Farmers’ Conference Time Once Again

Press, Volume C, Issue 29513, 13 May 1961, Page 7

Farmers’ Conference Time Once Again

TT is back to Lincoln A College farmers’ conference time again. This year’s meeting will be held next week beginning on Wednesday morning An attendance of around 330 to 350 farmers is expected. Guest speaker at the meeting replacing the late Mr W. H Gillespie will be the new Minister of Agriculture, Mr T. L. Hayman. On Wednesday meat marketing will be very much to the fore with Mr John Ormond, chairman of the Meat Board, and Professor B. P. Philpott, professor of agricultural economics at the college, on the programme. Later speakers will deal rather with processing and production aspects. Mr N H. Law, director of the Meat Industry Research Institute, will deal with trends affecting production and quality standards, Mr David Baker, of Cave, South Canterbury, will speak about meat production on the farm and Mr P. M. Falconer, advisory officer of the Lauriston Farm Improvement Club, will make a comparison of the profitability of beef cattle and fat lamb farms. External parasites of sheep, including itch mite, will occupy the final session of the day with the speakers being Mr H. Doyle, livestock superintendent of the Department of Agriculture in Christchurch, and Dr.

L. Whitten, parasitologist of the Wallaceville Animal Research Station. On Thursday Professor T. W. Walker will speak about farming in Britain and there will be a session on arable farming with Mr R. Stuart, superintendent of agricultural information, Department of Agriculture, taking up the economic angle, Mr W. V. Hadfield, assistant fields superintendent of the department in Christchurch, dealing with rotations and Mr P. G Morrison, of Sheffield, talking about the family farm. A field afternoon will follow. The final day will include addresses on improved pastures in relation to animal thrift by Dr. P. D. Sears director of the Grasslands Division of the D.S.I.R. some aspects of chemical composition of pasture and of animal health by Dr. G. V, Butler. of the Plant Chemistry Division of the D.5.1.R., and some factors influencing intake and production in ruminants by Dr. A. T Johns, director of the Plant Chemistry Division. The concluding addresses of the conference will be on farm forestry. Mr T. Grayburn, of the Selwyn Plantation Board, will discuss species for various sites and purposes and the superintendent of the board, Mr A. E. Cooney, will deal with utilisation and financial returns.