APPEAL FAILS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 7 September 1940, Page 9

APPEAL FAILS

BARLEV FOR PIG FOOD LITTLE HELP FOR BACON PRODUCERS. STATEMENT OF POSITION. (By C. J. Hamblyn, B.Ag.Sc., District Organiser, Primary Production, Palmerston North). Three months ago a definite and special appeal was made by the National Council of Primary Production io fat lamb producers and owners of mixed farms in the southern half of the North Island to grow 20,000 to 30,000 acres of barley required by the dairy t ] farmers to produce the tonnage of ba- [ I con promised in response to the re- . quest of the Mother Country. South Island farmers had a full cropping programme to grow all the wheat [ required to make us independent of . imports. This meant an increase of , 50,000 to 60,000 ’ acres over last year's ; acreage in addition to which they readily undertook the growing of 14,000 acres of linen flax and an increased fodder crop programme to get more weight into late lambs. The southern half of the North Island was chosen for the appeal for barley growing because the land, the implements and the climate were available, and most of the farmers had experience in growing and harvesting one or other of the cereal crops. The appeal was made to the owners of fat lamb and mixed farms because these are mainly ploughable country with a suitable climate. Special appeals were made to farmers in the Waverley, Waitotara area, Rangitikei, Manawatu, Wairarapa and Central Hawke’s Bay areas, because of the specially favourable climatic conditions. It was considered feasible for fat lamb farmers in these districts to break up a paddock or two of old pasture, take off a crop of barley, and resow to better pasture next autumn, other areas that could have been used for T he special job of growing barley were swede and chou moellier paddocks, where the crop had been fed off and a cereal crop could be taken before regrassing in the autumn,. In the case of those fortunate farmers with all good pastures, but who appreciated the opportunity to do something worth while as a war effort, it was not too much even to expect them to break up a satisfactory pasture under the circumstances. For barley growing the better the land, the later the sowing, and such good pastures need be out of action only from the late spring until the autumn, when they would be back • into production doing a better job than ! ever. I ANSWER TO APPEAL. How the appeal was answered is as follows: Wanganui district, Waverley, Waitotara, Rangitikei, expected area 3,000 acres —area undertaken 750 acres. Manawatu district, from the Rangitikei River south to Paraparaumu, area expected 4,000 acres, area undertaken, 1,000 acres. Wairarapa, south of Mt. Bruce, area expected 3,000 acres, area undertaken, between 750 and 1,000 acres. Hawke’s Bay area expected 10,000 acres, area likely to be undertaken, less than 2,000 acres. Poverty Bay, area expected 1,000 acres, area likely to be grown, a few acres on dairy farms. Of some 21,000 acres allocated to various districts, and equip- : ment available, the latest information : indicates that less than 5,000 acres will be grown. Further than that, in most districts a considerable proportion of the area will be grown on the dairy farms. < It is not too late even now to improve this position. Old grassland ciln be ploughed in September and'sdwn to barley in October. Better grass land, ; fed-off swede and chou moellier areas, ] can be ploughed in September or October, and sown to barley in early No- ] vember and a satisfactory crop obtain- ; ed. This country can grow barley and . the dairy farmers want it, and if the fat lamb farmers mean business when ; they say they will do anything to help ; —they will make any sacrifice required —then here is the opportunity to make these statements good. Eight hundred ] thousand bushels of barley were im- j ported into this country from Janu- j ary last for pig food. Eighty thousand - bushels have been imported for seed. - The former is the produce from 20,000 ■ acres at 40 bushels per acre, the latter ■ is sufficient to sow 30,000 acres. The ■ 800,000 bushels cost £120,000 to land here. We cannot make munitions, but we can buy them with money not used for buying wheat and barley, which ; we can grow ourselves. The dairy farmers everywhere are making provi- ; sion for - more sows and more pigs; by : next autumn theii' requirements in : barley will be considerably increased. : We may be able to import and we may not. At aiiy rate, probably not at the . price at which surplus barley was : available last year. We could be inde- ' pendent if we grew our own. i

To those farmers who have faced up to the difficulties of growing this crop in many cases for the first time, who have seen only the necessity of doing what they could to help, the thanks of the dairy farmer and pig raiser are due. To those who have found excuses for not using the resources of the farm to assist in this direction, it is urged that they think again. A record of the reasons advanced for not growing the barley required by farmers with the land and facilities for doing so, make strange reading in the light of meeting a war necessity. PRICE GUARANTEED. A minimum price of 3s 6d per bushel, sacks in, country stations, has been guaranteed the grower. This is not necessarily the price the grower will be able to get for his produce, as this will depend on the supply, the demand from dairy farmers at the price they can pay and the cost of imported barley if it is available. At 3s Gd per bushel barley can be grown at a profit on most farms in the districts concerned. Certainly not a big profit, but definitely not at a loss, unless the crop fails. Crop failure is a mild risk to some taken in this war. One of the most plausible reasons for not growing barley is the statement that farms are fully stocked and the ploughing up of an area of the farm will mean a sacrifice of sheep and lambs. The prices of stock through the winter and spring indicate that there is: a strong demand for more stock. In any case, however, how are the South Islanders faring when an extra GO.OOO to 70.000 acres are under the plough. How is it that, in Britain, the ploughing up of 2 000.000 acres has been accomplished with an increase in sheep and cattle throughout the country and a considerable reduction in the imported concentrate feed available? The plain fact of the matter is that a clear cut feasible and definite appeal 1

to farmers in the southern half of the North Island to put themselves out to grow 20,000 to 30.000 acres of barley as a war effort has fallen, for the most part, on deaf ears. The reason as given by one farmer who is making a real effort to do his part, is not far out, namely, the farmer to whom the appeal is made cannot see as clear and definite, nor as big a profit as he can by just going on as usual.