Ruakura’s Fifth Conference and Field Day

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 87, Issue 2, 15 August 1953, Page 115

Ruakura’s Fifth Conference and Field Day

pVER since the Department of Agriculture's Ruakura Animal Research Station, near “ Hamilton, was established in 1939, farmers have shown an increasing interest in the work of the Station. From the end of the war the number of farmers wanting to visit the Station reached such proportions that research work was being seriously hindered by the demand on research workers to "drop tools" and explain what had been done and what work was in progress. In the words of the Superintendent of the Station, Dr. C. P. McMeekan: "If this goes on, we soon won't have anything to tell them".

TO overcome this difficulty it was decided to set aside one week in each year during which the efforts of the staff are devoted to holding an annual conference for farmers at a time of the year when most farmers would be able to attend. It was proposed to discuss at the conference the work of the Station in particular and of ..the Animal Research Division in general. In addition, other prominent agriculturists who had something of value to tell farmers would be invited to participate. So the first Ruakura Farmers’ Conference was held in 1949. Each conference has been organised to cover the interests of both sheep and dairy farmers, one day being set aside for sheep farmers only, two days (including a field day at the Station) for both sheep and dairy farmers, and the final day for dairy farmers only. From a relatively modest beginning at the first conference in 1949, when some 300 : farmers attended, the interest has increased each year. Each conference has covered an everwidening field. More and more farmers have attended. They have entered into discussion and argument to an increasing and stimulating degree. The conference of this year was rated the best ever by enthusiasts who

have attended all five. It attracted a record crowd; from 350 to 400 sheep farmers and 500 to 750 dairy farmers attended the day and evening meetings; at the field day there was a representative gathering which has been conservatively estimated at 1300. Though most came from the Auckland Province, practically every other part

of New Zealand was represented. Visitors came from as far afield as Southland and Poverty Bay. Increased Sheep Farmer Interest A particularly pleasing feature was the marked increase in the numbers of sheep farmers over those of past years. The Waikato does not normally rank in popular opinion as a sheepfarming area, and the name of Ruakura is more commonly associated in farmers’ minds with dairy cattle. The increasing contributions of the Station workers to problems of the sheep industry, however, are being recognised. The development of Ruakura’s new Hill Country Research Station on the Raglan hills has probably contributed to this situation. Whatever the cause, the fact that the conference resulted in probably the largest gathering .of sheep 7 farmers ever held in New Zealand for educational purposes augurs well for the future of this class of farming. The organisation of a successful conference of this type is not easy. The staff of Ruakura received many congratulations on the very good job done. In particular, farmers were impressed with the way in which the field day was handled. Anyone who has attended a farm demonstration at

any State or College institution in New Zealand has experienced the very great difficulty associated with the presence of a large crowd. It is almost impossible for groups larger than 40 or 50 farmers to get very much out of such field days. With crowds larger than this it is seldom possible for more than a few to hear and see a speaker demonstrate his work. In consequence, such field days have usually become little more than a pleasant walk around the farm. In the past Ruakura’s field days have been no exception to this and have satisfied neither staff nor visitors. Field Day on U.S. Model On this occasion a completely new approach to the problem was tried out. When Dr. McMeekan attended the Sixth International Grassland Congress at Pennsylvania State College in the United States last year he was impressed with the way in which the College authorities handled a field day on a., property little larger than Ruakura. Over 14,000 farmers visited the college' farm that day. Selfexplanatory demonstrations had been

arranged at twelve main centres on the farm. Each centre dealt with a particular group of problems. Thus, one handled problems of feeding dairy cattle; , another dealt with fertilising pastures. In all they covered the major research activities of the institution. The field day began at 9 o’clock in the morning and continued all day. Farmers arrived at any time to suit their convenience. They parked their cars at a central point, from which they boarded one of a fleet of buses which circulated continuously around a fixed route, connecting all twelve demonstration points. Visitors could leave or board a bus at any point, so that they could both select the particular demonstration or demonstrations in which they were most interested and see as much or as little of it as they desired. Milk bars en route provided refreshments continuously. College staff were available at each point for answering questions and giving additional information. The whole principle behind the technique was one of movement, under which the crowd was kept flowing round the farm in an unhurried but effective stream. •,

Ruakura decided to try this system at its last conference. Despite the misgivings of many, both on the staff and on the organising farmers’ committee, it worked. Apart from a few minor difficulties, due mainly to lack of experience of the staff in running the system and of farmers in fitting into it, a field day resulted which was rated as easily the most successful ever held at Ruakura. Complimentary references were made on all sides by visitors who claimed that for the first time they really saw something of Ruakura as a farm and obtained some direct insight into the way in which the work is carried out. Demonstration Points Although nearly a thousand dairy farmers were catered for during the day, there were seldom more than 30 or 40 at each of the major demonstration points. First stop was No. 1 Dairy, where a continuous demonstration on the servicing of a milking machine was available. In addition, the route

passed. through the , centre of No. 1 dairy farm and passed the herd, so that some idea was obtained of the pastures and cattle that had resulted in a production of 3501 b. of butterfat per acre from this particular unit during the current season. Details of these productions were available for inspection at the centre. At the No. 2 unit farmers sufficiently interested in pigs to decant from the buses which stopped every 10 minutes were able to see a well-organised demonstration on three phases of Ruakura’s pig work.. The demonstrations covered methods of reducing pig losses, of increasing the prolificacy of sows, and of increasing efficiency in the use of feed. The newly designed Ruakura round house for farrowing was a key feature, attracting great interest. At the Fertility Centre a wide range of activities on artificial breeding and male and female sterility was illustrated. The team of young bulls to be used in next year’s artificial breeding work were lined up and their pedigrees and production backing plainly illustrated. The fourth stop enabled an inspection to be made of well and poorly reared calves and heifers resulting from controlled and uncontrolled systems of grazing management. Here also the design of the long-term dairy cow nutrition experiment, planned to obtain data on the effect on lifetime production of four systems of feeding dairy stock, was plainly illustrated in chart form. Results to date were also shown. At the next centre a representative of the Grasslands Division of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research was available to demonstrate and discuss the establishment and management of the modern highpressure pastures being developed by that Division. A special area had been sown to provide a practical demonstration of the problems involved. At the Nutrition Centre both animals and charts were employed to explain the way in which the modern scientist is attacking the special problems of pasture, nutrition of dairy stock. Other charts and cattle drew attention to some of the results obtained and emphasised the importance of size of cow as a factor in efficiency of production on grassland. Calf rearing, with special reference to Ruakura results on early weaning, was similarly illustrated by both stock and self-explanatory posters. . The last stop on the dairy unit was at the identical twin centre, where the use of identical twins in cattle research was explained and illustrated in a practical way. Back at. the parking centre the Ruakura Hall provided still further demonstrations of interest to both sheep and dairy farmers. Main topics were work on facial eczema, on fat lamb carcass quality, and on control of weeds by hormones. Inspection of this part of the proceedings was arranged to be fitted in with lunch from the mobile milk bar. Sheep-farming Group It was unfortunate that the same technique was not employed in handling the specialised sheep-farming group, for which such a large crowd

was not expected. Previous experience had indicated that it was quite practicable to handle the hundred or so visiting sheepmen in the normal manner. On this occasion, however, the sheep-farming crowd was approximately 350, and the contrast between the old and the new method of organising a field day was very obvious. It was impossible to demonstrate effectively the work of the Station on hogget rearing, on ewe management, and on fat lamb production to such a large number in one group. Even the voice of the Superintendent was not capable of reaching the extremities of the .crowd in the open. Next year the sheep farmers will also move on the circulating pattern.

Despite the difficulties, however, the sheepmen were also extremely interested and pleased with their day. In addition to the three points already mentioned, they were specially appreciative of the practical demonstration of vaccination against scabby mouth and blood poisoning. The dwarf beef bull also attracted considerable attention, and farmers were able to feel for themselves the difference between normal and diseased rams suffering from abnormalities of the reproductive organs.

In the afternoon sheep farmers were taken to the Hill Country Station, where, despite the difficulties of transport arising from damage to roads during the wet winter, a very good idea was obtained of the many, lines of work opening up on this property.

The Ruakura Farmers’ Conference appears now to be an established part of the farming year in the North Island. The Ruakura workers hope that the crowds will not become any larger, but they have been tremendously encouraged by the increasing interest taken in their work. There is no doubt that direct contact between farmer and scientist in this way must react beneficially on the welfare of the primary industries of New Zealand.

Papers and discussions at this year's Ruakura Farmers' Conference Week are being printed as "Proceedings of the Ruakura Farmers' Conference Week 1953": Price I Os., post free. Those who paid conference fees will automatically be sent a copy. Others may order from the Department of Agriculture, Box 2298, Wellington. Copies of the "Proceedings" for 1950, 1951, and 1952 are still obtainable, price I Os., post free.