Auckland Farmers Visit Levin

Chronicle (Levin), 13 June 1949, Page 4

Auckland Farmers Visit Levin

' : ' . I'T * ' Levin played host to 26 farmers, all members of the Awhitu (Au'ck. .and) branch of Federated Farmers, wh^n they visited the town on Friday during ihe course of a tour of inspection of the district. The party was led by Mr. R. Brown and was conducted through the- various districts on- its tour by Mr. H. Woodyear-Sihith, a technical fields officer of an Auckland phosphaie company. The party left on Monday and travelled through the Waikato tc Rotorua, where the members were taken on a fiight Over the thermal regions to give them an idea of the thousands of acres of undeveloped land. Next they went to Palmerston North, where ^arrangements were made for them to visit the Grasslands- Division of the Department of Agriculture. Later in the day they were guests at the dairy cOnference at present being held at Massey Agricultural College. Their next vi^it was to the Soil Conservation 'Council's area and the Marton experimental station. Arrangements were then made for the party ot visit Levin, and on the way through they were given the opportunity of seeing the district and hearing of the type of stock and the carrying capacity of the farms en route. At Levin the party was met by Mr. H. J. McLeavey, president of the Manawatu Federated Farmers, and Mr. C. E. C. Webb, president of the Levin Federated Farmers, and they were taken to the farm of Mr. W. S. Long. There they were met by Mr. Long, Mr. J. M. Hopkins, of the Department of Agriculture, and Mr. Lynch, manager of the farm, which specialises in dairying. An inspection was made of the farm and the visitors were unanimo.usly of.the.opinion. that -they had never in- their farming - career seen as much grass and as> many head of.. stock on-,a ,.90-acre farm in ' June. ,They said later that Mr., Long's. methods were a revelation to them, and that they were more than impressed by .the remarkably successful yet simp'e methods employed by him. They the farm. They thought that Mr. Long's methods were unjque in their experience and that his production was- far ahead of any dairy farmer in their own district. 'The party was entertained at afternoon tea by t the Women's Division of -the Levin branch of Federated Farmers. •, . ... - . ; -Atthbiigh' their -visit was brifef, their experienced :eyes made Xhem appreciative generally of the good farming conditions they saw in Levin and district. That was what they told a "Chronicle" reporter who interviewed them afterwards. They were particularly appreciative of the change in climate as compared with Marton, where they had spent a bleak morning the previous day. The Levin climate, they" said, was reminiscent of what they .were used to in the Auckland district.