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We are celebrating our 50th AginED edition with a look back at farming in NZ in the 1950’s. We thought it would be interesting to see the similarities and differences from then and now. Head to: nzonscreen.com/ title/farming-innew-zealand-1952 and watch the two part archive film.
Top dressing trials started in the late 1940’s and by the mid 50’s 400,000 tonnes of fertiliser was spread annually by air.
Have a go: 1 What breed of sheep were NZ’s first sheep? Where did they come from? 2 Why was NZ’s climate so conducive and advantageous for farming? 3 Looking at the breed/type of dogs used on farm in the film, what differences and similarities to today’s working dogs can be seen?
STRETCH YOURSELF: 1 In the 1950’s 80% of our exports were from the land. What proportion of our current exports does farming and agriculture make up now? 2 Romney was the preferred sheep breed for hill country farms. What attributes do they have that made them well suited to this typography? 3 The importance of women's roles on the farm are mentioned in the film.
PLANTAIN!
The pollution of the environment by losses of excess nitrogen is a major issue facing New Zealand pastoral farming. Traditionally, pastures have been established with grasses and legumes, which when eaten by grazing animals, sometimes contain more nitrogen than the grazing animal needs for growth and production. The result is that lots of the nitrogen from the pasture ends up in the urine, which is subsequently deposited back onto the soil in small areas. The nitrogen in these urine patches can then be lost to freshwater systems as well as the atmosphere.
How are the roles they held then the same or different to current day? Is there a difference in their perceived value on farm now compared to then? 4 In 1952 beef cattle were secondary to sheep on farms, do you think this is still the case in NZ? 5 How much of NZ’s wheat was produced in the South Island at the beginning of the 1950’s?
Plantain is a naturally occurring plant species usually found in older pastures, on roadsides and sometimes in your lawn! Plantain is unique because it contains special compounds, which when eaten by grazing animals, are capable of altering how the nitrogen is used within the animal and the soil. Recent work by scientists has shown that when plantain is included in a grazed pasture, nitrogen losses to the environment are much lower than when plantain is absent. There is a large research experiment underway at Massey University’s No.4 dairy farm in Palmerston North that is looking at the nitrogen losses from dairy pastures containing different amounts of plantain. The experiment is part of a much larger project, funded by DairyNZ and the Ministry for Primary Industries.
QUIZ :
1 What is one of the main issues that the New Zealand pastoral farming sector faces? 2 Why is plantain unique? 3 Do nitrogen losses generally increase or decrease when plantain is included in a pasture? 4 What is the main focus of the research experiment at Massey University? WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE TO HELP ACHIEVE IMPROVED WATER, QUALITY OUTCOMES, CHECK OUT THE BACHELOR OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE: http://www.massey.ac.nz/massey/learning/programme-course/programme.cfm? major _ code=PENSC&prog _ id=92411
6 Stocking rates are mentioned in the film. What were the recommended different stocking rates for sheep on hill country, river flats and high country? How do these compare to current recommended rates? 7 What two breeds of sheep were combined to make the Corriedale? What attributes made this combination of breeds so suited to the dry conditions of the downlands in the South Island? Which countries were Corriedales then exported to? Until 1852 they were the fourth largest breed in the world, where do they now rank? 8 “Successful stock breeding is one of the things that helps to raise our farming standards” Is this statement still true today? Why or why not. 9 What was the government seed certification scheme? How did it work? What was its purpose? 10 When they were developing seeds for grasses, what was the main aim of improved seeds? 11 The Hawkes’ Bay riverflat farm at the beginning of the second portion of the film states that on 300 acres, 3000 sheep, 2000 lambs and 100 head of cattle were fattened each year. How does this compare to current day? 12 With the advent of the walk through milking shed how many cows could be milked in an hour by two people in 1952? How does this stack up against today’s levels? 13 How often was herd testing for butterfat carried out?