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S AMPLE O F H I LL C O UNTRY SHEEP FARM S IN NORTH - EA S T WAI RARAPA .
W . J . Park e r D e cember 1 9 8 4
A t he s i s pre s e nted i n partial ful filment of the require me n t s for the degree of Mas te r of Agr icultur a l S c ience in Farm Management at Ma s s e y U n i v er s i t y .
ACKNOWLE DGEME N T S
I w i s h t o expre s s m y thanks to Profe s s or R . J . Town s l e y f o r h i s guidance a n d a s s i s tance i n a l l a s p e c t s o f t h i s s tudy . Dr A . Wr igh t , al s o provided many u se f u l s u g g e s t i o n s ,
e s p e c i a l ly i n relat ion to the f i e ld work .
I am v e r y grat e fu l to the Wangaehu - B ide ford farme r s and the ir w i ve s who made the ir farms avai l a b l e for the surve y s . The ir w i l l i n g c o - operat ion and fr iend l y ho spit a l i t y made the f i e l d work a p l easure . Mr D . Baker , Wairarapa farm manage me nt c o n s u l t ant , and Mr N . MacLaren and Mr M . De s mo n d , from the Mas te r t o n o ff i c e o f the Min i s try of Agr icul ture and Fi she r i e s , w i l l ingly gave of the ir t ime and share d t h e i r c o n s i derable local knowledge . I would a l s o like t o thank the Min i st r y of Agr i culture and F i s herie s for p r o v i d ing s c a le s and t e chn ical a s s i s tanc e .
Numero u s p e o p l e at Mas s e y c o ntributed to th i s s tudy . I n p art icu l ar , the adv ice o f Mr D . Garri ck , o f the Animal S c ience D e p a rtment , Dr A . Chu ( Agronomy ) , Dr T . H a s s ard and Mr D . S t ir l i n g ( Mathemat i c s and Stat i s t i c s ) and s t a f f o f the Compu t e r C e ntre i s acknow le d ged .
I am g r a t e f u l for the f i n ancial support o f R i v erside Farm , whi c h enabled this s t udy to be carried out .
Thank s al s o t o Mrs V a l a n c y Han s e n for he r s k i l l and e f f i c i e n c y in typ i n g this man u s cript .
i
I d e d i cate t h i s work to my wife , V iv ienne , who faithfully provided s upport and encouragement throughout thi s s t udy .
I a c c e pt re s p o n s ib i l i t y for any e rrors or om1 s s 1o n s 1 n t h i s re port.
ABSTRACT
The r e s earch r eporte d i n t h i s the s i s was d i re c t e d t oward s the analys i s o f t h e i n t er-relat ionships between manage me n t pract ice s and pro d u c t ive performance o n a s urvey group o f 3 0 north- e a s t Wairarapa h i l l country
farms . The initial s urve y , which e s s e n t i a l l y conc entrated on the p e r iod betwe e n ewe wea n i ng and t upping , inc orporat e d a comb inat ion o f ma i l and p e r s onal interv iew t e chn ique s . I n add i t i o n , s amp l e l i vewe i gh t s o f ewe hoggets in autumn ( Ap r i l l ) and of two tooth and mixed a g e d (MA) e we s prior t o mat i n g were obta ined t o d e s cribe product ion l e v e l s more ob j ec t i ve l y .
Pre l iminary r e s u l t s and apparent opportuni tie s for impro v i n g the management o f e x i s t ing product ion s y s tems were pre s ented to the survey farme rs a s a group . As a
cons e qu e nc e , a fo l low-up mai l s urvey d i rected at mana g e m e n t prac t i c e s a n d a s soc i at e d produc t i o n leve l s d uring the winte r and s p r ing ( p o s t - mat ing to wean ing ) wa s imp l e me n t e d i n Augus t 1 9 8 3 . S amp l e l ivewe i ght s o f ewe ho gge t s a t s pr in g shear i n g and ewe a n d l amb we i ght s a t weaning were c o l l e c t e d . Re s u l t s were d i s cu s s e d with the 2 9 p ar t i c i p a t i n g farme r s .
De s cript ive s t at i s t i c a l methods ( e . g . fre q u e nc ie s , cro s s - t a b u l at ion ) were i n i t ia l l y u s e d to de s c r i b e farm phy s ic a l charac t e r i s t i c s and the mana gement s y s t ems
emp loye d . Subse quent l y , mu l t ivar iate technique s ( re gre s s io n a n d MAN O VA ) were u s e d t o e s t imate t h e re lat i ve i mportance o f d i f f e rent mana gement s tr a t e g ie s and farm phy s ical
charac t e r i s t ic s o n s y s tem p e r formance .
The ma j or r e commenda t i o n from this study i s that increa s e d emphas i s shoul d be p l a c e d on rear i n g e we l amb s
s o that t h e y ach ie v e a l i v e we i ght o f 3 5 kg or more by May l . The average Apr i l l e w e l amb l ivewe i ght o n the surv e y farms in 1 9 8 3 was 3 0 . 2 kg ( range, 1 8 . 7 - 4 0 . 0 kg ) . O ther r e co mmendat i o n s inc lude mid - O c t ober or later com
menceme n t o f c a l v in g , de l a y i n g ewe mat ing unt i l Apri l l , e ar l i e r we a n ing o f l amb s and c a l ve s i n dry s umme r are a s
(8 - 1 0 wee k s a n d 1 2 we eks average a g e r e s p ect ive l y ) and incre a s i n g the w i n t e r rot a t i o n l e n g t h s of ewe s . I t i s s ugge s t e d that a l arge p ropo r t ion o f t h e po tent i a l l e ve l o f p roduc t io n o n h i l l c o untry c an be re a l i s e d inexp e n s i ve l y through re l a t i v e ly sma l l changes t o
e x i s t i n g managemen t pract i c e s ( s uch a s tho s e ment ioned above ) and a s s o c i at e d management control o f product ion
sys t e m p e rformanc e .
iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page No . CHAPTER ONE : INTRODUCTION
1 . 0 Chap ter o utline 1
1 . 1 Hill Country farmi ng i n New Zealand 1 1 . 2 Farm Management and farm management research 3
1 . 2 . 1 Farm management 3
1 . 2 . 2 F arm management research 1 4
1 . 3 Mo t i vation for the s tudy 1 9
1 . 4 Choice o f the weaning t o tupp ing period 22 1 . 4 . 1 Definition of the weaning to tupping period 24
1 . 5 Obj ective s o f the s t udy 25
1 . 6 Thesis research methodo logy 25
1 . 7 Thesis outline 28
CHAPTER TWO : PREPARATION AND ADMINISTRATION OF THE SURVEY
2 . 0 Introduc t io n and chap ter outline 30
2 . 1 Selection of the survey area and survey farmers 3 1 2 . 1 . 1 Selection o f the survey area 3 1 2 . 1 . 2 S election o f the survey farms 3 3 2 . 2 Questionnaire des ign for the Wangaehu-Bideford survey 35
2 . 2 . 1 Background i nformation 35
2 . 2 . 2 Formulation of ques t ions 36
2 . 2 . 3 Ques tionnaire layout 3 7
2 . 2 . 4 Ques t ion type 38
2 . 2 . 5 Pre-tes ting the ques tionnaire 40
2 . 3 Time of the survey 4 1
2 . 4 I nterview procedure 42
2 . 5 Computer coding and a nalysis 45
2 . 5 . 1 I ntroduct io n 4 5
2 . 5 . 2 Coding o f responses 45
2 . 5 . 3 Prob lem que s t ions 49
2 . 6 S tati s t ical analys is 50
CHAPT ER THREE : THE SURVEY AREA
3 . 0 Chap ter outline 5 3
3 . 1 The survey area 5 3
3 . 1 . 1 Location 53
3 . 1 . 2 Climate 5 7
3 . 1 . 3 Topography 62
3 . 1 . 4 Soils 66
3 . 1 . 5 Pas ture production 7 1
3 . 1 . 6 Districts wi thin the survey area 75
3 . 2 The farmers and farm labour 7 7
3 . 2 . 1 The farmers 7 7
3 . 2 . 2 Farm labour 79
3 . 2 . 3 Holidays 79
3 . 3 Farm details 8 1
3 . 3 . 1 Farm areas , s tate of development and topography 8 1 3 . 3 . 2 Subdivision and sheep handling fac i lities 84
3 . 3 . 3 S tock wa ter 8 6
3 . 3 . 4 Fertiliser a nd l ime 90
V
Page No .
3.4
3. 5
3. 6 3.7
3.3. 5 3.3.6
Weeds and p es t s Climate and shelter Livestock
3.4.1 S t o"ck numbers wintered 3. 4 . 2 Winter s tock i ng rates 3. 4 . 3 Lives tock b reeds
3. 4 . 4 Replacement a nd lamb selling policies Livestock performance
3.5.1 Lambing perc e ntages
3.5. 2 Autumn 1 9 8 3 sheep l iveweights 3.5.3 Calving percentages
Analysi s of districts wi thin the survey area Represe ntativeness o f the survey sample
9 3 9 4 9 6 9 6 9 8 1 0 1 1 0 2 1 0 3 1 0 3 1 06 1 09 1 1 1 1 1 3 CHAP TE R FOUR : PASTURE MANAGEMENT
4 . 0 I ntroduct ion and chap ter outline 1 1 7
4 . 1 Pasture management - survey results 1 20
4 . 1 . 1 Most difficult t ime o f the year to match 1 20 pasture growth and l ives tock requirements
4.1.2 Management to control seedhead emergence 1 2 1 4 . 1 . 3 Conservation, toppi ng and supplementary feeds 1 2 5 4 .1 . 4 Adj us tments to s tock numbers 1 2 5
4 . 1 . 5 Cropping 1 26
4.1 .6 Closing-up pas ture 1 26
4 .2 Conc lusions 1 2 7
4.2 .1 General aspects o f pas ture control management 1 2 7 4 . 2 .2 Improvements t o closing-up management . 1 2 8
AUTUMN AND S PRING MANAGEMENT CHAPTER FIVE :
5.0 Chapter outline 1 30
1 30 1 30 1 31 1 31 1 32 1 33 1 33 1 34 1 36 1 37 1 38 5.1
5.2
5.3
Mat i ng management - literature review
5. 1 . 1 Effect of l iveweight on lambing performance 5.1 .2 Flushing feeds
5.1 .3 Timi ng of mating per iod 5. 1 . 4 Le ngth o f mating period
Mat i ng management o n the survey farms 5. 2 . 1 Flushing management
5.2.2 Graz i ng ma nageme nt during flushing 5.2.3 Liveweight and lamb i ng performance 5.2 .4 Time of mating
5. 2 . 5 Effect o f duration o f mating period o n 5.2 .6
5. 2 . 7 5.2 .8 Spri ng 5. 3. 1 5.3. 2 5.3.3
lambing p erfo rmanc e
Identification o f ewes at mating Hogget mat i ng
Co nclus i o ns management
Feeding l evels Survey results Conclus io ns
pos t-lambing to weaning
1 39 140 140 1 4 2 1 4 2 1 4 3 1 4 5
Page No .
CHAPTER SIX : SHEEP MANAGEMENT 6 .0 Chapter outline
6 . 1 S tock weighing
6 . 1 . 1 Li terature r eview 6 . 1 . 2 Survey res u l ts 6 . 1 . 3 Conclusions 6 . 2 Animal h ealth
6 . 2 . 1 Sheep diseas es 6 . 2 . 2 Cattl e disea s es 6 . 3 Drenching practices
6 . 3 . 1 Literature r eview
6 . 3 . 2 Drenching p rogrammes on the survey farms 6 .3 . 3 Discuss ion
6 . 4 Shearing policies - October to April 6 . 4 . 1 Literature r eview
6 . 4 . 2 Shearing po licies on the survey farms 6 . 4 . 3 D iscussion
6 .5 Sheep s elling poli c i es 6 . 5. 1 Introducti on
6 . 5.2 Sheep s el ling polic ies on th e survey farms 6 . 5. 3 D iscus s ion
CHAPTER SEVEN : SHEEP GRAZ IN G MANAGEMENT
1 46 1 4 7 1 4 7 1 52 1 55 1 56 1 56 1 6 0 1 6 1 1 6 1 1 6 2 1 6 4 1 6 7 1 6 7 1 6 9 1 7 3 1 74 1 74 1 76 1 8 0
7 . 0 Chapter outl ine 1 83
7 . 1 Weaning managemen t- li terature review 1 83
7 . 1 . 1 Introduction 183
7 . 1 .2 Lamb weaning age 1 84
7 . 1 . 3 Discuss ion 1 88
7 . 2 Weaning managemen t- survey results 1 9 0
7 . 2 .1 Lamb age a t weaning in 1 9 8 2 1 9 0 7 . 2 . 2 Fac tors inf luencing cho ice o f weaning date 1 9 1
7 . 2 . 3 Changes i n weaning date 1 9 3
7 . 2 . 4 Early w eaning on th e survey farms 1 9 3 7 . 2 . 5 Farmer c o mments on l amb weaning age 1 9 5 7 . 2 . 6 Conclusion s - weaning manag emen t 1 9 5
7 . 3 Lamb grazing manag ement 1 9 7
7 . 3 .1 Li terature revi ew 1 9 7
7 . 3 . 2 Discuss ion 1 9 9
7 .4 Lamb management f rom weaning to April - survey results 2 00 7 . 4 . 1 Lamb mobs formed af ter weaning 2 00
7 .4 .2 Lamb graz ing management 2 01
7 .4 . 3 Preparation o f pastures for lambs pos t-weaning 2 03 7 . 4 . 4 Replacement ewe lamb managemen t 2 04 7 . 4 . 5 Conclus ions - lamb managemen t 2 07 7 .5 Two tooth manag ement from Octob er to April . 2 08
7 . 5.1 Li teratur e review 2 08
7 . 6 Two tooth management - survey res ul ts 2 1 0 7 .6 . 1 Two too th managemen t obj ecti ves 2 1 0 7 . 6 . 2 Two too th grazing management sys tems 2 1 1 7 . 6 .3 Size o f two too ths at mating 2 1 3 7 .6 .4 Two too th l i veweight gains during the period
January to mating 2 14
vii
Page No .
7 . 7 7 . 8
7.6 .5 7 . 6 . 6
Manag ement changes which could have improved 1 9 8 3 two tooths
Conc lus ions
Ewe management f rom wea ni ng to tuppi ng 7 . 7 . 1 Literature revi ew
Ewe management - survey result s 7 .8.1 Ewe mobs formed at weaning 7 . 8 . 2 Ewe cond i t ion at weani ng 7 . 8 . 3 Mixed age ewe obj ec t i ves
7 . 8 . 4 Res idual height of pas tures grazed by ewes 7.8 .5
7.8 .6 7 . 8 . 7
i n the s ix week p eriod after weaning Ewe gra z i ng sys tems
E f f ects o f post-wea ni ng ewe mana g ement o n p erformance
Co nclus ions - ewe management
2 1 4 2 1 6 2 1 7 2 1 7 2 1 8 2 1 8 2 1 9 2 20 220 2 2 2 224 226 CHAPTER EIGHT : BEEF CATTLE MANAGEMENT
8 . 0 Introduct ion a nd chap t er outline 8 . 1 Li t erature review
2 2 7 2 2 7 2 2 7 2 2 9 2 32 2 32 2 32 2 34 2 36 2 38 2 39 242 246 8 . 1 .1 Calf wea ni ng age
8. 1 . 2 Sheep : ca ttle rat ios 8 .2 Survey results
8 . 2 .1 Introduc t ion 8 . 2 . 2 Mat i ng policies 8 .2 .3 Calf weaning
8 .2 .4 Cat t l e s elling policies 8.2 .5 Cattle buying policies 8 . 2 . 6 Cat t l e grazi ng management 8 . 2 . 7 Farms wi th all-sheep policies 8 .3 Conc lusio ns
CHAPTER NINE : INTEGRATION
9 . 0 Introduct ion 2 50
9 .1 Autumn l i veweights o f ewe lambs and maiden two too ths 2 52 9 .2 Mul t i var iat e regressio n a nalysis 2 54
9 . 2 .1 Methodo logy 2 54
9 . 2 . 2 Pos s ib l e explanatory variab l es 2 57
9 .2 .3 Resul t s 2 59
9 .2 . 4 Analy s i s o f es t imated res iduals 2 6 1
9 . 3 Conclus ions 2 7 0
CHAPTER TEN : FARMER REACTIONS 1 0 .0
1 0 . 1
1 0 . 2
Chap ter out l i ne
The current s tate o f knowl edge o f the weaning t o t upping p eriod
1 0 . 1 . 1 Farmer ' opi nions 1 0 .1 .2 Addi t io nal ques t ions 1 0 . 1 . 3 Discussion
Th e Bideford Hall meeti ng 1 0 . 2 . 1 Int roduc t ion
2 7 2 2 7 2 2 7 2 2 7 5 2 7 6 2 7 7 2 7 7
1 0.2.2 1 0.2 .3 1 0. 2 . 4
Top ics o f discuss ion
Discus s ion of follow-up work Conclus ions
Page No .
2 78 2 8 3 2 8 4 CHAPTER ELEVEN : THE WINTER-SPRING MANAGEMENT S URVEY
1 1 .0 1 1 .1
1 1 . 2
1 1 .3
1 1 .4
1 1 .5
1 1 . 6 1 1 . 7 1 1 .8
1 1 . 9
1 1 . 1 0
Introduc tion 2 8 5
Preparation o f the winter-spring management survey 2 88
1 1 . 1 . 1 Introduction 2 8 8
1 1 . 1 .2 Formulation o f the ques tionnaire 2 89
1 1 . 1 . 3 Mai l response rate 2 9 1
1 1 . 1 . 4 Coll ec tion o f liveweight and lamb ing 2 9 2 per f o rmance data
1 1 .1 .5 Coding and analys i s 2 9 3
1 1 . 1 . 6 Re turn o f results to farmers 2 9 3 F a rm physical and performance data for the 1983 year 294
1 1 . 2 . 1 Stock numbers wintered 2 9 4
1 1 . 2 . 2 Ma ting dates 294
1 1 .2 .3 Lamb ing p erfo rmance 2 9 6
Winter manag ement s trategies 2 9 8
1 1 .3.1 Ewe grazing management 2 9 8
1 1 .3.2 Set s tocking f o r lambing 2 9 9
1 1 . 3 . 3 Planning for winter management 3 00
Management dur ing lamb ing 3 03
1 1 . 4 . 1 Graz ing sys tems at lamb ing 3 03
1 1 .4.2 Paddock s tocking rates 3 04
Pas ture co ver at lamb ing 3 04
1 1 . 5 . 1 Average pasture cover s core 3 04 1 1 . 5 . 2 Comparison of average pas ture height at the
1 98 2 and 1 98 3 lamb ing 3 07
1 1 .5 .3 Pref erred and actual pasture heights at lambing 308
Supp lements 3 09
Spring 1 98 3 hogget li veweight 3 1 1
L i veweights a t weaning 3 1 4
1 1 .8.1 Ewe l i veweights 3 1 4
1 1 .8 .2 Lamb weaning weights 3 17
1 1 .8.3 Average lamb growth rates from birth until wean- 31 7 Multi varia te Regress ion Analysis ing 3 1 9
1 1 . 9 . 1 Hog g et spring l iveweights and weaning weights 3 1 9 1 1 . 9 . 2 Average pas ture cover a t lambing 324 1 1 . 9 . 3 Analysis of es timated res iduals 3 2 6
Conclus ions 3 3 2
CHAPTER TWELVE : CONCLU S IONS 1 2 .0
1 2 .1 1 2 . 2 1 2 . 3
Chapter outl ine
E valuation of res earch methodology The role o f Riverside
Summary of s ugges ted impro vements to management and pos s ib l e topics o f future res earch
3 3 6 3 3 6 3 3 8 34 0
1 2 . 3. 1 1 2 . 3. 2
Summary of recommendations Conclus ions
APPE NDICES
App endix A : Supplementary bib liography Rainfall records
App endix B :
App endix C : Addi tional soils informa tion B IBLIOGRAPHY
1 . 1 1 . 2 3. 1
6 . 1 6 . 2 6 . 3 6 . 4 7 . 1
FIGURES
Two too th managemen t plan summary and actual results Thes i s res earch methodo logy
Bideford mean growth rate, 1 9 8 1 - 1983, f rom s ix paddocks on Farm 2 5 Ewe hogget and two tooth shearing dates 1 9 8 3
Ewe and lamb shearing dates 1 98 2 / 8 3 Ewe and lamb ing weaning dates 1 98 2 / 8 3 Lamb shearing and weaning dates 1 9 8 2 / 8 3
Lamb ing date, weaning date and age o f o ld es t lamb at weaning 1 9 8 2 / 8 3
9 . 1 P lo t o f es timated res iduals for the ewe lamb and two too th
1 1 . 1 1 1 . 2 1 1 . 3 1 1 . 4 1 1 . 5
autumn liveweight regres s ion equations
1 98 3 lamb ing p erc entage versus average autumn liveweight o f ewe mated
S catterplo t o f 1 9 8 3 autumn and spring hogget liveweights S catterplot o f 1 9 8 3 ewe mating and weaning weights
Scatterplo t o f 1 9 8 3 lamb and ewe weaning weights
1 9 8 3 lamb ing p erc entage versus 1 3 week lamb weaning weight r egress ion equation res idual values
ix
Page No.
34 1 34 7
350 354 357 360
9 2 6
7 3 1 7 1 1 7 1 1 7 2 1 7 2
1 9 0
2 6 5
29 7 31 2 31 6 31 6 332
1 . 1 1 .2 1 . 3 3. 1 3.2 3. 3
3.4 3. 5 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.9 3. 1 0 3.1 1 3. 1 2 3.1 3 3. 1 4 3. 1 5 3.1 6 3.1 7 3. 1 8 3.1 9 3.20 3.2 1 3.22 3.2 3 3.24
3. 2 5 3. 2 6 4 . 1 4.2
5.1 5 . 2 5 . 3 5 . 4
TABLES
Sheep and beef farm performanc e variation
Phys ical produc tion o f Wairarapa Farm Improvement C lub Group 1 memb ers ( 1 9 74-1 9 8 3)
Ri vers ide; production and performance ( 1 97 8- 1 983) Waingawa meterological s tation records
Long-term and Octob er-March rainfall in th e survey area Mas terton ; daily pasture growth and s tandard error
(kg DM/ha/day ) a t s tandard cutting da tes throughout the y ear for 5 y ears .
Pas ture growth rate data (kg DM/ha/day ) : Ri verside Farm and Glads tone
Numb er of years o f farm pos s es s ion Ag e groups o f th e farmers surveyed
Educational qual i fications o f survey farmers and their wives / partners
Farm areas , s tate o f development and topography Subdivision on the survey farms
S tock water sources
Phosphate f erti l i s er application p er s tock unit wintered
Numb er o f farmers using soil tes ting s er vices Weed and pes t p robl ems on the survey farms
S tock numb ers on the survey farms at 30 June 1982 S tock uni t convers ion factors
S tocking rates a t 30 June 1 982; sheep : cattl e stock uni t ratios and s tock units p er labour unit
Sheep breeds on the survey farms
Long term p erc entages o f lambs norma l l y sold prime Lambing p ercen tages 1 9 80-1982 (%) and district code D i s trict by y ear analysis of 1 980- 1 9 8 2 and average
lambing p erc entages
Autumn 1 9 8 3 s heep li veweights
D i s trict average autumn li veweights 1 983 Calving p ercen tages 1 980- 1 9 8 2
D i s trict comparison o f p er formance l evels , phys ical characteris tics and manag ement prac tic es
Summary of s imilar farm survey resul ts
Comparison o f average pasture d evelopment on farms in th e Aki tio C ounty and Wangaehu-Bideford surveys Most d i f ficult months for matching f eed supply/demand Reasons for controlling or no t controlling seedhead
development in late spring/ early s ummer Length o f 1 98 3 ewe flushing p eriod
The ef f ect o f mating date on 1 9 8 2 l amb ing percentage Comparison of 1 982 lamb ing p er formanc e with duration
of previous mating
L ength o f pastures at the co mmenc ement o f lambing in 1 98 2
Page No .
3 20 2 1 5 8 5 9 7 1
7 2 7 7 78 7 8 8 2 8 5 8 6 9 1 9 3 9 4 9 7 9 9 100 1 0 1 1 0 3 1 04 1 0 5 1 0 7 1 0 8 11 0 1 12 1 1 5
1 1 6 1 20 1 2 2 1 33 1 37 1 39 1 4 4
6 .1 6 . 2 6 . 3
6 . 4 6 . 5 6 . 6 6 . 7 6 . 8 6 .9 6 . 1 0 6 .1 1
7 . 1 7 . 2 7.3 7 .4 7 . 5 7 . 6 7 . 7 7 . 8 7 . 9
7 . 1 0 7 . 1 1 7 . 1 2 7 .1 3
7 . 1 4 7 . 1 5 7 . 1 6 7 . 1 7
8 . 1 8 . 2 8 , 3
8 . 4 8 . 5
Break-even ana ly s is for sheep weighing
Sh eep target liveweights on the survey farms
Sheep disease p roblems and frequency o f occurrenc e in the survey area
Fr equency o f occurrence and s eriousnes s of cattle d i s eases
Pos t-weaning lamb drenching programmes 1 98 2 / 8 3 Ewe drenching a t weaning and pre-tupping i n 1 98 2 / 8 3 Sh ear ing polici es , 1 980- 1 98 2
S imple feed budget : base s tock numb ers and feed requirements
Lamb sales , October to April , 1 98 2 / 8 3 s eason S elling months f or c . f . a . ewes , 1 9 8 2 / 8 3 season Ewe sal es : actual and pref erred s elling months for
s urplus ewes 1 98 2 / 8 3 .
P referred ag e o f weaning , and minimum a g e a t which farmers were prepared to wean
Factors influencing cho ice o f lamb weaning date Lamb mobs formed af ter weaning
t1ethod of preparing pas tur es for lambs after weaning Average height of pas tur e pref erred for freshly
weaned lambs
Comparison o f p erformance variab l es with lamb management in the first month after weaning
Factors prev en ting th e a ttainment o f satis factory ewe lamb size/weight by Apr i l 1 1 98 3
Two tooth graz ing management summary
Comparison o f satis fac tion with s i z e/ appearance of ewe lambs and two too ths , autumn 1 98 3
Reasons why two tooths were no t a s w el l grown as pref erred in 1 982/83
Management changes which in hinds igh t could have improved 1 98 3 two too ths
Numb er o f MA ewe mobs formed at weaning
Cross tabulation of MA ewe obj ectives by res idual height o f grazing af ter weaning
Reasons for adopting ewe grazing res idual in the post-weaning period by height o f pas ture res idual Leng th of ewe rotation by res idual grazing height Factors d etermining th e l ength o f the ewe rotation Comparison o f farms wh er e ewes ar e grazed either
"h'3.rd" or " laxly" in the s ix week post-weaning p er iod Joining month o f b eef breeding h erds
Length o f mating period and the 1 980-1 98 2 average calving p ercentage
Month o f calf weaning and reasons for choice o f weaning date
Factors inf luencing d ec i s ion when to s el l cattle (all clas s es )
Sal e patterns for dif ferent clas s es o f cattle 1 9 8 2 / 8 3
Page No .
1 5 1 1 5 3
1 5 8 1 6 1 1 63 1 6 4 1 6 9 1 7 5 1 7 7 1 79 1 79
1 9 1 1 9 2 200 203 204 205 206 2 1 2 2 1 3 2 14 2 1 5 2 1 9 2 2 0 2 2 1 2 2 2 2 2 3 2 2 6 2 3 3 2 3 3 2 34 2 3 6 2 3 7
xi
Page No.
8 . 6 C ompar is on of effect on pas tures if a l l cattle were 2 4 1 s old and advantages of cattle over s heep for
grazing purp oses .
8 . 7 Number of y ea r s with no cattle 2 4 2
8 . 8 Main reason for going out of or dec r eas ing cattle 2 4 2 8 . 9 Mul t ivar iate comparis on of farms wi th and without
cat tle 2 4 5
9 . 1 S imple c orrelat i on coeffic ients between dep endent and
explanat ory variab les 2 59
9 . 2 Ewe lamb and two t ooth autumn liveweight es timating
equations 2 6 0
1 0 . 1 Farmer opinion of current stat e of knowledge about
management during th e weaning t o tup p ing p eriod 2 7 3 1 0 . 2 Farming t op i cs for which more informat ion i s required 2 7 3 1 1 . 1
1 1 . 2 1 1 . 3 1 1 . 4 1 1 . 5 1 1 . 6 1 1 . 7 1 1 . 8 1 1 . 9
1 1 . 1 0 1 1 . 1 1 1 1 . 1 2 1 1 . 1 3
1 983 s t ock numb ers win tered , s t ocking rate and lambing p er c entage
Winter gra z ing management - int erval between paddock grazings by frequency of ewe shi ft s
Fr equency of r easons s ta ted for b reaking ewe winter rotat ion to s et s t ock prior to lamb ing
Month in which planning for the 1 9 8 3 winter rotat i on c ommenced
Aids used for planning winter management Length of w inter management p lanning period
Maj or fac t or c onsidered when d et ermining paddock s et s t ocking rates at lamb ing
Average pasture cover s c ore at l amb ing and the t ime of s et s t ocking of ewes prior t o l amb ing
Comparis on b e twe en farm mean pasture c over score and average height of pas ture grazed by ewes 2 weeks into lambing
Between yea r c omparis on of average height of pasture grazed by ewes at lamb ing
Compar i s on of preferred and ac tual pasture heights at the commencement of lamb ing
Supplemen t s used during the 1 9 8 3 wint er period Prop or t ion of effec tive area t r ea t ed with nitrog en
fer t il is er in 1 98 3
1 1 . 1 4 Month of nitrogen appl ication
1 1 . 1 5 Hogget l iveweights and average dai ly gains
1 1 . 1 6 1 9 8 3 weaning weight s, average dai ly gains in lambs from b ir th , l amb weaning age, lambing p ercentage and average pas ture c over score a t lamb ing
1 1 . 1 7 Regr es sion coefficient values for 1 3 week ewe and lamb weaning weights and ewe hogget l iveweights at 1 2 months o f age
1 1 . 1 8 Estimat ed average c over per SU at lamb ing 1983, regres s i on equation coeffic ien t s .
2 9 5 2 9 8 300 30 1 302 302 304 306 306
307 308 309 310 311 313 315
32 1
324
xii i Page No .
11 . 1 9 Correla t ion matrix for e stima t ing regression equations
residual values 32 7
1 1 .20 Standardised residual values for e st imat ing regression
equa t ions 32 7
2.1
3. 1 3. 2 3.3 3. 4
3. 1
3.2 3. 3 3.4
3. 5 3.6 3.7 3. 8 3.9 3. 1 0 3.1 1 3. 1 2 3.1 3
4 . 1 4 .2 4.3 4 .4 4.5 4 .6
MAPS
Locat ion o f the Wairarapa region in relat ion to the North I sland
Lo cat ion o f the survey farmers
Wangaehu-Bideford land classification map
Survey d ist ric t s main catchment areas, altit ude and rainfall c ollection sites
Wangaehu-Bideford so il map
PLATES
Top of the Rangitumau Range looking north t owards the
32 56 63 6 5 6 7
Ihuraua d istrict 54
Erosion during Septemb er 1 9 7 7 is st ill clearly visible in
Southern Bideford 54
Severe ero sion on mud stone so il s, south-east Bideford 6 1 Slump erosion and Catchment Board planting s, southern
Bideford 6 1
Privately owned pine plantat ion o n poor so il types,
southern Bideford 6 1
Lime quarry , Rangitumau Range 69
The prevailing nor th-westerly winds in the survey area are
shown in the growth form o f trees on Farm 20 6 9 Undeveloped "native" pasture and scrub in south-east Bideford 7 0 Large scale development o f Manuka scrub to pasture unde r the
LDEL scheme, north-east Bideford 70
Weed infested open dam, lower Wangaehu district 87
Recently cleaned open dam, lower Wangaehu 8 7
Fenced o ff and planted open dam o n Farm 1 8 7
Clean reticulated trough water o n Farm 4 8 7
Differences in seedhead control between farms in the lower
Wangaehu, still evident in mid-April 1 2 3
Differences in seedhead control between paddocks in
Wangaehu 1 2 3
Differences in seedhead contro l between paddocks in ea st
Bideford 1 24
Manuka reversion p roblem in the Bideford distric t on low
natural fertil ity so il s derived from sandstone 124 Rank growth in mid-April on p a stures poorly controlled in
late spring/early summer 1 24
Browntop dominant sward on an area with a history o f no
phosp hate fertil iser 1 24
