions of their farms. The district is quite well watered, being served by two main streams, one running down the Horokiwi Valley and the other through PauatahanuiJudgeford. Into each of these, smaller streams flow from the lateral valleys. Lack of water for stock is not a problem.

The annual rain fall in the valley; is approximately 40in. per annum which is fairly wel distributed, t h , wettest month usually being Jun and July, when th average monthly fall is between 4ir and sin. On th surrounding hil country the annua precipitation i nearer 60in. Th, southern side of th, P a u a t a hanui Judgeford basin with slopes facing north, has a les effective rainfal than the north sid< of the valley; fac ing the prevailing northerly winds this section drie, out more ii summer than othe: portions. The average monthly tempera ture in the are: near Porirua Harb our ranges frorr approximately 41 degrees F. in Juns to a little over 61 degrees F. in January and February, but inland ir the valleys the annual temperature range is greater. Here frosts are common in winter and there is a decided check to pasture growth. Also in these parts the summer temperatures are higher, as the moderating effect of any southerly or sea breezes is cut off by the surrounding hills,

this being particularly so in Pauata-hanui-Judgeford.

Soils The soils of the valley floors have been built up by the streams running down the Horokiwi and the Pauata-hanui-Judgeford Valleys and they are

the most fertile in the region, being high in phosphates and relatively high in other plant nutrients, and highproducing ryegrass-white clover pastures have been established on some of the farms on these soils. The soils of the terraces and rolling country are moderately fertile, but are low in phosphates. However, good ryegrasswhite clover pastures have been established by those using superphosphates and lime. The soils of the hillier and steeper parts are also moderately fertile and are stable, there being little evidence of erosion. Vegetative Cover Considerable portions of a number of farms in the district are partly or completely covered in gorse, tauhinu, scrub, and bracken and hard fern. An assessment of the area so covered was made on some farms, the survey covering an area of 8247 acres. Classification of the area is set out in Table 1.

Although the area of clean pasture is 5701 acres, only 2300 acres comprised pastures containing some white clover, 1970 acres contained some annual clover, and 1430 acres contained no clovers. Thus of an area of 8247 acres only 28 per cent, was in reasonably good pasture.

Farm-management Practices Dairy Farms All the dairy farms are town-supply units, the milk going to the Wellington

City Corporation Milk Department. There is a considerable variation between farms in the yield of butterfat per acre (Table 2), and though this is due partly to the differences in soil types and topography, the main contributing factor is difference in efficiency of management.

TABLE 2-BUTTERFAT YIELD PER ACRE ON DAIRY FARMS

Butterfat per acre No. of lb. farms 20 and under . 40 . . . . .. 2 40 and under 60 .. . . .. 2 60 and under 80 .. .. .. 5 80 and under 100 . . .. .. 6 100 and under 120 .. .. .. 2 120 and under 140 .. .. .. I 18

The main winter supplementary feed is hay, 13 of the 18 dairy farms adopting the practice of shutting up areas for hay. Six farmers grow some turnips and chou moellier in addition to saving hay. The grassed areas usually receive 2cwt. to 3cwt. of superphosphate per acre annually, although on one farm topdressing had never been done. In the past the practice has been to purchase herd replacements mainly from local stock sales and consequently herds have become very mixed. However, this practice is changing and 10 out of 18 dairy farmers now breed all their replacements, 6 purchase replacements, and 2 purchase portion and breed portion. The quality of the herds is improving. Sheep Farming Sheep farming is carried on mainly for the production of store sheep; only 6 of the 17 sheep farms sell fat lambs.

Where fattening is done the usual practice is to sell the lambs in small lots through saleyards to butchers. Some farmers retain their ewe lambs for flock replacements, 7 purchase all their requirements, and 1 breeds portion and purchases portion. There is a considerable variation in lambing percentages, but the majority of the farmers obtain a percentage between 80 and 90. The flocks comprise mainly Romney and Romneycross ewes, except in one case where some Cheviots were run as well as Romneys. Romney rams are used, but those who fatten lambs use Southdown rams. Not all the sheep farmers are topdressing pasture, but during recent years the quantity of superphosphate used has increased and some farmers have applied fertilisers to the hillier portions of their farms by aeroplane. A feature on many of the sheep farms is the lack of shelter. Carrying Capacity To make comparison between farms and between dairy and sheep farms the number of stock on each farm was converted to a common stock unit called the “ewe equivalent”. The total area occupied by predominantly sheep farms totalled 9944 acres, of which 4651 acres comprised 8 blocks of hill country outside the Pauatahanui-Judgeford area held by 5 farmers whose home farms were within the area. This outside hill country is poor, being relatively high and broken. Taking it into account when assessing the carrying capacity per acre of the sheep farms (Table 3) has had the effect of making the figure for the land at PauatahanuiJudgeford lower than it is.

Carrying capacity ranged from 0.90 to 2.93 ewe equivalents per acre, this being due to the differences in the three factors soil, topography, and management efficiency. On the 18 dairy farms, which occupy 4531 acres, 1221 dairy cows were run, of which 991 were milked during the flush of the season. Butterfat production amounted to 199,6601 b. Other stock on these farms include 990 ewes, 1150 ewe hoggets, 73 other sheep, and 70 other cattle. When all the stock were converted to ewe equivalents the stock units carried per acre on the dairy farms ranged from 1.28 to 3.57, with one holding carrying 5.02.

On the total area of 14,475 acres, of which 4651 acres is relatively high and

broken country and is outside Pauata-hanui-Judgeford, there are carried 16,046 sheep, 1296 dairy cows, and 441 other cattle. These figures converted to the common unit give 23,259 ewe equivalents, or an over-all average carrying capacity of 1.6 ewe equivalents per acre. Potential Carrying Capacity In assessing a figure for the potential carrying capacity of each farm the soil types and the topography of each unit were taken into account, and with management efficiency it was assumed that the standard would reach that of the most efficient farmers in the district.

Whereas at present on sheep farms the most common carrying capacity is between 1.5 and 2.0 ewe equivalents per acre, the most common potential carrying capacity is assessed at between 2.5 and 3.0 ewe equivalents per acre. The potential number of dairy cows on the dairy units is estimated at 1551, which is an increase of 27 per cent, on present numbers.

The annual production of butterfat is now 199,6601 b. and the potential production is estimated at 307,1001 b., an increase of 53.7 per cent. The most common production of butterfat per acre is now between 80 and 1001 b. and the most common potential production is estimated at between 120 and 1401 b. per acre; some will reach much higher per-acre production. Effect of Changed Land Use If any shift in land use is made, it is estimated that 1693 acres of the sheep farms may be affected and 1462 acres of the dairy farms, these areas comprising the valley floors and the moderately rolling country. Sheep farms: The present number of ewe equivalents carried on sheep farms is 13,955, and if 1639 acres of these farms is used for other purposes, it is estimated that the balance areas of the farms will carry 9880 ewe equivalents, which represents a loss of 29.2 per cent, in stock units. The potential carrying capacity of the sheep farms in ewe equivalents is 20,823, and a loss of area would mean a reduction to 15,050 ewe equivalents. Many of the balance areas of the sheep farms would represent uneconomic units and it is likely that some of them would go out of production, in which case the actual reduction in stock numbers resulting from a shift in land use would be greater than the estimates. Dairy farms: The dairy farms at present carry 1221 dairy cows, 39 other cattle, and 2213 sheep of all classes. If 1462 acres of these farms is subject to a change in land use, the total stock carried will be reduced to -460 dairy

cows and 2000 ewe equivalents, a reduction of 62.3 per cent, in dairy cow numbers. When all stock on dairy farms is converted to ewe equivalents the reduction amounts to 48.6 per cent. On the basis of potential carrying capacity dairy cow numbers would be reduced from 1551 to 545, a 64.9 per cent, reduction. The present annual loss in butterfat production is estimated at 136,0001 b., and on the basis of potential production the loss is estimated at 196,0001 b. z If the loss in production on dairy farms is regarded on the basis of whole-milk production, the loss on the Basis of present production would be sufficient to provide 6300 persons with their annual wholemilk requirements. As with the sheep farms the estimated loss in production on the dairy farms resulting from a shift in land use of part of their areas is likely to be much greater than shown, since the balance areas of the farms will in most instances be uneconomic and some of the areas may go out of production unless amalgamated with other land. Neglected Farm Land The survey illustrates an undesirable feature of some New Zealand cities and larger urban areas. Around some of them is a fringe of rather neglected farm land lying between the boundary of the urban area and the actual farm land. These neglected areas are grounds for the growth of noxious weeds and are also areas where farm production is at a very low level. As towns expand and farm lands become closer to urban amenities a form of betterment is created and there appears to be a tendency for some occupiers on the urban fringe to relax their endeavours because of the prospect of converting the betterment into a cash return. Careful and orderly planning of land resources may do much to alter this and to bring about

the efficient utilisation of this neglected and non-productive land. Main Points The main points shown by the survey of the Pauatahanui-Judgeford basin and Horokiwi Valley area were:1. The main physical factors which determine land use (topography, climate, and soils) are suitable for both dairy farming and sheep farming for the production of fat lambs, store sheep, and wool. 2. Production from the area can be increased considerably: — (a) Dairy cow numbers can be increased by approximately 27 per cent. (b) Other stock, converted to ewe equivalents, can be increased by approximately 50 per cent. 3. As a result of a suggested shift in land use of 1462 acres of the dairy farms and 1693 acres of the sheep farms the minimum losses are likely to be:— (a) On the basis of present carrying capacity: Dairy cow numbers are likely to be reduced by approximately 850 and other stock, converted to ewe equivalents, by 3530. (b) On the basis of. potential . carrying capacity: Dairy cow numbers are likely to be reduced by approximately 1000 and other stock, converted to ewe equivalents, by approximately 5290. Though in the final issue it is not for agricultural interests to say whether or not a particular area of agricultural land should be used for purposes other than farming, at least their claims should be, given similar consideration to those of others who compete for the use of the land. If this is done, there is the possibility that good farming land will not be utilised for some less urgent purpose.

“John Grigg of Longbeach”: P. G. Stevens

THIS short biography is perhaps more the record of an estate than the story of a man’s life, but, as the author remarks, Grigg “submerged his personality in the swamps of Longbeach” so much so that the two became completely identified. The author deals briefly with Grigg’s upbringing in Cornwall (his family were of Scottish extraction) and his decision to sell the family farm and emigrate. Coming to Auckland in 1854, he leased a property at Otahuhu which he held 10 years. He must have been an industrious and astute farmer and his success as a breeder was shown by the widespread demand for sheep, from the stud Leicester flock which he had built up, at his clearing sale. Otahuhu was only a short interlude in Grigg’s career and in 1864 he sold out and moved to the South Island, for it seems that he had purchased Longbeach the previous year. Over the next 20 or 30 years the development of Longbeach was pushed ahead with great energy, though the destruction of all records in the homestead fire of 1937 makes it impossible to follow the changes in chronological order. Grigg’s achievement in converting this “impenetrable swamp” into one of the finest farms in New Zealand was not unique; at the same time other men in the South Island were developing large arable farms, but his task was perhaps greater and the final result more striking. More important than his achievements as an arable farmer was his link with the establishment of the meat export trade and the subsequent scale of his fat-lamb farming. A few carcasses from Longbeach were in the Dunedin when it left Port Chalmers in February 1882, and a few months earlier Grigg had convened a meeting to form the Canterbury Frozen Meat Company. His insistence that only first-grade stock be accepted for export was largely responsible for establishing the reputation of Canterbury lamb. In time about half the original 30,000 acres was sold and so the Longbeach tradition was passed on not only by the Grigg family but by many of those who had worked on the estate and were given an opportunity to purchase land on favourable terms. Yet in a period when many, though by no means all, of his contemporaries regarded land as something to be bought and sold when a favourable opportunity appeared Grigg showed the worth of a sound farming tradition, and his example must have done something to inculcate it in others. —P.R.S. Whitcombe and Tombs Ltd. 9s. 6d Publications Received “Animal Nutrition”, Leonard A. Maynard (3rd ed.). McGraw-Hill Book Co. Inc., N.Y. “Gazetteer of Agricultural and Forestry Research Stations 1952”. Commonwealth Agricultural Bureaux, England. 30s. net.

Area Percentage Classification Area acres Percentage of area Clean pasture 5,701 69.2 Scattered scrub, gorse, etc. .. 1,703 20.6 Completely covered in scrub, gorse, etc. .. 477 5.8 Bush or plantations .. 150 1.8 Other .. 216 2.6 1 ■ ■■ . Total 8,247 100.0

TABLE 1-AREA IN CLEAN PASTURE, GORSE, AND SCRUB

Ewe equivalents No. of per acre No. of acre farms farms Under 1. 0 2 2 1.0 and under 1.5 .. and 5 under 1.5 .. 5 1.5 and under 2.0 .. and 6 under 2.0 .. 6 2.0 and under 2.5 .. and 3 under 2.5 . . 3 2.5 and under 3.0 .. and 1 under 3.0 . . 1 17

TABLE 3—CARRYING CAPACITY IN EWE EQUIVALENTS PER ACRE ON SHEEP FARMS

Ewe equivalents No. of per acre farms Under 1.5 1 .5 and under 2.5 .. 9 2.5 and under 3.5 .. 6 Over 3.5 .. 2 18

TABLE 4—CARRYING CAPACITY IN EWE EQUIVALENTS PER ACRE ON DAIRY FARMS

Present Potential Percentage increase Ewe equivalents .. 12,246 17,435 42.4 Cattle (all classes) 477 966 102.5 All stock converted to ewe equivalents 13,955 20,823 49.2

TABLE 5—PRESENT AND POTENTIAL STOCK ON SHEEP FARMS

Percentage Present Potential Percentage Potential increase increase Dairy cows 1,221 1,551 27.0 Other cattle 39 27 —30.8 Sheep (all classes) All stock converted 2,213 3,098 40.0 to ewe equivalents 9,304 12,505 34.4

TABLE 6-PRESENT AND POTENTIAL STOCK ON DAIRY FARMS