Kem Ormond takes a look at the world of farming back in the day.
New Zealand has many farming competitions, such as the FMG Young Farmer of the Year, the Primary Industries New Zealand Awards, and the Dairy Industry Awards, just to name a few.
Back in the 1930s, competitions between farmers were also being held.
There were ensilage and root growing competitions held in Hawke’s Bay, Norsewood and Taranaki and not just one or two.
In 1932, Napier’s Daily Telegraph reported the “opinions of Mr J. W. Palmer”, Instructor of Agriculture in Hawke’s Bay.
He believed competitions were all about improving farming methods, with Norsewood being the shining light on what was “virtually second-class country”.
He said that in Taranaki alone, “something like 500 of these competitions were held annually”.
The results of which showed an improvement in the standard of fodder growing in the area.
Improving our farms
Need for food competitions
Opinions of Mr J. W. Palmer.
Hawke’s Bay and Taranaki
Daily Telegraph (Napier), June 4, 1932
The opportunities for the running of ensilage and root growing competitions which existed in Hawke’s Bay and the need for competitions of this nature amongst the province’s farming community was stressed by Mr J. W. Palmer, Instructor in Agriculture in Hawke’s Bay, in the course of an interview.
Mr Palmer stressed the fact that these competitions were of considerable use in building up the set standard of farming in the district in which they were held.
Farmers became imbued with a sense of keenness to compete successfully with their neighbours, and as a direct result of this, an improvement generally took place in their farming methods.
There was still much to be done in regard to the improvement of the Winter feed provision in Hawke’s Bay.
This factor, which was an acknowledged weakness in Hawke’s Bay farming for a good many years, had recently been materially improved and the improvement that had been noticeable in the past season could be even further increased, in his opinion, if each district had its own ensilage and root growing competitions.
Norsewood had given a very definite lead to the rest of the province in this respect and the results of the competitions held there annually were clearly visible in the general high standard of farming which existed in this district.
It would be a revelation to some other Hawke’s Bay farmers to see what these Norsewood farmers had done on what was virtually second-class country.
Watching the judging
He pointed out that in Taranaki, it was no uncommon thing for a judge at one of these competitions, to have 150 followers on the day on which he carried out his judging and these farmers were able in this way to pick up information which would be of considerable value to them, in an interesting fashion.
Pointing to the need which exists in Hawke’s Bay for competitions of this nature amongst the farming community, Mr Palmer stated that in Taranaki, there were something like 500 of these competitions held annually and there was no doubting that, as a result of these competitions, the standard of Taranaki farming in respect to that important factor, the provision of Winter fodder, had been materially improved.
What had been done in Taranaki could well be done in Hawke’s Bay, a province particularly well suited to the successful running of competitions of this nature.
All that was needed was a co-operative spirit amongst farmers.
An ideal field
Improving Hawke’s Bay grasslands
Value of pasture competitions
Room for exploration
Daily Telegraph (Napier), August 13, 1932
A pride in the appearances and condition of his pastures is one of the essential qualities of a good husbandman and there are numbers of farmers around Hawke’s Bay, who have earned the right to such a title solely on account of the condition in which they keep their grasslands.
There are to be found about the Heretaunga Plains some of the finest and best quality pastures that exist in the whole Dominion and yet, while pasture competitions are being run very successfully in many other districts about the Dominion, we have, not as yet, heard of any such competitions being held in this province.
The opportunity for the running of such competitions on a comprehensive scale is probably better here in Hawke’s Bay than it is anywhere else in the Dominion and, only the other day, an Auckland farmer, who was visiting the district, after detailing the success of such competitions in his district, expressed the greatest surprise that they were not strongly established in Hawke’s Bay.
Inestimable benefit
“In a district such as this, which produces ryegrass and white clover seed, which is the ideal basis for the bulk of the richer pastures throughout the Dominion, there is not the slightest doubt that a well-organised pasture competition, judged by an expert, would be of inestimable benefit to the farmers, the opportunity for comparison offered by such competitions being most valuable,” he said.
This is an excerpt: Read the full article here.
- Source: Papers Past