Cattle Side Of Hill Farm To BeBuilt Up

Press, Volume C, Issue 29518, 20 May 1961, Page 7

Cattle Side Of Hill Farm To BeBuilt Up

On the 1180-acre property he farms at Cave in the Hunter Hills of South Canterbury Mr David Baker told the fanners’ conference at Canterbury Agricultural College this week that he had reduced the ewe flock from 3100 to 2850 and he intended to hold it at that level and increase cattle numbers considerably. There is now on the property a herd of 160 to 180 Hereford breeding cows, which are mated with a Polled Angus bull.

Until new markets can be found for lamb Mr Baker believes that the aim in New Zealand should be to tnainI tain present production from 'a reduced flock and build up cattle numbers quickly to meet the requirements of a beef eating world.

Mr Baker said that the property, which had been bought in three blocks between 1919 and 1943, was rated as second class foothill brown top country. It is located 20 miles west of Timaru and 10 miles from the nearest railway at Cave. Rainfall at the homestead is 28 inches a year but it . varies sharply between the I higher and lower country. Each of the blocks was taken in relatively poor condition—derelict or aban- | doned. The country is not well I suited climatically to small ‘ seeds production and can be I risky for grain crops. For ; some years, therefore, emphasis has been on pasture i farming.

| The least productive pasI ture regardless of age is , ploughed in late winter or \ spring every year to be sown in turnips and Italian rye- ' grass in January and either in green feed or back to i pasture the following Febi ruary after as long a fallow las possible. The pasture mixture has generally consisted of 10 to 151 b of perennial ryegrass, 6 to 81b of short rotation ryegrass, 21b of white clover and 41b of Montgomery red clover with up to 61b of cocksfoot on the drier paddocks and up to 51b of timothy on the heavier land. A little dogstail has also been used on particularly the roughest country. Of pasture mixtures Mr Baker has come to the conclusion that, in spite of its weaknesses, there is as yet on this country nothing to replace the predominantly j ryegrass white clover pasture jin its ability, to stand up to ! the continual hard grazing I and come back, if anything, I better than ever. It has also ! been found to have far ! greater bearing capacity than I say timothy, cocksfoot and | white clover. Nevertheless ‘ Mr Baker added that in the i initial stages of the developi ment of these clay soils j Montgomery red clover was a most valuable soil conl ditioner and improver if it was allowed to reach I maturity or nearly so in the autumn. Pastures have been sown | down with a ton of lime |and two cwt of super with a | half ton of lime and two ; cwt of super being applied ! in the following autumn and thereafter every other year. : Now Mr Baker feels that this level of treatment is no longer necessary and is considerably scaling down expenditure on particularly lime.

In the breaking-in process there were large areas in turnips and Italian ryegrass or grass, but this is no longer the case and now swedes and choumoellier are being grown and provision

of rape for lamb fattening has been resumed. For some years weaned lambs were fattened on grass but Mr Baker said that with increased stock numbers it was too slow and it meant that few pastures ever got a good spell from sheep grazing.

There was now a rotation of about 40 acres of swedes, chou and turnips, 40 acres of rape, 40 acres of wheat and 40 acres of greenfeed and young grass. Though harvesting was risky in some seasons wheat was now being grown to cash in on the great build up in fertility over the last 20 years and to give each block a further spell from grazing. It was hoped that this rotation would also help to achieve a good quick establishment of pasture. About 6000 bales of hay are made a year and it is planned to keep about half of that in reserve so that at this time of the year there are about 9000 bales under cover. As well 600 to 1000 bales of lucerne hay are used each year. This is bought in. Autumn saved grass is becoming increasingly important but its handling was made difficult by seasonal variations, Mr Baker said. Ewe Policy Until seven years ago all ewes were bought in as annual draft - ewes and put to Down rams but as it was becoming increasingly difficult. to get suitable ewes in reasonable numbers at reasonable values a change over was made to breeding replacements. For four years Cheviot rams were put over the best bought ewes and since then a Perendale ram has been used with the better Romney-Cheviot ewes. First preference in the flock is given to ewes that have reared twin lambs reasonably well or ewes from which single lambs have gone off fat. Most years all feet are inspected and no sheep that has any sign of trouble is used for breeding replacements. Ewes rejected for breeding replacements are put to Down rams.

Since 1949 ewe numbers have risen from 2400 to 3100 and last season total sheep numbers amounted to about 4000. In the five years before crossing began fullmouth ewes mated to Down rams gave an average lambing of 122 per cent. In the last five years with a mixed age flock, including an average of 700 two-tooths, the percentage has been 132, though last year it was back to 126.

Hoggets have also been put to the Down ram but without conspicuous success, those rearing a lamb ranging from 20 to 70 per cent.

So far all ewe lambs bred have been kept, but only those with better performance have been used with flock rams. Mr Baker said that little or no attention had been paid to wool quality or quantity and that would not be done until there was a

flock producing abundantly and consistently doing its progeny w-ell. It was. nevertheless. interesting to note that just about the same amount of -wool was being shorn from the mixed aged flock of crossbred ewes as from the cast-for-age Romneys. “I am convinced that four of these sheep will do well on poorer type soils where three of another breed would give trouble." said MsBaker. “That being so the difference in wool production would be well on the side of the cross. They are also active and easy to handle." Nevertheless. Mr Baker said that, as on many other properties with a similar history of pasture improvement. extensive topdressing and increasing stock numbers, while weight of meat produced an acre had increased by sheer weight of numbers, individual lamb weights and very often grading, too, were on a definite downward trend.

The cattle side of the operation includes 160 to 180 Hereford breeding cows which are mated to Polled Angus bulls. Due to drought conditions over the last few years .the calves have been sold as weaners but prior to that the practice was to keep the progeny and fatten them by the following autumn. “In many ways the cows suit me better," commented Mr Baker. "Most winters I put them out on rough grazing for some weeks. It is a much cheaper way of wintering them than on hay and saves much pugging of pastures in the winter. Sometimes I felt that the calves, which must be wintered well to 'be worthwhile. were being well done at the expense of the sheep. “However it is essential to have cattle and this season we have reduced the ewe flock to 2850 and have less ewe lambs, by accident, and will keep the calves through, do them well and see, how it works out. My' intention is to keep the ewe flock down to that number and increase the cattle numbers considerably." Mr Baker gave the conference some details of stock production off the property. Since free marketing was resumed he and his father have drafted their own lambs and shipped them on owner’s ac. count. This is a policy which he says has paid handsomely over the years.

In the most recent • season 3170 lambs were shipped off the place at an average of 32.51 b with 22 per cent, of seconds. Rejects totalled 62. Lamb meat production an acre amounted to 87.751 b. Some 680 ewe lambs were kept and 950 ewes sold mainly as fats. Apart from lambs’ wool about 301 b of wool was sold to the acre. The cows had 176 calves and 20 fat cull cows were sold.