Run Plan Studied On Mt. Possession

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30977, 5 February 1966, Page 8

Run Plan Studied On Mt. Possession

The implementation of a run plan was studied during a field day held last week-end by the high-country section of Mid-Canterbury Federated Farmers on the New Zealand and Australian Land Company’s 108,0(l0-acre Mount Possesion run in Mid-Canterbury.

The inn, which lies between the south branch of the Ashburton river an d the

Rangitata rive r, ranges from under I 2000 ft in altitude to about 8000 ft.

1 After explaining how a land i inventory survey was done of a run. taking into account i such factors as degree of I slope, erosion and vegetation on the country, and how this information was used in the preparation of a land capability map, which was an estimate of the capability of the land also taking into account such other factors as climate, Mr Arthur i Rowell, chief soil conservator ■of the South Canterbury Catchment Board, noted that ■ about 54,000 acres, or about

half of the area of the run 1 was in the category of problem country. Mr Rowell said that the problem areas included Big I Hill block, of which some 29,000 acres were in the I severely eroded to class 8 category (areas from which stock should be excluded) with only about 3400 acres of better country spread through it, and the Harper block of 18,000 acres, with 9300 acres of severely depleted to class 8 country, 8400 acres partly to moderately depleted, and some class 8 country. The main objective of the run plan was to do something about the extremely eroded areas and to relieve the grazing pressure on these it was necessary to increase the carrying capacity on the rest of the property. Fortunately on Mount Possession, he . said, there was plenty of scope for this. However, blocks that

could be grazed did have some depleted country in them, and additional subdivisional fencing was necessary and cattle proofing of fences to allow increased numbers of cattle to be run to control vegetation without recourse to burning.

(fences that had been put up. While cattle numbers had : gone up to 1000 head, he | said that they were really ■ only starting to look at cattle and they were only scratch- ! ing the country as far as i controlling rank growth. In this context he said that steer calves were only starting to be saved. In the next stage, he said, they wanted to see Big Hill completely destocked. Now only limited grazing was permitted before December, with heavier grazing thereafter. To make up for the loss of stock carrying here the alternatives were to either topdress and seed the better low faces or to work on the flats, and it was the latter course that was preferred. This worked in well as the (flats were ideal for summer | grazing and Big Hill was (summer grazing.

Mr Rowell said that some trials had been done with sodseeding on the fiats and some topdressing had been done. A fence had been put along the Moorhouse range to subdivide sunny and shady faces—it is fives miles long and at about 4000 ft—and also on the bottom and top Ross blocks. Fencing According to figures supplied to the field day visitors, in recent years 1880 chains of subdivisional fencing has been done including 240 chains on the farm part of the station, 1110 chains of cattle proofing of existing fences and 315 acres of topdressing and seeding. The tussock country previously divided into eight blocks ranging from 2000 acres to 32,400 acres, with five averaging 5640 acres, has now been subdivided into 13 blocks with 10 averaging 2820 acres and generally having shady and sunny faces divided. A point made by Mr Rowell was that it was now possible to spell blocks for a period during the growing season: from November to April, whereas this had frequently not been possible before additional subdivision had been done. With better grazing management in the last three years, Mr Rowell said, wool weights a head of sheep had increased steadily and by lib in the last year, and this would go a long way towards meeting the costs of the

When the run plan was prepared, Mr Rowell said, the property was carrying 17,600 ewe equivalents and the carrying capacity of the station was estimated at 15,680 ewe eauivalents. He said that so far the sheep carrying had been raised by 300 ewe equivalents and it was necessary to provide for another 1700 ewe equivalents to return to the initial stocking. This would require something like the development of 1000 to 1500 acres of the flats by ploughing and sod seeding.