FARMING IN U.S.A.

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 792, 12 October 1929, Page 31

FARMING IN U.S.A.

MEETING BETTER TIMES NO MILK LAMBS U.S.A. farmers are meeting decidedly better times at the moment, according to Mr. Clarence Eklund. light-weight wrestling champion of the world, who in his spare time runs a sheep and cattle ranch in Wyoming, United States of America. Speakiug to a Sun man, the wrestler-cowman said that the farm- ; ers had almost fully recovered from the trouble which had followed postwar inflation: there had been a big writing-down of values, and many bankruptcies, but most of the farmers I there were now working on a comparatively satisfactory basis. An indication of the country’s return to prosperity could be taken from the j fact that more tractors were sold in : 00 days for delivery last spring than over the whole previous three years. Auckland’s Westfield abattoirs | compared very favourably with those I in the United States of America, said .Mr. Eklund, as far as modern methods |of handling stock were concerned. In the States, however, stock was not ; killed at the same age as in New Zealand. “We seldom keep our wethers over 12 months in Wyoming,” said the visitor. “We ship them East, where they are topped off on corn and slaughtered: these are our lambs. We do not kill lambs off the mothers, as it pays better to keep them for their first crop of wool. Ewes are never killed until they are gummers. 9 “Most of our beef goes on to the market as 'long yearlings,’ IS-months old steers; we seldom keep them any longer than that if we can help it. Consignments are trucked to the main centres, where they are generally sold on their live weight. The stock is kept 24 hours off water, and then weighed by the car load. Sometimes we sell on a per head basis, but not often. “Stores? What are they?” asked the Wyoming man in answer to a query. “Oh, we call them feeders or stockers. Yes, we do send them into the market at times, and they are j bought by farmers with corn to feed off. Hogs are run with feeders when they are on corn, as they pick up the droppings.” I ■mr iwrwini r rw—nmn— ■■■ imnrr