Large Untapped Potential In The Hills
There was a large untapped potential in North Canterbury’s hill country, Mr R. A. Milne, senior farm advisory officer of the Department of Agriculture at Rangiora, told the hill country development conference at Waipara this week.
There were nearly 700,000 acres carrying less than a ewe to the acre and yet they had a potential of nearly 1.5 m. “The techniques for reaching this target are already known and I am confident that this country will be developed in the next 10 years,” he said.
Mr Milne showed, on the basis of calculations made by himself and his colleagues, that between 1963 and 1972 on the 330,000 acres of high rainfall hill country and 360,000 acres of low rainfall hill country in North Canterbury north of the Waimakariri river stock units could increase by about 800,000.
These represented the largest increases likely to be obtained on any class of country in the region and were almost the stock increase required to meet the
target set by the Agricultural Development Conference for 1972.
The estimated increase of 450,000 stock units for the high rainfall country was not a fanciful figure, he said,
and the low rainfall country, which was better developed than the other area, could carry another 337,000 stock units.
Discussing the main aspects of high country development, Mr Milne said that cultivation, which was being used more and more frequently on high and low rainfall country, gave fairly rapid returns, allowed forage crops to be grown for the winter period and on lower rainfall country permitted the establishment of lucerne. While oversowing had a lower cost initially it was slightly slower in reaching the potential. It needed adequate grazing management before oversowing and adequate stocking thereafter. Both systems, however, needed adequate planning, access was an important factor, and possibly most important was subdivision coupled with water supply. Other requirements were seed and fertiliser and extra stock. Problems in the way of development included the attitude of the farmer. This was understandable. There was uncertainty over markets and unwillingness to face increasing debt. The problem of finance was being overcome by the attitude of the State Advances Corporation and its willingness to lend for development. Labour could still be a limiting factor to development.
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Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31107, 9 July 1966, Page 8
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380Large Untapped Potential In The Hills Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31107, 9 July 1966, Page 8
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