Fat-stock Production Survey of Wairoa County

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 85, Issue 3, 15 September 1952, Page 241

Fat-stock Production Survey of Wairoa County

By

R. T. du FAUR,

Research Officer (Farm Management), Department of Agriculture,

Palmerston North, and

R. H. Scott,

Land Utilisation Officer, Department of Agriculture,

Wellington FEWER fat stock have been raised in recent years in Wairoa County and there has been a considerable proportion of light-weight lambs. Concern at this trend has been expressed by farmers and the freezing company at Wairoa, and to clarify the problem of fat-stock production within the county the Department of Agriculture made a survey with the following objectives: To ascertain the area and type of land available for stock fattening; to study the relationship of supplementary crops to stock fattening and the possibilities of fodder crop production; to investigate the importance and possibilities of pasture improvement by topdressing and oversowing on hill country or by renewal on ploughable land, and to investigate farm management and/or other factors in fat-stock production.

WAIROA County has an area of 879,000 acres, of which 705,000 acres or 80 per cent, is -occupied. For the 1949-50 season the land was utilised as follows: TABLE LAND UTILISATION IN WAIROA COUNTY 1949-50 Acres Grasses, clovers, and lucerne .. 437,700 Unimproved land .. .. .. 262,600 Green fodder and root crops .. 2,200 Crops (mainly maize and vegetables for processing) .. .. 600 Plantations, orchards, market gardens, and private gardens .. 1,600 Fallow land .. .. .. . . 300 Total .. .. - .. .. 705,000 On this occupied area there were run 661,000 sheep, of which 410,300 were breeding ewes and 99,900 cattle, which included 7300 cows in milk. Topography Practically the whole of the county is hill country and of the total area of 879,000 acres about 310,000 acres or 35 per cent, is over 2000 ft. high. The greater part of this area is in native forest, particularly in the north-west around Lake Waikaremoana, where

the annual rainfall is over 80in. This area is not suitable for farming. Another smaller area of high country is in the north-east, where the slopes are steep and the country is difficult to farm. The total area of flat land is approximately 33,000 acres or 4 per cent, of the total area. Climate The annual rainfall ranges from over 80in. in the north-west to 50 to 60in. further east, rising again to over lOOin. on the higher hill country on the north-east coast. TABLE 2—AVERAGE ANNUAL , RAINFALL Station in. Waikaremoana .. .. ■ ... 76.25 Eripeti .. .. .. .. .. 75.60 Wairoa . . .. 1 .. .. .. 48.54 Te Maori .. .. .. .. 56.61 Waikaremoana and Eripeti are in the •, north-west and Te Maori is in the southern : part of the county. The rainfall is fairly, evenly distributed, the lowest recordings at Wairoa being for the months November and December, when the average fall is 2.7 and 2.32 in. respectively. At Waikaremoana and Eripeti the lowest

fall occurs during December, but even then the average does not fall below 4in. 1 A feature of the monthly rainfall data for the county is the wide deviation which occurs from the .average figures. The temperature range is not great, the mean temperature for June for much of the area being approximately 48 degrees and for January 62 degrees. Technique of Survey The technique used for the survey was as follows: 1. Discussions were held between interested parties executives of the freezing company, stock buyers, farmers, and departmental officers. 2. It was apparent that some farmers were adopting reasonably good management techniques and had partly improved or improved farms. It was assumed that those who had been using reasonable quantities of fertilisers for a few years were in this group. 3. From this list a group of farmers situated on the two major land classes in the countythe Taupo sandy silt soil group and the Taupo ash on mudstone groupwas selected. These two major land classes cover approximately 425,000 acres or about 60 per cent, of the occupied area of the county. 4. For each farm selected in 3 another farm of somewhat similar size but which received little or no fertiliser was chosen. These farms were also on the two main land classes. For classification purposes those farms under 3, where pastures were being

improved, were classed as “good”, and those under 4, where little or no pasture-improvement work was being done, were classed as “poor”. 5. For each farm information was obtained on the class of pasture, area of farm capable of being ploughed,or disced, and farm- and stock-manage-ment. The sizes of farms in each classification were: — TABLE 3— SIZES OF FARMS IN PASTURE-IMPROVEMENT GROUPS No. of farms Size of farm Good Poor acres group group Under 1000 .... 7 7 1000 and under 1500 ..5 5 1500 and under 2000 ..2 I 2000 and over .... I 2 Total .. . . .. 15 15

Results The results of the survey were as follows: — 1. The area and type of land available for stock fattening: The method adopted to computethe . potential carrying capacity of the county was to divide the district into land classes similar to the land classification system drawn up by Grange and Smallfield. Under this system soil types are grouped' according to two factors, topography and the degree to which white clover and subterranean clover

can be established. Potential carrying capacities were then computed for each land. class, being based on the carrying capacity already reached on the highest-producing farm on each land class. It is considered that if the 563,700 acres under .1 and 2 in Table 4 are developed on lines similar to some of the better -farms in the area, the county should carry at least 550,000 ewes for fat-lamb production, 840,000 for the production of store sheep, and some fat lambs. In addition, there should be approximately 130,000 head of cattle and probably about 10,000 dairy cows. At present there are approximately 652,000 sheep and 96,400 cattle in the county, which means that on the basis of the potential carrying capacity sheep numbers can’ be increased by approximately 115 per cent, and cattle numbers, by approximately 40 per cent.

TABLE 4—CLASSIFICATION OF LAND IN WAIROA COUNTY ACCORDING TO ITS POTENTIAL USE AND ESTIMATED POTENTIAL CARRYING ' CAPACITY OF EACH LAND CLASS Area Stock Potential land use acres Cattle Sheep 1. Dairy stock for milk and sheep and cattle x mainly for meat .. .. .. .. .. 144,800 37,000* 551,300 2. Sheep for meat and wool and store sheep and cattle for sale to I .. .. .. .. 418,900 97,800 840,000 3. Doubtful agricultural value .. ■ ... .. 315,300 4,800 40,000 Total .. .. .. 879,000 139,600 1,431,300 * Includes 10,000 dairy cows in milk.

2. Relationship of supplementary crops to stock fattening and the possibilities of fodder crop production: The area of summer and early-autumn supplementary crops is small, approximately 1300 acres, of which 700 is in rape. With a fattening capacity of

approximately 20 lambs per acre on rape it means that about 13,000 lambs are fattened on this crop each year. The main reasons for growing small acreages of lamb-fattening crops are: (a) Rape crops are uncertain in the area owing to the relatively high rainfall, which precludes ripening of the crop. (b) Most of the flat areas and easy rolling country have been developed and laid down to pastures and the practice is not to resow unless they have reverted. Where reversion has taken place a crop is usually sown before regrassing. (c) The area of land on sheep farms which can be ploughed or disced is small. For 29 farms included in the survey, which have a total area of 33,909 acres, the area which can be

ploughed or disced is 5050 acres or 15 per cent, of the total area. Nearly 50 per cent, of the farms have less than 10 per cent, of land which can be disced or ploughed. Details of the area which can be ploughed or disced were not obtained for one farm. TABLE S— PERCENTAGE OF AREA OF FARMS PLOUGHABLE OR DISCABLE AND NUMBER OF FARMS IN EACH PERCENTAGE RANGE No. of Percentage farms 0 and under 10 . . .. .14 10 and under 20 ... . . .. 7 20 and under 30 .. . . .. 5 30 and under 40 .. .. ■■ 2 40 and over .. .. .. • • 1 Total .. .. .. .. .. 29 3. The importance and possibility of pasture improvement by topdressing and oversowing on hill country or by renewal on ploughable land: There are approximately 165,000 lambs surplus each year in the county to be sold as stores or to be fattened after requirements for flock maintenance and retention of wether lambs have been met. Of the 33,000 acres of flat land in the county about 20,000 acres is run in conjunction with hill-country farms; the remainder of the flat areas (about Wairoa, Frasertown, and Nuhaka) are used mainly for dairying. The flats used for sheep farming produce about 12,000 fat lambs annually, which is a small proportion of the lambs fattened in the county. The decline in the number of fat lambs being raised can be attributed mainly to the deterioration of hill-country pastures. A comparison was made between the hill-country farmers using a reasonable amount of fertiliser over a period and those using little. To make a comparison the quantity of fertiliser used was assumed to have been applied at the rate of 2cwt. per acre and a computation was made of the proportion of the farms which could be covered with the dressing of 2cwt. per acre. TABLE PERCENTAGE OF AREAS OF FARMS (IN PASTUREIMPROVEMENT GROUPS) TOPDRESSED AT 2CWT. PER ACRE IN < 1950-51 No. of farms Good Poor Percentage group group 0 and under 10 .. ' 3 8 10 and under 20 .. 3 '6 20 and under 30 .. I I 30 and under 40 . . 3 —• 40 and under 50 ... 2— / 50 and under 60 . . I 60 and over .. .. 2— Total .. 15 - 15 On 12 of the farms in the good group oversowing of the hill pastures was also done in 1950-51, but it was done on only one farm in the poor group.

Though the sample is small, the differences in the productivity of the two groups shown in carrying capacity, wool production, and lambing percentages are likely to be due mainly to topdressing and oversowing. (a) Carrying capacity of farms: For comparison all stock on the farms were converted to a common unit, in this instance the “ewe equivalent”. The carrying capacity in ewe equivalents per acre was worked out first over the whole area of each farm and

secondly over the total area of each farm less the area in thick scrub on each farm. If the whole area of each farm is considered, 87 per cent, of the better farms had carrying capacities of over 2 ewe equivalents per acre, and in the poor group 87 per cent, of the farms had carrying capacities of under 2 ewe equivalents per acre. (b) Wool production: This was computed on the basis of production per 100 acres and per ewe equivalent.

TABLE 7—-CARRYING CAPACITY IN EWE EQUIVALENTS PER ACRE IN EACH PASTURE-IMPROVEMENT GROUP Over whole farm less area - Ewe equivalents Over whole farm in thick scrub per acre Good group w Poor group Good group Poor group Under I ...... 2— 1 and under 1.25.... —2 1 1.25 and under 1.5 .. .. 3 ~~ ~~ 1.5 and under 1.75 .... I 3 ~~ 3 1.75 and under 2 .... 1 3 • ” 2 and under 2.25 .... 4 I 3 2 2.25 and under 2.5 .... 6 I 7 I 2.5 and under 2.75 .... I 1 ~ 2.75 and under 3 .. • . Over 3 ....... • 2— 2 “ Total 15 15 15 15

TABLE B—WOOL PRODUCTION PER 100 ACRES ON FARMS IN EACH PASTURE-IMPROVEMENT GROUP Production No. of farms per 100 acres Good Poor lb. group group Under 500 . . .. 500 and under 1000 .. 6 1000 and under 1500 ..2 9 1500 and under 2000 ..5 2000 and under 2500 .. 3 2500 and over .. .. I Total .. .. ..II 15 The table is not complete, as the wool-clip weights were not available for 4 of the good farms. However, it shows that whereas all the poor farms produced less than 15001 b. of wool per

100 acres at least 60 per cent, of the good farms produced in excess of this figure. TABLE WEIGHT OF WOOL PER EWE EQUIVALENT ON FARMS IN. EACH PASTURE - IMPROVEMENT GROUP Weight per ewe No. of farms equivalent Good Poor lb. group group 4 and under 4.5 ■ - .... • 4.5 and under 5 .. . 3 5 and under 5.5 . . I 2 5.5 and under 6 . . 2 3 6 and under 6.5 .. I 6.5 and 1 under 7 .. 22 7 and under 7.5 ... * 3 . - 4 7.5 and under 8 . . I . 8 and over .. . . I Total .. .. .. II ]5 Sixty per cent, of the poor farms have a wool weight per ewe equivalent of less than 61b. and at least 70 per cent, of the good farms . have a wool weight per ewe equivalent of more than 61b. - (c) Lambing percentages: Information about lambing percentages was not available from all farms. TABLE LAMBING PERCENTAGES ON FARMS IN EACH PASTURE-IMPROVEMENT GROUP . No. of farms Good Poor Percentages group group 75 and under 80 . . 3 80 and under 85 . . —2 i 85 and under 90 .. 22 90 and under 95 .. 3 3 95 and under 100 ..4 100 and over .... 3 Total 12 Z , 10 The table indicates that, most of the good farms have a lambing percentage of over 90 per cent, and on the poor farms the majority have a percentage less than this figure. Details of results achieved on two hill-country farms by a vigorous development programme follow: — Farm A: This farm is 440 acres, of which 120 are flat land. The hill country has been oversown with white

and subterranean clover and half of it is .topdressed each year. Thirteen years ago, when no topdressing or oversowing was done, the farm carried 500 sheep and in 1950-51 it carried 700 ewes, 160 ewe hoggets, 30 wethers, 20 'rams, and 90 cattle. Table 11 sets out the salient features in 1937-38 and again in 1950-51. ' Because of adequate and welldistributed rainfall over much j of Wairoa County,' oversowing of white

TABLE 11—COMPARISON OF RESULTS ON FARM OF 440 ACRES IN WAIROA COUNTY 1937-38 1950-51 Lambing percentage .. 90 105 Percentage of iambs fattened off mother . 20 45 to 55 Average weight of wool per ewe .. .. 8.51 b. 10.21 b. Percentage of farm topdressed at rate of 2cwt. superphosphate per acre . . .. Nil 50

clover is usually successful there and results in a quick build-up of pastures if adequate maintenance topdressing is done. Farm B: This property of 1700 acres north of Te Reinga is surrounded by hundreds of acres of neglected and abandoned scrub land. Two brothers began development 11 years ago by ploughing wherever possible with a hillside plough, by cutting the scrub, and, after burning, by oversowing with white and subterranean clover. Each year over the past 7 years half of the improved area has been topdressed. So far 600 acres of scattered scrub has been ploughed and 700 acres of scattered and thick scrub cut by hand; 300 acres remains to be cut. When development began the property carried 1750 sheep, of which 1200 were ewes, and 180 head of cattle. In 1950-51, 1920 ewes, 950 ewe hoggets, 70 other sheep, and 280 cattle were carried. The average wool clip per head has increased from 81b. to 10.251 b. 'No crops are grown ’to fatten lambs, as they are fattened on grass. Previously ~ it was impossible to fatten cattle on the farm, but since improved pastures have been established 90 to 100 bullocks are sent away fat each year. 4. Farm management and/or other factors in relation to fat stock production: Manuka infestation is widespread over the whole county and of the total area of the farms included in the survey 16 per cent, was . heavily

infested with scrub and bracken fern, etc., and observations support the view that at least this proportion of the farmable hill country in the county is infested. Abandonment of many thousand acres has followed this infestation. Large areas of manuka in the county have been attacked by the manuka blight, and blackened areas as a result of the blight are common. - There is a suspected deficiency of cobalt over much of the county, but sufficient data are not available -to draw any conclusion. Owing to the fairly high rainfall during summer there is considerable roughage on pastures and it is essential for farms to be well stocked with cattle to control it. The county is reasonably well watered and the construction of dams to provide water for cattle over summer is not as necessary as in Hawkes Bay and Wairarapa. TABLE 12— CATTLE PER 100 ACRES ON FARMS IN EACH PASTUREIMPROVEMENT GROUP Cattle per Good Poor 100 acres ' group group 0 and under 5 .. 5 and under 10 .. I 10 and under 15 .. I 5 15 and under 20 .. 4 6 20 and under 25 .. 4 I 25 and under 30 .. 4 2 30 and under 35 .. I 35 and over .. .. I Total 15 15 In the good group more than twothirds of the farms are carrying over

20 - cattle per 100 acres; on the poor group 80 per cent, carry less than 20 head per 100 acres. Fertiliser Usage It is evident that the county has not yet been able to exploit the advantages of manurial topdressing. After 1934 and until 1939 a little fertiliser was brought into Wairoa by boats able to cross the river bar. In 1939 Wairoa was joined to Napier by rail, but after the outbreak of war it was not possible to obtain increased supplies of fertiliser for the district. TABLE 13—ARTIFICIAL FERTILISER DELIVERED TO RAILWAY STATIONS IN WAIROA COUNTY Year* Tons Year* Tons 1939 .. 1871 1947 .. 2484 1941 .. 5001 1949 .. 5338 1943 .. 1338 1951 .. 10,185 1945 .. 2004 * Ending 31 March. The Department of Maori Affairs is developing areas in Wairoa County and uses considerable quantities of fertilisers; the amount being used by individual farmers is not great. The cost of superphosphate at Wairoa, inclusive of railage from the nearest works, is £l2' 17s. per ton and, as the rail serves only the coastal areas of the county, many inland farmers have to pay approximately £2O per ton by the time the fertiliser is delivered at the farm. Poor road access to many parts and long road hauls have been among the factors: limiting the use of fertiliser. Conclusions from Survey Results of the survey may be summarised as follows: — Farmers who are using superphosphate and/or oversowing are achieving much better results than thoseusing little or no fertiliser. As a very small percentage of thecounty area is flat land, any increased production must , come from the hill country. The county has a considerable farming potential; sheep numbers can be increased by approximately 115 per cent, and cattle numbers by approximately 40 per cent. Approximately 16 per cent, of the hill country suitable for farming isheavily infested with scrub. There is a suspected cobalt deficiency over much of the county. As rape as a lamb-fattening crop is uncertain, owing to the relatively high summer rainfall, the suitability of alternative fattening crops such, as sweet yellow and blue lupins: could be investigated.

Hill-country areas such as Wairoa County are of importance as a source of breeding stock for more intensive farming areas, and the improvement, of pastures on a considerable portion of the hill country of the county will mean the production of a greater number of fat stock. One of the keys to the problem is the use of much greater quantities of fertiliser and oversowing with clovers, but to achieve this a number of physical and economic problems will have to be overcome. Reference “Transactions of ' International Congress of Soil Science Amsterdam 1950”, vol 2. "Land Classification, New Zealand”, by L. I. Grange and P. W. Smallfield.