FAR! PRODUCTION INCREASES

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXIV, 10 January 1931, Page 10

FAR! PRODUCTION INCREASES

LOWER PRICES RULE 1 FARMERS’ TRYING YEAR Since the slump in 1921, from which 1 a recovery was fortunately made in a comparatively short time, farmers in New Zealand had a run of good seasons and profitable prices for their produce, comments the “Christchurch Times.” The steady fall in the wool market during the selling season of 192930 brought home the fact that a period of depression had arrived, and hopes of an improvement were dissipated when this season’s series of wool sales was opened. The markets for frozen meats and dairy produce had also weakened, and for this season’s output, reckoning from the spring, a lower range of prices have to be accepted. THE WEATHER The midsummer of a year ago was characterised by heavy rains which continvyd more or less to the end of January, from which time the Dominion experienced a long spell of fine weather, which, continued well into the winter. The latter part of the winter and the spring were wet and cold, and the weather was more or less unseasonable until the latter part of December, and growth lias been generally about a month behind. Although the rainfall was not heavy during the winter, all parts of the Dominion, except Hawkes Bay, did not suffer to any extent from the long, dry autumn, but the nQrthern province has not yet made a complete recovery owing to the absence of the necessary winter and spring rains. Shortage of feed and very cold weather in the' spring resulted in very heavy losses of ewes and lambs during the lambing time. So far as all other parts of the Dominion were concerned, stock came through the winter well. THE SHEEP MARKET The fall in the price of wool last season had a pronounced effect upon the store sheep sheep markets during the autumn and at the large sales in Canterbury there was a drop of 6s to 8s per head, and in some classes even more, as compared with the high rates ruling the year before. As matters in connection with the wool and frozen meat markets have turned out, the prices paid for breeding ewes, even though so much reduced, have proved to bo on Llie high side. The long fine autumn was all in favour of tho fatteners of sheep and lambs for export and enabled large killings to be made right up (o the closing of the works. The sheep returns taken on 30th April last showed that a new record in the sheep flocks of the Dominion had been recorded, the total of 30,841,287 having been reached, an increase of 1,789,905 over the preceding year. Of this number nearly a million were breeding ewes. The estimated lambing returns, however, show that the number dropped this last season was somewhat below last year’s total, and is accounted for by the fact that the returns of lambs in the Hawkes Bay. Poverty Bay and Marl borough-West Coast district were, on account of unfavourable conditions, much below the average.

THE WOOL MARKET The drop in the value of wool during the 1929-30 season as compared with that of the season before can be realised from the export figures. In 192829 the value of wool exported was £15,893,160'and in 1929-30 the valuSUiad fallen to £8,357,860. The fact that approximately 100,000 bales of last season’s clip are still in the Dominion improves the position but slightly, considering its present low value. 1 THE FROZEN MEAT TRADE

Although the early part of last season was not a good fattening one, owing to the heavy rains in midsummer, the killings of lamhs rose from 6,031,001 in 1928-29 to 6,462,783 in 1929-30, and sheep from 2,156,034 to 2,598,510. With a falling in the prices realised for wool heavy killings were to be expected. That this movement has continued during the remainder of the past year is proved by the fact that for the eight months, ist April to 30th November—compared with the same period in •1929—the total slaughterings of lambs have risen from 2,114,878 to 3,121,056, and of sheep from 1,193,003 to 1,961,730. The main proportion of these increases is accounted for by heavy killings during April, May, and June, which suggests that the hoggets and dry ewe flocks were heavily drawn upon. This may have the effect of stabilising the sheep Hocks of the Dominion. It is therefore not probable that any appreciable increase will be recorded next April, particularly as the new freezing opened with heavy killings in the North Island, and lambing percentages are about 5 per cent, lower than last year. Despite the drop in wool and mutton prices, the export value for the eleven months ended 30th November shows increased, shipments, the Customs declarations figures for lambs being £6,807,727, compared with £6,625,142 for the same; period of 1929, and for mutton £2,275,396, against £1,748,143. So far as prices go, the best opening figure for lamb in 1929 was Bjld, a drop of lfd on the previous year, and in May 7d_was the best price, the market recovering somewhat towards the close of the season. In the present season, the fat lamb market has opened at 6d to 6|d.

THE DAIRY INDUSTRY From a production point of view, the dairy industry in the Dominion continues to show remarkable improvement, the more stabilised position of the herds having allowed of heavier culling on herd testing records, and there has been a wider choice of heifers. Good farming, including the judicious use of fertilisers, better use of pastures and better provision for the winter feeding of stock, have greatly helped. This is illustrated by the fact that the average production of butterfat per cow over all cows, in milk or dry, vas <HB.Bib in 1929-30, as compared with 210.841 b in 1928-29. The estimated production of butter-fat for the twelve months for the season ended 31st July last was 315,211,2311 b, an increase of 26,000,000 over the previous season. The increase for the current dairying season amounts to 6.09 per cent, over the same period of 1929. The fall in the value of dairy produce is best realised by the pay-outs for butter-fat at the dairy factories. While last season they ranged from about lod to Is 9d per lb, this season the average is about lOcl. In Canterbury very little progress, if any, has been made in dairying, seeing that other branches of farming have been more profitable.