CHAPTER FIVE

An Era of Specialisation

By 1960 all forms of farming in South Australiawere undergoing vast changes. New technologyhad revolutionised agriculture, and the Bureauhad an important role to play in disseminatingthe information. Farmers needed some mediatorto explain the scientific research so that theycould use it on their own land. The AgriculturalBureau was a ready-made network for the Depart-ment of Agriculture's extension programme. Bythis time members rarely gave papers at branchmeetings. Guest speakers were frequently invitedto attend, often officers of the Department ofAgriculture. Competitions, field days and variousschools took over from the old-fashioned formalmeetings. The '60s would be a period of specialis-ation, the '70s a decade of critical appraisal of thechanges implemented.

As far back as 1950, the gradual move away frommixed farming had begun. Mr L. H. G. Baumgurtelof the Hartley Branch pointed out the disadvan-tages of too many farm sidelines. If the farmerdoes not depend on the sideline for his living, hewill not bother to put too much time intoproducing top quality bacon, butter, etc. Thisexample of pigs shows the situation that mayresult:

With pigs you will often notice that the farmerwho keeps a few as a side-line, will tend to over-feed, particularly if he has plenty of grain andseparated milk. He feels that he would bewasting good milk by throwing it away - it mayas well go to the pigs. Then he wonders why hispigs bring a lower price than those marketed bythe man who has bred and fed his pigs on thecorrect lines. The answer is they are over fatand, of course, will not make first-grade hamsand bacon. Here again if a check of feedingexpenses had been carefully kept it would havebeen seen as in the case of poultry-keeping, thatit was costing more to produce the inferior

article, and the farmer was thereby incurring adouble loss. (JASA, February 1950, p. 318.)He recommended two sidelines as enough for

extra income while not providing too much extrawork. This will allow the farmer to get the best outof the sideline by ensuring it is economical.

In 1951 Mr R. A. Cramond of the LenswoodBranch had spoken on specialisation in horticul-ture at the Hills Conference. Taking apples as anexample, he showed how growers could limit thevarieties, growing only those best suited to theirsoil and climate. Thus, he suggested Jonathan,Rome Beauty and Delicious for their area, with afew Democrats grown on land too rich or shadyfor the others. Granny Smith, for example, shouldbe left to the drier areas. In order to get the mostout of a piece of land, the farmer should use it forwhatever it is best suited. It took several years forthis attitude to become accepted, several morebefore orchards modified production. By the1960s, however, evidence of this new trend wasappearing.

No doubt some of this move towards stream-lining farming practices could be put down to theintroduction of bulk handling. By 1960 everythingwas done on a larger scale, and expensivemachinery was required. It was easier to deal withlarge quantities of one product rather thanswitching systems frequently to handle differentsidelines. If the fruitgrower had to have large bins,and tractors and forklift trucks to move them, hewould want to make it worthwhile. Once a growerhad committed himself to the financial outlaynecessary to buy bulk handling equipment, hemight as well get as much use as possible out ofit. The increasingly urban population of Australiademanded larger scale marketing structures, andin turn this required more uniform produce.

Labour had become more expensive, and notso readily available. Farmers found it was a better

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Hartley BranchCommittee, 1987. backL-K: A/ess/3 'I' f-'ravne,L Svmonds, K Nitshke,D Svmonds, E Cross,L Jaensch, R Karger,H Philbey. front L-H:Messrs A Graetz iPivsi,E Yeates ISecl,NL Jaensch, \1 lelasiITreasl.

proposition to invest in big machinery and do thework themselves. This resulted in a greaterdemand on their time and meant there was evenless to devote to the sidelines such as pigs, poultryor cows. With the advent of supermarkets incountry centres, it became much easier, and notmuch more expensive, to simply buy goodssupplied by large producers.

Even during these prosperous times, farmersexperienced setbacks. 1957 and '59 had beendrought years and in December 1960, an horrificfire raged through 50,000 acres of farm land on thetop of Yorke Peninsula. Starting at Kadina, ittravelled as far north as the Bute railway line andsouth to Agery. Damage to the cost of £1.5 millionwas sustained, individual farmers losing as muchas 5,000 bags of grain each. BaJed hay was almostentirely lost, so much of the stock in the area hadto be agisted in the aftermath. Although no liveswere lost, several fire fighters were severely

burned, including a member of the Boors PlainBranch, Mr B. Fuss.

The Journal Of Agriculture printed very little ofthe Bureau activities by this stage. Only the ABAminutes were published on a regular basis, andeven then only an extract from the official recordappeared. Bureau members felt this lack, andsome branches took measures to advertise theirregular activities. The Naracoorte Branch, forexample, reported its branch meetings in the localpaper, the Naracoorte Herald. The KybyboliteBranch had requested some sort of Bureaunewsletter in 1948. However, it was not until 1961that the ABA decided to print a quarterly calledthe Bureau News. The first edition came out inFebruary 1961. It contained suggestions abouthow to run an interesting Bureau meeting andideas for planning the year's programme. The OneTree Hill Branch agenda was published to showhow the meetings could cover a range of subjects

Bute Branch Committee, 1987. L-K: Messrs A Axford (VicePi-esl, K Patei-son, A He\vett IPivst, CM Green ISecl, GDaniel lAsst Seel.

Kybybolite Branch Committee, 1987. Back L-R: MessrsPeter Schinckel, John Kester, Peter Flavel. t-'ront L-R:Messrs Ken Schuster (Vice Ptnsl, Stuart McLean iSecl,Alan Davies Unrest.

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ll/hifwarfa Branch Committee, 198~.Back L-R: MessrsDean Hill iTreasi, Peter Burford, David Shephurtl.r'mntL-R: Messrs Adrian Tiller IPi-eal, Michael Tiller (Seel.

relating to all aspects of farming in the area, andbe of interest to all members. They included a filmfor one meeting and a mixture of departmentalofficers speaking and members participating indiscussions. Later issues of Bureau News encour-aged inter-branch meetings in the Adelaide Hillsarea. Not all branches were close enough to dothis, but much could be gained from suchmeetings where this was possible. The WhitwartaBranch was commended for its programme usinga balance of addresses and discussions with afield day, a film and a demonstration (in this case,a welding school organised by Elder Smiths) toprovide some variety. The South Kilkerran Branchwas also held up as an example of a branchinjecting some variety into their activities byincluding a demonstration of how to dress andprepare sheep and poultry for the table. When thelocal butcher had completed his part in theproceedings, members barbecued the meat,combining an educational evening with a socialoccaision. Unfortunately only four issues of thisuseful newsletter were published. After December1961 it lapsed, and no publication for the wholeBureau has been introduced since. Some branchescontinue to print their own newsletter for circu-lation amongst members. The Waikerie Branch isan excellent example of the value of such acommunication. A regular pamphlet advertisingthe agenda for the next meeting includes a sectionon horticultural notes supplied by the Depart-ment of Agriculture Extension Officers for the

following month. If members are unable to attendthe meet ing, they still receive th i s v i ta linformation.

By this time graziers in the South-East were veryinterested in irrigated pastures. They realised thatby improving the fodder for their stock they couldproduce much better animals. Lucerne in partic-ular responded well to irrigation. The Keppochand Padthaway area had huge supplies of under-ground water, and many farmers tapped thesereserves. On 10 March 1960, the Keppoch Branch(which had replaced the Padthaway Branch in1946) held an irrigation field day. Two hundredand fifty people attended, eager to learn as muchas possible about this important new developmentin their area.

Synthetic clothing materials were widely avail-able by this time, causing great concern to thewool industry. It looked as though the man-madefibres would replace natural wool; the cheaperprice was very attractive to consumers. As well aspromoting the advantages of wool, growers had totake all measures possible to reduce the costs ofproduction. It was decided that sheep should bebranded only with Si-Ro-Mark fluids. Although insome cases the brand would wear off in less thana year, it was important to use branding fluidsthat could be easily removed in the woollen mills.This could significantly reduce the cost of treatingwool, and therefore result in a more competitiveproduct. Despite the opposition of growers (whothought they might incur the extra expense ofbranding twice ayear instead of once), this regula-tion remains in force.

In an effort to promote wool, and celebrate thesignificance of wool growing in the South-East, awool festival was held in Mount Gambier. Aprocession of floats along the main street wasincluded in the programme. In 1961 Mr L. Docking,

Keppoch Branch Committee, 1987.L~R: Messrs L Blucher,C, Lindsay, \ Schubert iPresi, D Burge iSeci, (, Dinhum.

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Mt Bryan Branch Committee, 1987.L-R: Messrs AAMclnnes, HI Pnce IPi-es), GWGaiv, BJ PohlneriSec/Freasi,HB Tivvr.

Chairman of the Mil-Lei Branch of the AgriculturalBureau, organised the branch members to enterthe procession. Their float subsequently won firstprize, much to the members' pleasure.

Hogget competitions continued to be verypopular through the 1960s. To compete on theworld market, and to compete against syntheticfibres, South Australian sheep owners needed tomaintain very high standards in both meat andwool production. Competitions helped to improvethe standard of sheep in general and raisedproducers' awareness of the qualities necessaryin their animals. Hogget competitions wereusuaJly held by individual branches, thoughsometimes two or more combined to make thecompetition fiercer. Mr G. C. Clunies Ross offereda trophy for the Mt Bryan Hogget competition,stipulating that the first member to win the

competition three times could keep it perma-nently. Shearing and crutching schools, mulesingand culling demonstrations were also held bvAgricultural Bureau branches in efforts to improvethe level of sheep husbandry in South Australia

Cyclone fencing had been in use for some time,providing a very effective barrier to stock. It wasfirst made with vertical wires placed at 12 inintervals. The Butler Branch on Eyre Peninsulasuggested that the fence would be just as usefulwith the wires placed at 3 ft intervals. The resultwould be a much cheaper fence, and the idea wassuccessfully taken up by a fencing materialcompany. It became known as station cycloneand is still a popular choice today.

Cereal growing had come a long way from theslow dusty days of horse teams. Tractors simpli-fied the process of cropping considerably, butbrought with them their own problems. Theexcessive noise of their engines was of concern tomany people. In 1961 the Kelly Branch records itsanxiety about machinery noise levels. Hearingtrouble may have been an occupational hazardfor cereal croppers, but it was not something theycould readily accept. The manufacturers wereencouraged to fit cabs on tractors to minimisenoise (and dust). Today this is the standardpractice on all big tractors.

Big changes were occurring in horticultureduring this period. The value of ploughingbetween trees was seriously questioned. On re-assessment, this practice was seen to be anunnecessary expense. Permanent grassing oforchards (sod culture I gradually took over.In irrigated areas, the practice of flooding was also

The members of the Butler Branch.

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rejected as wasteful, and sprinkler systems wereinstalled. Drip systems would later becomepopular as an even more economical method ofirrigation.

Ever subject to the whims of fickle consumers,the grape industry went through many changesin the '60s in an effort to keep up with the demandsof fashion. As Australians began to consume moreand more wine (no doubt encouraged by theimmigration of Europeans during the post-warera), the minutes of the Greenock Branch reflectthe growers' response. Acres of apricot trees weregrubbed out and replanted with vines in the early'60s. Unfortunately, the following years saw adecline in demand, but growers were nowcommitted to grapes for wine production.Towards the end of that decade consumersfavoured dry red table wines, so producers grewblack grapes. By the time these vines wereproducing at full capacity, public taste had swungback to lighter white wines. The surplus wasabsorbed by various pools organised to help thegrape growers, but producers were forced toaccept low prices.

Not all of the changes were bad though. At their1961 conference, the Riverland Branches passed aresolution that "the Department of Agricultureshould be congratulated on the fact that it has notbeen possible to find fruitfly in Adelaide duringthe past two seasons". (ABA Minutes, 16 May 1961.)The ABA endorsed the resolution, passing it on tothe Director of Agriculture. It was an encouragingexample of the results achieved by concertedaction against a destructive pest.

Poultry keeping was becoming a much morespecialised industry by the early 1960s. In March1961 a discussion of the advantages of electriclighting to increase egg production appeared inthe Journal of Agriculture. Mr R. B. Fuge, thePoultry Adviser based at Murray Bridge, explainedthat lengthening the hours of light in autumn andwinter would be useful for increasing egg prqpluc-tion at a time when prices were highest (due tothe normal scarcity of eggs at this time of year).Producers could expect an average of two dozenmore eggs per bird if lights were installed andused to ensure at least 14 hours of light per day.

The following year an article debating the prosand cons of intensive and free range poultryfarming was printed in the Journal of Agriculture.At a time when poultry farmers had to rear agreater number of birds than ever before in orderto create a profitable industry, these issues mustbe confronted. Intensive rearing was one answerto the problem:

much less land is needed than with rangerearing. This makes it especially suited to local-ities where land is expensive or where the farmarea is small. Bearing in mind that birds needmore area as they grow, intensive rearingrequires from 2 to 2i/z square feet per bird tothe point of lay.Secondly, confining birds to small areas saveslabour. Using self-feeders and automat icwaterers, the time taken to attend to the birdsis greatly reduced. Moreover, birds do not haveto be caught and moved to new quarters as isthe case with free range rearing. This avoids therisk of a setback in growth or losses of birds.With intensive rearing the birds are much easierto control. Losses from dogs, cats, foxes andpossible theft are less.When not in use for rearing the sheds can beused as laying sheds. Alternatively they can beused to house broilers for raising in the off-season. These alternative uses can help to offsetthe higher cost of intensive rearing as comparedwith range rearing. IJASA, August 1962, p. 351But free range rearing had its own advantages.The main advantage of free range rearing is itssimplicity. Where a big enough area is availableand the layout is satisfactory free range is idealfor rearing small number's, particularly sidelineunits on grain-sheep properties.The 8 ft x 6 ft rearing sheds with wirenettingfloors are sometimes built on a sledge andpulled around to new areas when needed.Range rearing has also been used quite success-fully in orchards. (JASA, August 1962, p. 36)In March 1962 a sub-committee of the ABA

reported on the future development of the Agricul-tural Bureau in South Australia. Membership hadgradually been dropping off after the post-warboom and the ABA was seriously concerned. The

Strathalbyn Branch Committee, 1987.L-H: Messrs ACKBeviss IPresl, HJ Hankinv Itiec). IJJ Deans, HJ MicholmomIVicv Pnn>),

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Bureau movement was an important link betweenthe Department of Agriculture and the farmers.District Conferences and the Annual Congress didnot establish the link between the Board andbranches in the way that had been anticipated.Although the ABA was the governing body of theBureau movement; there was little contactbetween the members of each. Some form ofintermediate grouping was necessary. This soontook the form of regional executive committees,created from 1965 onwards. The Board agreedthat the Bureau did not enjoy a high statusamongst the rural populations. A publicityprogramme should be introduced to rectify this.The ABA also objected to the title of "Organiser"and suggested it be altered to "Senior Adviser ofthe Agricultural Bureau". Two advisers ought tobe appointed to work among the branches.

In August 1962 Collin Wood left his job asOrganiser and the position was advertised as"Senior Adviser of the Agricultural Bureau". MrGeoff K. Robinson was appointed as the SeniorAdvisory Officer, Agricultural Bureau. After hiseducation at Roseworthy Agricultural College,Geoff Robinson had entered the Department ofAgriculture. For several years he worked in theSoil Conservation Branch, then transferred to theposition of district agronomist. After almost 10years as Senior Advisory Officer, he would taketime off to complete a Masters Degree in Agricul-tural Extension at the University of Reading,England, in 1971-1972. On his return to Australia,he would be involved in more extensive manage-ment of the Agricultural Bureau, rather thanworking at individual branch level. In 1962another Senior Advisory Officer was alsoappointed, Mr David Spurling, to work alongsideGeoff Robinson.

Sheep husbandry was undergoing manychanges at this time. Since the First World War,consumers had demanded leaner meat of allsorts; "fat lambs" were not to be too fat. Cmtchingbecame an annual event when it was realised thatjetting was insufficient. The battle against flystrike would only be won by regular crutchingbetween full shearings of wool. Mycotic derma-titis (fleece rot) was reported in the Upper South-East in 1963. However, there was some good newson the horizon - a new, more effective vaccineagainst entero-toxaemia (pulpy kidney) becameavailable commercially.

The Parndana Branch held both a ShearingShed Management School and a Crutching Schoolin 1963. The Shearing Shed Management Schoolwas intended to promote the smoother running

Milang Branch Field Day 1962.

of this busiest time of the sheep owner's year. ACrutching School was also held in Angaston thatyear. The sheep owners realised they must incor-porate c r u t c h i n g i n t o t he i r husbandryprogramme, and were determined to make it aseffective as possible.

The 1963 Oration was taped and sent to 60branches of the Agricultural Bureau. Originallythe suggestion had been to have it broadcast overthe ABC, but the possibility of getting an hour ofair time was very slim. The Oration that year wasgiven by Sir John Crawford who took as hissubject, Australian Agriculture: Market Forces andProspects in Asia. Fewer and fewer members hadbeen attending the Annual Congress of Branchesand it was hoped that hearing the tape wouldrenew their interest. Unfortunately, this was not

Penneshaw Branch Committee, 1987.Back L-R: MessrsMostyn Howard, Terry Howai-d, Tonv TrKthewev.FrontL-K: Messrs Bairv Howard lPres>, Glen Willson ISed.

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enough to save it. II had outlived its usefulnessby this stage and was no longer necessary as aninstrument to provide farmers with a sense of thenational and international community to whichthey belonged. The media had taken over thisrole, with radio, newspaper, magazines, land latertelevision) raising issues related to rural matters.Farmers were no longer isolated from the outsideworld.

Subterranean clover was very widely used inimproved pastures in Australia by this time. Infact, the ABA recorded that 28 million acres ofpasture land were under subterranean clover in1963. It had first been discovered in 1889 by AmosWilliam Howard. A memorial was erected for himon 3 October 1963 on the Princes Highway atBlakiston. The inscription read:

In 1889 Amos William Howard found subterra-nean clover growing at the foot of the slopebelow this memorial. He recognised its greatpromise and was the pioneer of its use in sownpastures. He harvested the first seed anddistributed it widely throughout Australia.Through Howard's foresight, devotion andtireless effort, the value of subterranean cloverwas firmly established and it has become themost important pasture plant in Australia.By transforming millions of acres of infertilesoils into productive pasture lands it has multi-plied our flocks and herds.By restoring the fertility of large tracts of worn-out wheat land it has increased our harvests.The work of this man has contributed ingenerous measure to Australia's progress andprosperity. (JASA, January 1964, p. 176.)The plaque was unveiled by the Premier, Sir

Thomas Playford, the ceremony marking thelaunching of an appeal to establish the A. W.Howard Memorial Trust to promote pastureresearch and development in Australia. Membersof the Agricultural Bureau responded generouslyto the appeal and over £13,000 was collected.

In reply to a request from the ABA, Mr J. R. Fordof the Wangary Branch supplied details of the P.L. Puckridge Shield. Mr P. L. Puckridge hadformerly been a land holder in the area, and wasnow the Mayor of Pt Lincoln. It was presentedannually to the Agricultural Bureau member "whomakes the most outstanding contribution toagriculture during the current 12 months" (ABAMinutes, 4 August 19641. A panel of three judgesconsisting of one member of the branch, one froma neighbouring branch, and one officer of theDepartment of Agriculture, chose the most

The Pivmier, Sir Thomas Playfoitl, and PmfC M Donald.(Chairman of the Appeal Committee I unveiling the A WHowaitl memorial.

deserving farmer. All three would visit farms inthe area, attend field days and observe hoggetcompetitions. Finally, the award would bepresented at the annual social evening after theOctober Field Day. Mr Ford briefly outlined theachievements of those who had won the shieldin previous year's.

R. C. Wagner, A Quick Build-up of Fertility by1956. Heavy Clover Seeding - 8-10 Ib

per acre following cerealcrops. First in aerial sprayingcrops to combat insects.

M.Andrews, Maintenance of soil fertilitythrough contour banks overthe whole of the farm. Subclover pasture showed goodresponse.

L. Puckridge Fodder conservation ande c o n o m i c a l l y h a n d l i n gsurplus pasture by use of buckrake and loose stacking ofcereals. High standard of work-man's homes and single men'sq u a r t e r s . A n e x c e l l e n te m p l o y e r / e m p l oy e erelationship.

Each of the above received a £,20 trophy.170

The following members, were awarded a shieldon which their names are inscribed, and whichis displayed in either the VVangary or Coultahalls, being the hall nearest the successfulrecipient of the award.

R Ford

H. Broad

Assisted the Department ofAgriculture Officers, J. Fern &,D. Habel in copper researchfor approximately two years,providing sheep and generallya s s i s t i n g wi th t ime andpaddocks and shed facilities.Conducted three shearingschools.

Introduction of Red Poll studcattle. Outstanding success inhogget competitions. First tohandle oats and super in hulk.Was instrumental in revivingthe Wangary B u r e a u andplayed a leading part in RuralYouth.

C. Foster The first farmer to use theheavy roller on limestone landand break it down to allowrough countrv to produce upto 16 bags to the acre of barley.Tree planting and exceptionale f f i c i ency on al l f a r m i n gprojects.

Ernest Ifuthwi Introduced high quality andand Roger isuni high price rams into theShepherd dis t r ic t for s tud breeding.

Outstanding cereal grower,consistent high yield. Valuablework carried out by Roger inpropagating and selecting saltresistant plants and reclaimingswamp areas.

Wangary Branch Committee, 1987.Back L-R: Messrs PeterPuckriclgc iPresi, John Myers, Gerald ShepperdISect.Fmnt L-R: Messrs John Giddings, Peter Broad (VicePresi.

Reg Shepherd,wife and son

O u t s t a n d i n g work inreclaiming salt and magnesialand by the use of cattle, topdressing, and keeping alltillage instruments from theland. Sowing of burr clover onthe salt affected land with star-tling results. High carryingcapacity farm with well estab-lished pastures.

U. R. Ford, quoted in ABA Minutes, 4 August1964.)

The potential of the Keppoch and Padthawaydistricts as a wine producing area was recognisedin the early '60s. In an attempt to develop thisindustry in the area, Mr M. Seppelt addressed theKeppoch Branch in 1964, He took as his subjectThe Vineyard from Planning to Production. Hisenthusiasm and encouragement was wellrewarded, and today the area produces some ofSouth Australia's finest wines.

Research from 1961 to '64 had provided abreakthrough for orchardists troubled by apricot

Light Pass BranchCommittee. 1987. L-K:Messrs M SchillerITreasl. J Kurtz, WPlushISet-i, H Hahn I PublicityOfficerl, M JohnIChaimianl, N Groves(Vice Chairman!,JAhrens.

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gummosis. More than 25% of apricot trees in thenon-irrigated areas had suffered from gummosis.The new slogan was "Prune in June", for thisappeared to be the time when airborne spores ofthe gummosis fungus were least abundant.Experiments conducted over 2Vz years in theorchard of Messrs L. S. Plush and Sons at LightPass indicated that by pruning earlier than usual,in June rather than July or September, cuts weremuch less likely to become infected. In 1964 theannual production of apricots (canned, dried andfresh) exceeded £1 million so it was an industrywell worth maintaining.

The Soil Schools introduced in the 1950sbecame very popular again in 1965. Other schoolsalso became popular, and some conferences wereturned over to a particular theme. Instead ofhaving speakers on a wide range of topics, oneissue alone would be examined. This way Bureaumembers could leave at the end of the day havingachieved a real understanding of a particularproblem or innovation.

Stockport Branch held a two day SheepHusbandry School on 3-4 August 1965. It was heldin Mr Branson's shed with Messrs John Potter,Jack Messenger and Richard Scott-Young super-vising. As all aspects of primary productionbecame more and more technical during the '60s,it was necessary to spend longer learning aboutnew methods and techniques. There was somuch to cover in any subject that farmers foundthey needed special schools devoted to intensiveteaching and discussion to come to terms withthe constantly growing pool of information.

The ABA first mentioned zoning the State in1963. The idea was discussed at their Julymeeting. The reason for this zoning would be sothat each Board member could be responsible foran area, seeing that each group of branches wasadequately catered for by the ABA, their interestsconsidered and problems represented. Laterthese zones would choose their own membersfor the ABA, someone who would be intimatelyconnected with the problems of particulardistricts. When the Department of Agriculturereorganised its regional boundaries in 1974, theAgricultural Bureau rearranged its own regions tomatch the new regional offices.

The following year, Geoff Robinson, the SeniorAdvisory Officer, introduced "Regional Meetings".The idea was for several branches in an area tosend three delegates to meet at a central placeand discuss the Bureau's activities for the comingyear. The Regional Executive Committees wereestablished throughout the State by the end of

1966. The first of these was in the Barossa Valleyin December 1965. Branches in the Naracoortedistrict had initiated a similar group severed yearsearlier. When Regional Committees becameBureau policy, they used the existing frameworkto fall in line with other areas.

The aims of these committees were:1. To assess and discuss problems and the need

for information in a region and to develop aco-ordinated policy for the benefit of indi-vidual branches and the region as a whole.

2. To provide the Department of Agriculturewith a focal point representing groups ofbranches.

3. To provide a forum whereby BranchCommittees can liaise with each other toenable them to more effectively serve theirbranches.

4. To strengthen the Agricultural Bureau bydeveloping higher levels of education.(Constitution of Agricultural Bureau Exec-utive Committee)

Delegates at these meetings, held once or twicea year, compared their programmes for thefollowing year. It provided an opportunity toexchange new ideas on the subject matter andmethods. This also made it possible to co-ordinate consecutive meetings at variousbranches in the area to use speakers visiting thedistrict. Common problems in the region couldalso be defined and discussed. Any trials ordemonstrations required by farmers in the regioncould also be organised through the central body.The value of Regional Executive Committees soonbecame apparent. Mr John Hill of the ABA citedthe example of skeleton weed when he openedthe Mid-North Conference in 1966.

In December last year a farmer at Arthurton onYorke Peninsula, found skeleton weed growing. . . The outbreak was found and verified on aFriday.The plants were flowering and had to bedestroyed fairly quickly.At the same time, it was realised that this wasan invaluable opportunity for other Y.P. farmersto see the weed so they could recognise itshould further outbreaks occur.The urgency of treating the outbreak left notime to advertise a field day in the conventionalmanner.However, there is a regional executivecommittee operating in the area.

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The Arthurton Branch Committee, 1987. L-R: MessrsBarry Koch lAsst Sect, Can' Colliver ISecl, Gavin AdamsISnr Vice Pivsl, Greg Allen iPresl, Graham Colliver,Graham Bagshaw Unr Vice Presl, Absent: Bradley Hicks.

The secretary of the executive was contactedthat same night, and asked to publicise the factthat a field day would be held the followingTuesday morning.

He, in turn, contacted the various branch repre-sentatives on the executive committee, andasked them to inform as many of their membersand others as possible.

The end result was that over 100 farmers wereon hand at 8.30 a.m. the following Tuesdaymorning to see the weed growing and to hearabout control measures from Department ofAgriculture advisers. (Jim McCarter, Self-HelpPrinciple Is Paying Off, The Chronicle, 21 April1966, p. 13.)

Surveys were carried out to establish subjectswhich concerned a majority of the branchmembers and those of interest to only a minority.In situations where only a few members of eachbranch were interested in a particular issue, theycould band together to arrange a worthwhilemeeting between them, rather than each branchorganising their own meetings, only to be disap-pointed by a small attendance. Most farmers werenot prepared to spend an evening at a meetingthat was of no interest to them.

Geoff Robinson promoted the self-help prin-ciple of the Agricultural Bureaux. He recognisedthe wealth of knowledge amongst members andencouraged them to take advantage of it. Many ofthe issues raised as possible subjects for meetingsrelated to practical farming problems of whichthe members themselves had experience. Theywere themselves the best people to know how todeal wi th such problems, and indiv idualmembers could begin discussions by explaininghow they had coped when faced with them. Onthe other hand, the Agricultural Bureau as an

educational institution should be a place wherenew technology was introduced to the farmingcommunity from outside sources. A balanceshould be struck between the two.

The windrowing of barley to prevent losssustained in heavy winds had been used as asolution to wind damage since 1961. The YeelannaBranch on Eyre Peninsula held a barley rollingfield day in 1966. By now it had become acceptedpractice, and barley croppers were keen to imple-ment this technique on their own farms. Onehundred and thirty people turned out to see threedifferent makes of barley roller demonstrated. MrG. Hancock made a crop available to the branchfor the display Later Mr K. Bignall addressed thegroup on the success of barley rolling on YorkePeninsula. For many farmers, these opportunitiesto see new technology in action were an essentialelement in their decisions to accept or reject theinnovations.

Several years previously, the suggestion of somesort of identification badge for all members of theAgricultural Bureau was made. The matter hadbeen raised at the Upper-North Conference in1960. A badge was designed and finally becameavailable to members in 1966 at a cost of 30c each(note the change to decimal currency which alsooccurred that year).

The South-East had become a well-establishedgrazing area by the mid '60s. With the swampyland drained and superphosphate land in somecases trace elements) added to increase thefertility of the soil, it had become valuable land.The Kalangadoo Branch of the Agricultural Bureausponsored a Pastoral School for the Lower South-East region on 17-18 August 1966. Five officers ofthe Department of Agriculture lectured the assem-bled group over two days, covering the wholerange of activities involved in improving pastures.They began by discussing the pastures suitablefor the district taking into account the rainfall,climate, drainage and fertility of the soil. Therecommended pastures must then be sown, fertil-ised, insects and weeds controlled, and thengrazed effectively. Finally, information wasprovided for the time when pastures neededrenovation after several years of use.

The following year a Pasture School was heldby the Boors Plain Branch. This time it took theform of a series of three lectures by Mr G. D.Webber and concluded with a field inspection. Inthis area, legume pastures were most beneficial.The soil needed nitrogen to maintain its fertility,and clovers and medics provided it. Local farmerswere also taught how to manage legume pasturesin order to get the most out of them.

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The annual fat lamb competition was cancelledin 1967. In its place, a Lamb Symposium wasarranged. Eight speakers lectured on differentaspects of the industry. Butchers, Department ofAgriculture Officers and a vet provided a wealth ofinformation. During this period, all branches ofagriculture were rapidly changing. Competitionswere not enough to keep farmers up to date, andmore intensive education was required.

An Agronomy School was arranged by thePetersville and Arthur-ton Branches in July 1967.Three lectures dealt with different groups of cerealdiseases. The first looked at the parasitic diseases,fungi, viruses, nematodes and bacteria. Then inthe second lecture, root-rot diseases, such ashaydie and eelworm were discussed. The thirdlecture examined above ground diseases, such assmut, rust, bacterial blight and barley yellowdwarf. Finally, the group went out to inspect cropsin the district, identifying diseases and observingthe results of measures taken to rectify variousproblems.

A school for poultry farmers was held over sixsessions in October and November at MurrayBridge. Every element of poultry keeping wasdiscussed, from planning the farm throughhousing and controlled environments, to feedingand marketing the final product. Alternativesessions were held for egg producers and broilergrowers. Poultry production was carried out on alarge scale by this stage, and had become veryspecialised. It was now a far cry from the days ofkeeping a few hens as a sideline in the pre-warera.

Improved pastures had included rye grasses formany years. In the mid-sixties, however, farmerswho had introduced this species realised theyhad made a disastrous mistake. Annual Rye GrassToxicity (ARGTJ was first identified in 1956 in theMid-North. The bacteria takes 10-15 years to buildup to toxic levels, so it spread slowly at first. Thetoxins are produced by a nematode/bacteriumdisease complex, and are produced when the ryegrass matures and dies off in the summer, ARGTcauses neurological disorders which can beobserved when the poisoned animals becomestressed or excited. (Department of AgricultureAnnual Ryegrass Toxicity, Fact Sheet No. 91/77,revised November WSl.i The Waterloo Branch issituated at the centre of the area in the Mid-Northwhere a major outbreak of ARGT occurred in 1967,so it was obviously of major importance to manyof its members. The branch actively supported thetrials conducted at Manoora in 1967. They gener-ously donated fencing materials, sheep and

Some of the Mid-North Branches involved in the ARGTproblem:1. Saddleworth Branch Committee, 1987.Back L-K: Messi-s Hodney Videon Ur Viet: Pmsi, GrahamWui-st (Vice Pi-esi.Front L-H: Messrs Michael Miller IPrcsl, Colin Adams(Seel.

Hanson Hranch Committee, 1987.L-tt: Mtmmii Peter Mengersan, Clyde Atkins, HodneyBailev tl'ire Pmsi, \1uirav Tiver tPivsi, Ken Phillips ISccl.

money to assist the Department of AgricultureOfficers supervising experiments there. This rapidresponse to the situation aided the officers inestablishing experiments, so that, ultimately,causes and possible cures were available soonerthan would other-wise have been expected.

Stock fodders were an important concern ofmany Bureau branches during this period. In 1967the tlalhury Branch sent samples of the hay madeand used by members to the Northfielcl ResearchStation. The hay was tested for its nutritionalvalue, the first of such tests performed. This

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Riverton Branch Committee, 1987. Back L-H: Messrs LeonSchwai-z, 'Ver/ Crouch, Ian I 'ppill tVice Pi-esl.Chris (ilvnn

fr'ront L-H: Messrs Richanl Smvth iSeci, Adrian fivhniPresi. Ken Thomas iPublicitv Officer/.

Point Pass Branch Committee, 1987.L-R: Messrs Eric Schntz, John Pfitzner /Vice Chairman),Ross Schutz I Chairman I, Geoff Schutz, Des SchutzITreast, Malcolm Schutz I Sec I.

Neales Flat Branch Committee, 1987.Back L-H: Messrs Hrenton Diener, Des Twartz, AndnnvHeidiich, Ted Schiller Ur Vice I'res).b'ront L-H: Afessis Jim h'ahlbusch iSec/Ti-easi. LukeSaegenschnitter iPresi, Bi-enton Schiller UrPi^esl.

information was extremely useful for producersgrowing meat and wool for specific markets.Adjustments could be made to ensure that stockreceived exactly what was necessary to create afirst class animal. The Frances Branch also

conducted a survey of the hav made bv itsmembers. Samples of hay made at the end of 1966were forwarded to the Xorthfield Research StationLaboratories for analysis. On arrival the sampleswere oven-dried to ensure that all moisture hadbeen removed. Thev were then ground to a finepowder and digested by rumen bacteria from afistulated sheep with the addition of hydrochloricacid-enzyme to aid digestion. The amount ofdigestion which had taken place after one weekwas then measured and expressed as a percentageof the dry weight. Kjeldahl crude protein analysiswas also made, using the Technicon auto-analyser. These were also expressed as apercentage of the dry weight. The following obser-vations were made when the results were finallytabled.

Protein Cereal hays have lower proteinv a l u e s t h a n p a s t u r e hays .Compare samples 31 and 32 withthe others.

Digestibility Cereal hays in this survey alsohave lower digestibility althoughthis is not always the case.

Mouldy Hay Sample No. 1 had the very highdigestibility of 74%. Sample No.15 came from the same paddock,but was mouldy when received,and had a digestibility of only59%, ind ica t ing the q u a l i t ydecline which can take place afterthe hay gets wet and overheated.

Legumes The better quality pasture havsgenerally had a high legumecontent. Compare samples 1-5,which had 50 to 80% subterra-nean clover with samples 27-30and 33, which had much smalleramounts of legumes.

Sampling It must be emphasised that theanalysis is only as good as thesampling procedure used. If thesample of hay sent for analysiswas picked from a better area ofthe paddock, the results will onlyapply to bales in the better area.Alternatively, if the sample wastaken from a wet and mouldybale on top of the stack, they willnot be representative of the restof the stack,

IDr John C. Radcliffe, Frances HaySuivey 1967.1

In 1968 a new variety of barley was released."Clipper" had been bred by the Waite Institute

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assisted by the Department of Agriculture intesting its qualities. Prior, the variety previouslygrown in South Australia was to be replaced byClipper over the next few years. The advantages ofClipper were described at the March meeting ofthe ABA, and the arrangements for the changeoverfrom Prior explained.

I.It outyielded Prior, was of better maltingquality, especially on soils of high nitrogencontent.

2. Because Clipper behaved differently fromPrior in the malthouse - and in particular ithad a shorter steeping time - it was essentialthat malting grade barley of the two varietiesbe segregated. To minimise the problemsassociated with segregation and storage oftwo varieties the multiplication of the newvariety was planned so that it would bepossible to make a complete changeover fromPrior to Clipper in 1970 in the following areas:Yorke Peninsula, Lower Eyre Peninsula andSouthern Adelaide Plains. Bulk deliveries ofPrior would not be accepted in these areasafter 1969.

In the remaining Prior growing areas of the Statebulk deliveries of Clipper would not be accepteduntil 1971.3. The basis for selecting registered growers

who would be supplied with Clipper seed forsowing in 1968 was that preference was givento farmers who had been co-operating withthe Department or the Waite Institute inbarley field trials and to farmers who hadpreviously produced registered seed of barley.(ABA Minutes, March 1968.)

Unfortunately, it was a drought that year, socereal growers had to wait until the following yearto get a fair idea of its potential.

Wool was still a good proposition at this time.Prices were holding up and the demand forsynthetics had not entirely replaced natural fibres.However, wool growers needed to keep up withthe times like other primary producers. The Mil-Lei Branch held the first of three Wool Schools in1968, and the Finniss Branch held a very successfulWool Classing School on the property of Mr W.Hunt. The Boors Plain Branch co-operated withthe Kadina Rotary Club in organising a fleececompetition. Local fanners donated a fleece each.These were then displayed and judged by knowl-edgeable employees of stock firms. Local traderswere also invited to display woollen goods anddonate trophies. After the winners had beendecided, the fleeces were sold and the proceedsdonated to charities in the district.

If*

The Koonunga Branch Committee, 1987Back row L-K: Messrs Marcus Schulz, Jeffrey Hoffmann.Philip Nietschke, Murray Andretzke, Leon Nietschke.Front row L-R: Messrs frank Gallasch, K Kleinifl iSeci,Des Nietschke IPres!, Peter Kleinig.

The Koonunga Branch held an interesting FieldDay on 1 May 1968. The programme was printedas a supplement to the Angaston Leader thus theprogramme itself was the advertisement. It wasthe branch's fortieth anniversary that year, so awell-organised field day was to be part of thecelebrations. In a short article, Mr Des Nietschke,the branch President, described the importanceof field days.

In this modern age, the man on the land istoday, more than ever before, confronted withthe problem of rising cost of production and yetat the same time is forced, due to circumstances,to accept a falling price for his own products . . .In spite of these facts, part of the primaryproducers' duty is to help feed the starvingmillions in the world today. How can he besthandle the situation?One avenue is with the Agricultural Bureausystem, whereby he can keep abreast of [the]latest techniques besides promoting good-will.Koonunga Bureau has ever stressed memberparticipation and it i[s] perhaps this which hasproduced the desire to hold Field Days, to seethe latest equipment in actual use.Such field days provide a unique opportunityfor men on the land to meet and talk overproblems both among themselves and with thelocal machinery dealers. (Des Nietschke, RisingCosts are a problem for Farmers and TestEfficiency, supplement to The Leader, Angaston,Thursday 25 April 1968)The day began at 9.00 a.m. with a demonstration

of mechanical vine dodgers and shredders.Displays of equipment were on show all morning,and in the afternoon several local agencies for

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machinery manufacturers demonstrated their production at large. In the early '70s wool pricesmachines.

The dairy industry was undergoing rapidchanges during this time too. The AgriculturalBureau sponsored a Dairy School at Birdwood inJune 1969, mainly for members of the Gumeracha,Mt Pleasant and Birdwood Branches. Foursessions were held during the month withmembers of each branch taking a turn to chair theproceedings. The first lecture was by Dr D. N.Mackie, a veterinary surgeon from Murray Bridge,who dealt with the three main problems in dairycow health: infertility, acetonaemia and mastitis.The diagnosis, treatment and economic effectswere explained. Mr G. S. Pickhaver, the SeniorDairy Officer of the Department of Agriculture, ledthe next two sessions, the first dealing with feedingrequirements for maximum production and thesecond, a milking demonstration at the dairybelonging to Mr Peter Ancell at Birdwood. Thefinal lecture described ways of raising farmincome. This covered four main areas:

1. Time of calving.2. Stocking rates.3. Feeding management.4. Irrigation.A partial budget was developed to show the

effects these elements might have.

Towards the end of the decade, the Bureaumembership was seriously declining. Althoughattendance at conferences and specialisedschools was good, the ordinary branch meetingswere getting fewer and fewer turning up. Interestin regular Bureau business was dwindling, and,unless branches were lucky enough to have partic-ularly energetic secretaries, interest faded away.The Secretary of the Bordertown Branch explainedsome of the reasons for his own branch's inactivityin a letter to the Senior Advisory Officer, dated 29December 1969:

the demand for technical information is fairlyspecialised in this area and this is being met byspeakers at specific producers' organisationsand by the growing number of consultants. Thismakes it difficult to organise Bureau meetingsof universal interest.The One Tree Hill Branch records in its minutes

that poor attendances at agricultural meetingsmight be because "all branches were trying tocompete with television and a warm fire". Thismay well have been the reason for the apathy offormer members.

The new decade opened on a less than positivenote for the Agricultural Bureau and primary

plummetted, putting many pastoralists in a veryserious position. Beef cattle still offered goodreturns, however, and many sheep owners lookedto beef as an alternative. In response to this shiftinginterest, several Beef Schools were held bybranches of the Agricultural Bureau. The schoolswere aimed at producers new to the enterprise,so basic information was necessary. Without thisbackground knowledge, producers would not becapable of embarking on more complex manage-ment and breeding programmes as the herdbecame established. The schools were designedas two-day events. The following descriptionconies from a pamphlet put out by the Depart-ment of Agriculture.

The school starts with a discussion of theoutlook for beef production plus the outlook forthe various rural enterprises which are alterna-tives to beef production. Consideration is thengiven to the economics of beef cattle on thefarm in relation to the main grazing alternative- which is sheep production.A talk and demonstration follow which coverbasic beef industry information and aspects ofmanagement and handling of cattle, and thefacilities necessary for a beef enterprise . . . Thefirst day of the school concludes with a briefdiscussion of common disease problems of beefcattle.The first two talks of the second day of theschool deal with nutrition of the beef herd inrelation to reproduction, calf growth, andfattening. These two sessions also deal withmanagement programmes which enable theowner to produce beef efficiently and cheaplyby fitting the feed requirements of the breedingherd in with the seasonal growth of pasture.Selection and culling of animals in commercialand bull-producing herds, and the use of cross-breeding, are discussed in two sessions. Thesesessions cover various types of breedingprogrammes which the owner can use toimprove production once his management issufficiently advanced.The school concludes with a demonstration ofcarcase break-up into commercial cuts. Thisenables the producer to see how the butcherhandles the carcase for eventual sale to theconsumer. (A Brief Description of the Aims andContents of Beef Cattle Husbandry Schools.)

The Kelly Branch sponsored a Beef School in1970. It obviously answered a need in the commu-nity - 200 people attended. In the search for a

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suitable alternative to use their land profitably,local producers were keen to learn all they could.The following year, another Beef School was heldfor the Eastern Eyre Peninsula district. Expertscame from Naracoorte, Port Lincoln, StruanResearch Centre and Adelaide to offer their knowl-edge and experience.

The Lower North Branches held an interestingconference at Tarlee on 25 February 1970. Insteadof the usual format of several speakers discussingvarious subjects, the day was devoted to the themeMaintaining farm income in the light of changingmarket requirements. The delegates split up intosmaller groups to discuss the topic. Suggestionsfor groups to examine included:-

a) How to go about increasing stock production(meat or wool).

b) Scope for sideline or alternative cropproduction.

cl Minimising investment in machinery.The whole morning was spent in this manner

and after lunch the group reassembled for thepresentation of life memberships, and nominatedgroup leaders reported on the morning's proceed-ings. A panel of experts consisting of Messrs J. B.Evans, R. J. Gilfillan, G. C. Trengove (AgriculturalEconomist), J. D. McAuliffe (Senior AgriculturalAdviser), J. C. Potter (Principal Livestock Officer)and W. E. Matheson (Senior Soils Officer)discussed the f i n d i n g s . The confe renceprogramme included notes on the physical andfinancial details of the Gilbert Valley Property. Thisprovided some figures for discussion and anexample of what could he done in the area underthe present circumstances.

A Pig Symposium was organised by the Agricul-tural Bureau members of the Kapunda Branch.Over 120 pig-producers, representing 30 Bureaubranches, attended the Symposium on 6 July 1970.

Tarlee Branch Committee, 1987.L-R: Messrs D Molineux{descendant of Albert Molineux, founder of'the Agricul-tural Bui-eaul, T Clarke, K Stevens, M Hill

,,CT ., I

Kapunda Branch Committee, 1987Back mw L-R: Messrs M V Ryan, Sec; R M Ryan,Committee: K C Nietschkc, Committee; R L Holding,Assistant Sec.From row L-R: Messrs VI Homhsch, Vice Pmsidtmt; A RWilson, Press Reporter; C M Videon, Treasurer; J Lewis,Committee. Absent: D R Shannon, President.

MrC. E. Lienert, President of the South Australianbranch of the Australian Pig Society opened theproceedings. The first paper was given by Mr J. F.McAuliffe, of Saddleworth who spoke on OpenRange v. Intensive Housing. This was followed bya discussion on Feeding and Nutrition, by Mr L. E.Mosel of Virginia. As the owner of a ISO-sowpiggery, he had learnt that 75% of the costsinvolved went on feed bills. Several more talkswere given after a pork barbecue lunch - Mange,worms, etc. by Dr K. Dobson (Senior VeterinaryResearch officer [Pigs], SA Department of Agricul-ture), Breeding &. Selection, by Mr C. E. Lienert,Market Presentations and Requirements, by Mr P.Conroy of Conroy's Smallgoods Pry Ltd, CarcasePresentation and Demonstrations, by Mr C. Wurst(breeder and former butcher). A discussion washeld before the final address on the UF &, G PigPromotion Fund by Mr Lance Dawkins, Presidentof the UF &. G Pig Section. The Symposium was agreat success, providing an immense amount ofuseful information for pig producers.

The Advisory Board was involved in the forma-tion of Research Liaison Committees in rural areas.The first was formed in the South-East. Meetingsto be composed of the Director of Agriculture, tworepresentatives of the Stockowners' Association,two representatives of United Farmers andGraziers, one representative of the ABA (in thiscase, Mr G. S. Wheal of Keith), the Chief ExtensionOfficer (Mr P. C. Angove in this area), and theSuperintendent of Research Centres !Dr H. V.Chaiinhcr-laiiiv The first meeting was held atStruan Research Centre on 7-8 October 1970. Both

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Kvbybolite and Struan Research Centres were tobe inspected. The purpose of the RegionalResearch Liaison Committees was to establish astrong link between the Department of Agricultureand producer organisations in order to maximisethe usefulness of the Department s resources. TheDepartment needed to know what research,demonstrations and extension projects producersfelt were necessary in their area. Although thescientific experts had the i r own researchprogrammes in mind, their role was to improveexisting industries. Producers themselves couldidentify problems faced in practical situationswhich might not occur to theorists. This co-operation between producers and scientistswould ensure the research centres maintained avaluable level of input in the districts. Thefollowing year, the River Murray Regional ResearchCentre was established, and in 1972, committeeswere formed on Kangaroo Island and EyrePeninsula.

In 1971 a leaf analysis service for citrus growersin the Riverlands was introduced by Adelaide andWallaroo Fertilisers Ltd. The ABA discussed theannouncement of the service in the MurrayPioneer at their February meeting. Computerisedsoil testing was available to farmers and graziers,but leaf analysis was a better means of determiningthe needs of citrus trees. The most important testswere the levels of nitrogen, phosphorus, potas-sium and chloride. An analysis of these fourelements would be provided at a cost of $10. Onan increasingly competitive market, fruit growerswere obliged to produce the best quality citruspossible, and the identification of soil deficienciesor excesses was important. If the grower could

rectify these problems, significant improvementscould be accomplished.

Day trips continued to be an important part ofBureau life during the 1970s. Members visitedcentres direct ly related to a g r i c u l t u r e -Roseworthv College, Research Stations, WaiteInstitute — and also places of general interest. TheBoors Plains Branch, for example, visited the TipTop Bakery, General Motors Holden and BolivarTreatment Works. In March 1971 they venturedfurther afield on a five day trip to Victoria. Wivesof the Bureau members were invited to accom-pany their husbands. Two days were spent at theWimmera Field Days where members were partic-ularly interested in tillage equipment andharvesting trials. They also visited the Swan HillFolk Museum and the Co-operative Dried FruitSales packing sheds.

The following vear 25 members of the BoorsPlain Branch visited the Ixjwer North to learnabout methods of agriculture in that area.

Mr Wigney, an advisor of the Lower NorthAdvisory Service, was the guide for the dav. Firstvisited was a property at Marrabel wherelucerne and kale were seen as well as a lucernecubing machine. A syndicate property was nextto be seen with 2800 acres and running 4000grown sheep. A crop of lentils seen during thedrive held a great deal of interest. After lunch afamily unit property between Tarlee and Balak-lava was inspected. This was in very hilly, stonycountry with 2800 acres and carrying 3200 sheepand 140 cattle. The last place to be visited was aproperty at Bowmans where, in an 11 inchrainfall area, averages of 21 bushels per acre a

Past Presidents andSecretaries at the 75thAnniversaty Mauling ofthe Waikerie Kranch inFebruary 1972.Standing L-K: MessrsBrian t'ulwood, Ma\Kedinan, Peter Halstead,Geoff Jones, Bill Utvck,Hichard Hall.Seated l.-H: Messrs LeoLehmann, Ken Andrew,Mike Arnold, KevinTungden, Neil Andrew.

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Boors Plains Branch Committee, 1987.Back L-R: Messrs Don Westbrook, Colin Newbold, HodDanes lAsst sec), Lindsay Barker.Front L-R Messrs Dean Bensen tSecl, Don Knight iPres),Frank Westbrook /Vice Presl.

year were gained from the 1000 acres cropped.(C. Rust, Boors Plains Agricultural Bureau: TheFirst 50years 1929-1979 p. 27.)

Other branches visited each other to inspectagricultural techniques in different areas of theState. In September 1971, three car loads of Bureaumembers from the Kelly Branch visited theNelshaby Branch in the Upper North for two fielddays. It was reported as an "electrifying experi-ence" by one Kelly member who managed to siton a bared wire from a spark plug in his car onthe way home. In 1974 the Nelshaby Branch visitedthe Kelly Branch on a reciprocal trip to learnabout farming on Eyre Peninsula. The members ofboth branches enjoyed these exchange visits somuch that they repeated the trips, Kelly returningto Nelshaby in 1979 and Nelshaby visiting again in

Crystal Brook Branch Committee, 1987.Back L-R: Messrs Ivan VenninglABAi, Trevor GtviglTreasI,Richard Venning (Past Presl.Front L-R: Messrs Ian Crouch tPresi, John Kjirhner (Seel.

1981. This provided an opportunity to inspect theprogress in each district during the interval.

Insects and weeds continued to be a worry tofarmers, just as they always had been. In October1971, the ABA discussed a letter received from theCrystal Brook Branch on soursob control. Thesame problem had been discussed at a CentralBureau meeting in 1898. In all those years nosatisfactory method of dealing with soursob hadbeen developed. The Crystal Brook Branch in 1971felt something must be done to contain this weedbefore it ruined their land.

Since 1966 we have carried out programmes of"timely" cultivations and bulb counts etc andalthough the reduction of bulbs was significantafter a timely early fallow no lasting results areapparent - indeed sour-sobs are still spreading

Nelshaby Branch FieldDay in conjunctionwith Pt Germein Branch,October 1979. Inspectingthe Pea patch on Peter-Dennis ' propertyat Baroota.

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rapidly and we feel with disastrous results tothe valuable agricultural lands of SouthAustralia. (ABA Minutes, 26 October 1971.1

A press release from the Department dated 24June 1971 updated the information on dealingwith this weed. Senior Weeds Officer, Mr G. D.Baldwin said, "Our trials would seem to indicatethat on the worst soursob paddocks, there arevirtually no worthwhile legume or grass speciesto take over once the sour-sob has beencontrolled." ISour-sob Research Results Encour-aging, Department of Agriculture Press Release, 24June 1971.) This meant that it may be possible tocontrol soursob by sowing a recommendedpasture mix on stubble before the weed had achance to take over. Research into chemicalweedkillers was also underway.

Another problem facing many farmers at thistime was sitona weevil. A report on this pest wasreceived by the ABA at their March meeting in1971. Sitona weevil had been discovered in SouthAustralia in November 1966 and had graduallyspread across the State since then. Originallyconsidered a pest of lucerne, research disclosedthat sitona weevil was also very closely associatedwith medics, possibly affecting their nitrogenfixing properties by attacking the nodules. Subter-ranean clover did not appear to be affected in thesame way. Sitona weevil did not respond toazinphos ethyl, which was the most persistentinsecticide available at the time that did not causeresidue problems of its own. Some parasite mustbe found to control this pest. It was not until 1976that such a parasite was released. The first, in thewinter of '76, was an egg parasite, Patassonlameerei. Later, a parasite of adult sitona weevilwas introduced in South Australia.

A wide variety of chemical insecticides andherbicides were freely available by the early '70s.DDT, which had been so popular in the 1950s and'60s was losing favour. Scientists were beginningto realise just how dangerous this chemical mightbe, and the Department of Agriculture policy wasto encourage farmers to use substitutes whereverpossible. The main reason for their suspicionswas that DDT did not break down on entering thefood chain. Some animals and birds lived oninsects and organisms which absorbed DDT andcould thus accumulate large quantities of DDT intheir systems. This in turn could be consumed byhumans, further concentrating the chemical. Theaccumulation of this chemical in the environmentcould become dangerous. Today its use is bannedin most States of Australia, including SouthAustralia.

Chemical weed and insect killers were a boonto farmers overall. The horticultural industry is agood example of the way they contributed toprovide a lower cost product. The practice ofploughing between trees was abandoned whenflood irrigation was replaced by more efficientwatering systems. By the 1970s drip systems werein general use, limiting the area of topsoil watered.This in turn meant that fewer weeds grew inbetween, and the few that did manage to come upwere easily dealt with by applications of herbicide.A move away from ploughingto spraying for weedsmeant that labour costs were greatly reduced,which in turn was reflected in the final cost of theproduct. Selective herbicides could be sprayed oncereal crops. Only certain plants would bedestroyed, leaving a cleaner crop. A cleanersample at harvest was a much more marketableproduct than one contaminated by weed seeds.

Field days continued to be very popularthroughout this period. The Geranium Branchused their 1971 field day to compare two differentmethods of pig raising. First they visited Pocock'sopen range piggery at Lameroo. Here a 70 acre sitehad been set up. In contrast, the group then wentto Mr L. Cayward's piggery in which the animalsremained in housing from the time of weaning tothe marketing stage. It was useful to examine bothforms of pig management in the same day whenthe differences were still fresh in their minds.

In August 1972 the Murdinga Branch held ameeting to discuss their views on the work donefor farmers by the Department of Agriculture. Theresult was a paper entitled A Critical Appreciationof SA's Department of Agriculture ExtensionServices. This was subsequently passed on to theDirector of Agriculture and members of the ABA.Many positive suggestions for change came out ofthe open discussion. One of the first points to

Geranium Branch Committee, 1987. L-R: Messrs BobFinn, Secretary: Michael Jacob, Pivsident; Trevor Pfeiffer,Committee; Bill Small, Committee.

emerge was the lack of communication betweenfarmers and the Department of Agriculture. Manyof the farmers present were unaware of some ofthe services offered by the Department, and weresurprised to learn of the number of researchprojects in progress. They then went on to discussthe ways in which information from the Depart-ment reached farmers. There appeared to be threegroups of farmers, those who contacted theDepartment regularly, as a last resort, or never.The Department often reached this last group byway of the media (press, radio or television) andthrough their neighbours discussing new ideas orremedies to problems. When farmers did inviteDepartment officers onto their properties theysometimes felt the advice given was not entirelypractical for their particular circumstances. Inother cases, farmers were reluctant to inviteadvisers to see the mistakes the farmer had madein the past. The members also felt there wereother services the Department could provide thatwould be extremely useful, for example, a reliablemarket survey and prediction of future marketdemands. Suggestions for trial work by the Depart-ment and Bureau members were put forward.Under the supervision of Departmental Officers,farmers could conduct very useful trials for thebenefit of their neighbours as well as themselves.Such trials could examine the effects of burningstubble, suitable cereal varieties for the area, theoptimum rate and the time of application offertilisers. Several criticisms of the publicationsput out by the Department were offered. Thesewere mainly aimed at the bulletins, pointing outgaps in the information presented. For example,the mouse control recipe contained strichninewithout advice about how to obtain this ingre-dient. Another subject discussed was the problemof farmer training. Some felt that the Roseworthycourse was not suitable for practical farming. Abetter alternative might be to work for a goodfarmer before beginning on the family property.Meantime, farmers relied on their own experience,their father's methods, and the AgriculturalBureau. Finally, the members conceded that someof the criticisms were actually due to the behav-iour of farmers themselves; the Department wasnot always entirely to blame.

A surprising aspect of the Bureau's assignmentwas that so often the criticism of the Depart-ment was in fact a criticism of Bureau members.It was even suggested that farmers are the mainproblem!l.Many farmers are self conscious of their

ignorance or bad management and are reluc-tant to invite a Departmental Officer onto

their farm for a close inspection. They are noteven willing to invite their fellow farmers.

2. There is a tendency where a problem arisesto say, "Oh well, that's how it goes", andconcede defeat instead of asking for advice.

3. We tend to expect the Department to haveevery minute detail at its fingertips, withoutdoing anything ourselves.

4. There is a breakdown of communication fromthe farmer to the Department of Agriculture.If more contact could be made personally, byphone or by letter, the Department wouldhave a better opportunity to keep its ear tothe ground. How can the Department expectto have the answer to the problem, if no onehas ever told it of its existence.

5. Bureau meetings are sometimes enough toturn anyone off . . . It was agreed that moreeffort be made to reduce the time taken todeal with general business, correspondence,etc. so that we can get into the "meat" of thenight as quickly as possible while concentra-tion is still good.

(G. Polkinghorn and J. Miles, A Critical Appreci-ation of SA Department of Agriculture'sExtension Services by the Murdinga AgriculturalBureau 1972, No. 11.)

The general opinion was that the Departmentprovided a good service. This could become evenbetter if a few small changes were implemented.

The annual Oration and Congress had not beenwell attended in recent years, so in 1973 the ABAdecided to hold a Meat Marketing Symposiuminstead, hoping this would attract more support.The programme was divided into four segments.

A Problems of beef cattle production withspecific reference to artificial breeding,feeding, finishing and beef from dairy stock.Mr R. W. McNeil, Officer in Charge, StruanResearch Centre.

B The influence of breeding on carcass charac-teristics and their significance in meatmarketing. Professor R. M. Butterfield, Facultyof Veterinary Science, University of Sydney,NSW.

C Overseas marketing of Australian beef andmutton from the point of view of the Austra-lian Meat Board. Mr P. D. A. Wright, DeputyChairman, Australian Meat Board.

D Processing and marketing of beef and muttonfor local and overseas markets. Mr R. G. Jones,Director, F. J. Walker &, Co. Milsons Point,NSW. (ABA Minutes, 16 April 1973)

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Monarto Branch Committee, 1987.L-R: Messrs JohnTalbot (Seel, Robert Thiele, Tivvur Paech, Ian Hay, RodBurfoi-d, Geoff Gale I Chairman I.

Mr R. G. Jones was unable to present the finalpaper, so this section was led by Mr P. Bartlett.One hundred and ninety-five people attended thesymposium on 27 July at the Castle Motor Hotelat Edwardstown. About half of them were farmers,representing every area of the State. Ninety percent of those present agreed it had been a usefulexercise when they filled in a questionnaire at theend of the proceedings. The ABA decided to adoptthe symposium for the following year. In 1974 thesymposium took as its subject The Energy Crisisand its Effect on Agriculture. However, the annualmeeting of all branches had outlived its purpose,and this was the last of such meetings.

In 1973 a proposal to combine the Departmentof Agriculture Headquarters and the NorthfieldResearch Centre at Monarto was considered bythe Government. The suggestion was met withstrong opposition. The Department was muchmore accessible in the city and Northfield wasconveniently placed for farmers. The GreenockBranch was particularly vocal in its criticism ofthe move, sending a letter listing reasons for theirantagonism to the proposal.

At a meeting of the Greenock Branch of theAgricultural Bureau of SA, it was unanimouslydecided to oppose the proposed transfer of theNorthfield Research Centre from Northfield tothe proposed site at the city of Monarto, for thefollowing reasons:—

1. The money spent on the establishment of thepresent centre, including that which wassubsidised by the various producer organisa-tions such as the dairy, pig and grapeindustries (the latter through the PhylloxeraBoard). Possibly other sections will be wantedand it is doubtful if producer bodies wouldcontinue to provide further capital.

2. VVorktime and money spent would be wasted;time and effort being the most important asprojects in progress at the time of transferwill be interrupted and much research andpossible results placed in jeopardy. Manvvears could be lost in finalising research andgetting the results to the producer.

3. Distance from other existing research centressuch as the Waite Research, Universities,Roseworthv College and computer establish-ments will be a disadvantage.

4. Loss of services of scientists and researchworkers because of residential reasons asfamilies having established homes at consid-erable cost will be disinclined to move andre-establish a new home in the area. They willbe inclined to seek new employment possiblyin p r iva t e e n t e r p r i s e and cou ld beirreplaceable.

5. As approximately 70% or more of the primaryproducers live north of Adelaide and havefound the Northfield site convenient, they willbe disadvantaged by the proposed move.

6. The environmental situation of the proposedsite at Monarto is unsuited to much of theresearch work being undertaken, because oflow rainfall (approximately 13 to 14 inchesper year), higher temperature and higherevaporation rate. This would mean a differentresult. It would not be applicable to most ofthe areas in South Australia. Costs would begreater and there would be a greater strainmade on water resources. Monarto being in asemi-arid area and on the eastern side of theranges the mean temperature is higher

Greenock Branch Committee, 198~.Back L-R: MessrsJohn Nelder, Bany Linke ITreasl, Neil Zimmerniann,Malcolm Materne.t-'ront L-R: Messrs Ian GeierIChainnanl, Philip Georg /Sect, Peter Houghton /ViceChairman), Lance Kallaske.

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A depreciation and running cost of $1120 per yearshould be taken into account, and feed wascalculated at $37.25 for a 100 day period. Thus, inorder to make a profit, the farmer must buy at 28cper pound for a 300 Ib beast and be able to sell a450 Ib beast at 34c per pound after 100 days.

The costs of cereal cropping continued to soarthroughout this period. In 1973 the Governmentagreed to subsidise fertilisers at a rate of $12 perton for superphosphate and $80 per ton fornitrogen. This was a considerable help at the time.Unfortunately, there has been no adjustment overthe years to compensate for inflation, and thesame subsidies still apply today.

Agricultural Bureau branches everywherecontinued to be a source of useful, practicalinformation for farmers. Meetings provided anopportunity to discuss mutual problems and offeradvice from experience. The Roberts-VerranBranch raised the question of how farmers couldbest avoid over-tiredness when spending longhours on tractors, particularly at seeding time.The answer? Sleep.

The results of the Murdinga Branch fertiliserexperiments from 1971 to 1974 were written up byMr R. Wood, the Senior Soils Officer at Cleve. Thesetrials had developed out of a series of lecturesgiven by Mr P. Bennett on Eyre Peninsula in 1970.His topic, Natural Mineral Fertilisers, arousedmuch controversy, especially amongst the farmersin the Murdinga area. In March 1971 the branchdecided to run a series of experiments comparingnatural mineral fertilisers with conventional fertil-isers. These were conducted on the property ofMr Trevor Pearce under the supervision of theDepartment of Agriculture staff stationed at Cleve.Over the next few years the site provided a focusfor several branch field days. The final conclusionswere reported by Mr R. Wood in 1974.

l.The mineral fertiliser recommended byParafield Laboratories for the site was of novalue for cereal production, as assessed byfour years' trial work at Tooligie. Yields werewithin 10% of the Nil treatment [i.e. theuntreated control plot] on each occasion, andpasture production in 1972 was noticeablyless than the convent ional f e r t i l i s e rtreatments.

2. Useful responses were obtained with super-phosphate by itself, ammonium nitrate, andsuperphosphate + ammonium nitrate. In1971, the wheat yielded quite well, even onthe Nil treatment but there was an averageyield increase of 16% with the superphos-phate, 30% with ammonium nitrate by itself

and 41% with super and ammonium nitratetogether.In 1973, the wheat yields were half, or less, ofthose in 1971; however, superphosphate gavea 73% yield increase, ammonium nitrate 104%and super + ammonium nitrate 110%increase.The barley in 1974 responded well to super-phosphate (145% increase) and super +ammonium nitrate (220% increase). Theseresponses to nitrogen occurred although thesite has had Harbinger medic well establishedfor several years.

3. Burning the heavy wheat stubble remainingfrom the 1971 trial gave a pasture responsethat year, particularly on the super +ammonium nitrate treatments (i.e. wherestubble was heaviest). The effect of burningwas less on the Nil, dolomite and prescriptionmix plots.This response to burning was carried throughinto 1973 and the total yield of grain from theburnt half of the trial was 38% greater than onthe unburnt area. This response could beattributed to:-

(a) Control of cereal diseases (e.g. haydie andrhizoctonia) by destroying the carry-overhost material.

(b) Better pasture on the burnt area in 1972.

4. The effect of superphosphate placement wasquite pronounced as would be expected on asite of relatively short superphosphate appli-cation. A perusal of Table 10 shows that in1973 there was a 53% yield advantage inputting the superphosphate with the seed.The following year this effect was observed inbarley where there was a 39% advantage inputting the superphosphate with the seed.

(R. McR. Wood, The Murdinga Fertiliser Experi-ment [1971-1974], Department of Agriculture,South Australia, Ref S3/75, pp.-5-6.)

Similar trials were carried out by four branchesin the other districts. Pasture sites at Greenways,Western Flat and Mundalla were compared and acereal site set up at Wirrega. At Greenways thebest response was the application of superphos-phate, copper and zinc. As expected, phosphoruswas the main deficiency in a traditionally lowphosphate area. At Western Flat a markedimprovement occurred on the pastures dressedwith nitrogen. The Mundalla plot was leftuntouched in 1972, and the residual effects ofprevious fertilising examined. No visual differ-ences were apparent on inspection at a field day,

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MundaJIa Branch Committee, 1987.Back row L-R: Messrs A Finlayson IVice Presl, J ArnevIABAI, H Liddel iPast Pivul.Front row L-H: Messrs J Wiese Unr Vice Pitts!, T KnowlingIPresI, P Salmon tSecl.

and the dry weight of pasture produced confirmedthis. The Wirrega cereal site was sown withHalberd wheat. The sections fertilised with super-phosphate showed consistently betteryields thanthe untreated areas. Nitrogen also appeared tomake an improvement. In general, the prescrip-tion mixes, suggested by the mineral fertiliser

jcompanies on analysis of soil samples, providedno better results than the conventional fertilisers.

A public meeting was organised by the MillicentBranch, in conjunction with the UF&G and theStockowners' Association on 16 October 1974 inresponse to the Whitlam Government's GreenPaper, Rural Policy in Australia. A Working Partymet beforehand to read the paper in detail andprepare questions to be raised at the publicmeeting. This group consisted of eight primaryproducers, five industry leaders and eleven servicepersonnel from the South-East area. The publicmeeting, entitled Government Intervention inAustralian Agriculture Less or More?, waschaired by Gladys Smith, Mayor of Millicent. Twohundred and fifty people attended from a hundredmile radius around the town. A panel of sixaddressed the assembled group, including IanMcLachlan representing Stockowners, J. H.Heffernan of the UF&G, and Colin Hunt, an econo-mist with the Department of Agriculture.Resolutions from this meeting included supportfor a system of income tax indexation, oppositionto capital gains tax and probate duties, endorse-

ment of the principle of prosperitv bonds toprovide income stability, and a demand for theimmediate re-introduction of the full superphos-phate subsidy. The Working Party delivered theseresolutions to Canberra, commending the Govern-ment for presenting a broad document on ruralpolicv which allowed for wide - rang ingdiscussions.

1974 saw a severe attack of Downy Mildew onvines in the Barossa Valley. More intense growingof grapes was suggested by the Greenock Branchas a reason for the appearance of more pests anddiseases. Consequently, vine growers foundthemselves in a position where they had to treattheir vines with a wider and wider range ofchemicals at an ever increasing cost.

During the early 1970s more and more fannershad been obliged to sell off blocks of land. Thesmall acreages were often bought by "hobbyfarmers" many of them professional peopleworking in the citv and looking for a quiet countryretreat. Gradually the number of permanent ruralworkers reduced, and many farmers moved off theland. This change in the rural population wasreflected in the Agricultural Bureau statistics,particularly in the Adelaide Hills and the FleurieuPeninsula. The Cherry Gardens Branch decidedto encourage the new farm owners to attend theirmeetings, uniting the two groups of farmers ratherthan maintaining the division. An article in thelocal paper publicised this move on their part.

The bureau is keen to contact small farmerswho would oe interested in joining the group-Cherry Gardens Bureau Secretary Mr ArthurSoady said he felt it was important to unite thearea's new fanners with experienced men of the

Wirrega-Lowan Vale Branch Committee, 1987.Back row L-R: Messrs Roger Excell, John F/v, RogerGroocockFront row L-R: Messrs Ross Luff tPres), Philip Cornish/Seel, David Altus. Absent: Glen Cowlev.

186

A depreciation and running cost of $1120 per yearshould be taken into account, and feed wascalculated at $37.25 for a 100 day period. Thus, inorder to make a profit, the farmer must buy at 28cper pound for a 300 Ib beast and be able to sell a450 Ib beast at 34c per pound after 100 days.

The costs of cereal cropping continued to soarthroughout this period. In 1973 the Governmentagreed to subsidise fertilisers at a rate of $12 perton for superphosphate and $80 per ton fornitrogen. This was a considerable help at the time.Unfortunately, there has been no adjustment overthe years to compensate for inflation, and thesame subsidies still apply today.

Agricultural Bureau branches everywherecontinued to be a source of useful, practicalinformation for farmers. Meetings provided anopportunity to discuss mutual problems and offeradvice from experience. The Robert s-VerranBranch raised the question of how farmers couldbest avoid over-tiredness when spending longhours on tractors, particularly at seeding time.The answer? Sleep.

The results of the Murdinga Branch fertiliserexperiments from 1971 to 1974 were written up byMr R. Wood, the Senior Soils Officer at Cleve. Thesetrials had developed out of a series of lecturesgiven by Mr P. Bennett on Eyre Peninsula in 1970.His topic, Natural Mineral Fertilisers, arousedmuch controversy, especially amongst the farmersin the Murdinga area. In March 1971 the branchdecided to run a series of experiments comparingnatural mineral fertilisers with conventional fertil-isers. These were conducted on the property ofMr Trevor Pearce under the supervision of theDepartment of Agriculture staff stationed at Cleve.Over the next few years the site provided a focusfor several branch field days. The final conclusionswere reported by Mr R. Wood in 1974.

l.The mineral fertiliser recommended byParafield Laboratories for the site was of novalue for cereal production, as assessed byfour years' trial work at Tooligie. Yields werewithin 10% of the Nil treatment [i.e. theuntreated control plot) on each occasion, andpasture production in 1972 was noticeablyless t han the conven t iona l f e r t i l i s e rtreatments.

2. Useful responses were obtained with super-phosphate by itself, ammonium nitrate, andsuperphosphate + ammonium nitrate. In1971, the wheat yielded quite well, even onthe Nil treatment but there was an averageyield increase of 16% with the superphos-phate, 30% with ammonium nitrate by itself

and 41% with super and ammonium nitratetogether.In 1973, the wheat yields were half, or less, ofthose in 1971; however, superphosphate gavea 73% yield increase, ammonium nitrate 104%and super -I- ammonium nitrate 110%increase.The barley in 1974 responded well to super-phosphate 1145% increase) and super +ammonium nitrate 1220% increase). Theseresponses to nitrogen occurred although thesite has had Harbinger medic well establishedfor several years.

3. Burning the heavy wheat stubble remainingfrom the 1971 trial gave a pasture responsethat year, particularly on the super +ammonium nitrate treatments (i.e. wherestubble was heaviest). The effect of burningwas less on the Nil, dolomite and prescriptionmix plots.This response to burning was carried throughinto 1973 and the total yield of grain from theburnt half of the trial was 38% greater than onthe unbumt area. This response could beattributed tor-fa) Control of cereal diseases (e.g. haydie and

rhizoctonia) by destroying the carry-overhost material.

(b) Better pasture on the burnt area in 1972.4. The effect of superphosphate placement was

quite pronounced as would be expected on asite of relatively short superphosphate appli-cation. A perusal of Table 10 shows that in1973 there was a 53% yield advantage inputting the superphosphate with the seed.The following year this effect was observed inbarley where there was a 39% advantage inputting the superphosphate with the seed.

(R. McR. Wood, The Murdinga Fertiliser Experi-ment [1971-1974], Department of Agriculture,South Australia, Ref S3/75, pp. 5-6.)

Similar trials were carried out by four branchesin the other districts. Pasture sites at Greenways,Western Flat and Mundalla were compared and acereal site set up at Wirrega. At Greenways thebest response was the application of superphos-phate, copper and zinc. As expected, phosphoruswas the main deficiency in a traditionally lowphosphate area. At Western Flat a markedimprovement occurred on the pastures dressedwith nitrogen. The Mundalla plot was leftuntouched in 1972, and the residual effects ofprevious fertilising examined. No visual differ-ences were apparent on inspection at a field day,

185

Meadows Branch Committee, 1987.L-H: Doug Hampton, Vida Diener, Jean Page, AllenMeissner, Rodney Meissner, John Bosisto, John Diener.

Mt Barker Committee, 1987.Back row L-R: J Rowe, T Neumann, A Cmmpton,A Sargent.bront Row: D D'angelo, P Cifftm, P Fry.

land. "There has been a great influx in thenumbers of professional people who havebought property in the hills," he said. "We callthem Rundle Street farmers because they'veusually got enough money to support the landhut in many cases are uncertain of the bestfarming methods to use. The smaller farmersmight buy 20 or 30 acres to grow crops or grazecattle and eventually run into problems. That'swhere the experienced farmer can be a greathelp," said Mr Soady. Agricultural bureaus wereonce the only form of farmer communication.Farmers would meet mon th ly , discussproblems, suggest ideas and generally help eachother where they could. Over the years thebureaus' traditions have stuck with the experi-enced farmers, but the influx of small farmershas thinned the ranks. "That's why we are tryingto unite the two groups of farmers," said MrSoady. "In many cases they need our help asmuch as we need their numbers. The Agricul-tural Bureau would be beneficial socially andcommercially," he added. "All horticulturalproblems could be discussed while new farmerswould have the opportunity to meet otherfanners in the district." (Bureau Keen to HelpSmall Farmer, Hills Gazette, 10 March 1974.)The Coonalpyn Study Group was formed in

April 1975 to look into the matter of water repellentsands in the Coonalpyn area. It was made up oflocal farmers and research officers of the Depart-ment of Agriculture. Mr Peter M. King of theDepartment of Agriculture co-ordinated thegroup's activities. Meetings, trials and field dayswere held under the auspices of the CoonalpynBranch of the Agricultural Bureau. However,interest soon spread to the Upper South-East,enlarging the area beyond the Coonalpyn district.The group's concern was "the increase of profit-

able farming through co-operative learning,experimentation and application of new ideas".IP. M. King, Coonalpyn Study Group on WaterRepellent Sands: Second Report, August 1976.1 Thefirst year, experiments were carried out on theproperties of Messrs Glen Hartman, Gil Zacker,Heinrich, Kernick, Mickan and Schmidt. Allexamined the effects of different treatments onwheat and barley crops. The first three mentionedput in trial plots fumigated with chloropicrin at arate of 220 kg per hectare and observed its effecton water repellence of the soil, and plant and tillernumber and on grain yields. The others conductedexperiments to discover the effects of nitrogenfertilisers and seed placement and germinationon yields. They also observed the effects of tillagetreatment and nitrogen fertilisers on emergenceand grain yield in cereals grown on water repellentsand. The general conclusions were summarisedin Peter King's second report.

1. Fumigation of both loam and sand soilresulted in large increases in root and vegeta-tive growth and grain yields of wheat andbarley. The response appeared largely due tothe control of haydie and the release of readilyutilized nitrogen.

2. Water repellence in the soil was not affectedby fumigation with chloropicrin. This showsthat growth and yield can be increasedwithout alteration of the repellence factor.However water repellence may still be agrowth limiting factor and attempts to reduceit may still be rewarding.

3. Responses to 30kg per hectare of N suppliedin ammonium sulphate, urea, and sulphur-coated urea were similar, showing that therewas little advantage of one source of nitrogenover another. The yields obtained after

187

nitrogen was applied, were still very lowindicating that other factors were limitingyield.

4. Harrowing the soil resulted in reducednumbers of plants emerging only whennitrogen fertilizers were applied. Press wheelsprevented this reduction.

5. The impractibility [sic] of fumigation on broadacres has led to the testing of rotationalmethods of reducing root disease andincreasing soil nitrogen. The next sectionincludes an experiment to test this method.

(P. M. King, Coonalpyn Study Group on WaterRepellent Sands: Second Report, August 1976,p. 10.)The results of the 1975 experiments were

discussed at the August meeting of the CoonalpynBranch the following year, and the 1976 experi-ment grew out of their new knowledge. GlenHartman and Gil Zacker again offered plots for useand, together with Dean Elliott, conducted furtherexperiments on the effects of nitrogen fertilisers,fumigation and seed placement on the germina-tion and yield of barley. Jonathan Roberts agreedto test the response of lupins and cereals to bothsoil and foliar applied manganese. Manganesedeficiency was widespread in the area, and hewas able to experiment on both sandy soil andcalcareous lime with limestone gravel and rock onthe surface. Two other problems faced by farmersin the area were nitrogen deficiency and theprevalence of root diseases. Three courses ofaction could provide some relief from theproblems.

1. Control of grassesPasture grasses in the district (barley grass,brome, Wimmera ryegrass, silver grass) arehosts to haydie and eelworm and allow theinfecting organisms to multiply.

2. Increased use of legumes, oatsPasture and grain legumes are not hosts ofhaydie or eelworm and increase soil nitrogenlevels. Oats actively suppress haydie andstimulate suppressant organisms.

3. Fallow and rapeseedSpring fallowing provides a method ofreducing grasses and increasing soil waterand mineralized nitrogen. Rape is a non-hostof haydie and eelworm and may be beneficialin cereal disease control.

(P. M. King, p. 19.)

Glen Hartman and Dean Elliott conducted testsusing different rotations of crops to establish theeffects on cereal root diseases.

Coonalpyn Branch Committee 1987L-R: Messrs Ross Elliot, Envl Strong, RayKernick, LindleyCamac (Chairman), Jonathon Roberts, Geoff Kuehne,Peter Calleiy (Seel. Absent: Geoff Zacker.

In October the Annual Field Day was devotedto an inspection of the trial plot. After a barbecuetea in the evening, a discussion was held to talkover the progress of the plots. The branch invitedDr Albert Rovira, a microbiologist with the CSIROto attend. He provided some very useful informa-tion on diseases which increased the studygroup's understanding of their experiments.

The same format was implemented in 1977,when members inspected the next set of trialsduring their October Field Day. The focus was on:

Production of cereals and grain legumes invarious rotations. Disease control and nitrogenbuild up in various rotations. Effect of fumiga-tion and deep ripping of soil on growth ofcereals and grain legumes. Cereal eelwormcontrol using Nemagon and Temik. (CoonalpynStudy Group on Water Repellent Sands, 1977-78Programme.)They also mounted an exhibition explaining

their work at the Coonalpyn Agricultural Show.Another field day was organised in November inconjunction with the Oil and Protein CropsCommittee on different aspects of the trials. Thistime the focus was on:

Reduct ion of water repellence by deepploughing. Reduction of sand blasting by sprayseeding. Establishment and growth of lucerne,lupins and barley on water repellent sands.Rotations of lupins, wheat and barley, fertilizers,weeds. Grazing management of lucerne onwater repellent sands. (Coonalpyn Study Groupon Water Repellent Sands, 1977-78 Programme.)Plots on the properties of John Boundy, Martin

Klitscher and Bob Zippell were inspected.Those involved in the study group learnt a great

deal about farming efficiently in their area. Thestudy group provided a focus for the Agricultural

1H8

Netherton Branch Committee, 1987.L-R: Messrs RossLauterbach, Bob Tapscott, Jim Cattle tSecl, Peter Piggott(Vice Chairman!, Peter Barney. Absent: BUI Ware{Chairman), Neil Sommenille.

Cummins Branch Committee, 1987.L-R: Messrs R W Mickan tSec/Treasl, G W HaymanIChairmanl, CJ Hill IVice Chairman).

Bureau branch and the continuity thus createdmeant that members could see the progress theywere making. The study group stimulated discus-sion and action; local farmers took responsibilityfor their specific problems into their own hands.The Bureau's activities were directly relevant toits members' concerns and attracted the interestof other farmers in the district. Organised,methodical self-help such as the Coonalpynprogramme shows the Agricultural Bureaufunctioning at its best, to the mutual benefit of allconcerned.

The Journal of Agriculture published by theDepartment was finally abandoned in 1976. It hadgradually diminished in size, due to the expenseof production. Eventually the Department decidedto issue only fact sheets and bulletins. In 1975 TheChronicle, a newspaper reporting on ruralmatters, had also ceased publication. Radio andtelevision supplied farmers with an abundance ofinformation by this time and smaller magazinescame into existence to fill many of the gaps. Noneof them, however, provide the sort of overview the

nf

Coomandook Branch Committee, J987.L-R: Messrs JohnPaige, Garry Hansen, Steve Murray (Chairmanl, Ian Fox,Malcolm Day, Barry Goodali fSecl, Roger Bahr.

Journal of Agriculture did with its link to theDepartment of Agriculture.

A seminar on machinery economics was heldby the Cummins Branch in 1976. It was very wellattended; approximately 100 people came from allover Eyre Peninsula. Its success may have beenpartly due to good advertising over the ABC andin local papers. Also, it was a topic of interest tomany farmers in the constant struggle to make aprofit from farming.

Mr B. A. Simmonds of Kadina sent a letter to theABA in 1977 outlining his suggestion to breach thecommunication gap between city and countryfolk in South Australia. He intended to contact allsorts of rural organisations to arrange groups toescort city people around the show groundsduring the annual Royal Adelaide Show. It was anideal opportunity to bring these two groups ofpeople together to "exchange and explain". Themessage from the farmers is embodied in thepoem Mr Simmonds enclosed with his letter.

THE FARMER FEEDS THEM ALL

The politician talks and talksThe actor plays his partThe soldier glitters on paradeThe scientist pursues his germsO'er this terrestrial ballThe sailor navigates the shipBut the farmer feeds them allThe teacher trains the youthful mindThe broker reads the tapeThe tailor cuts and sews the clothTo fit the human shapeThe dame of fashion dressed in silkComes forth to drive or callTo ride or dance or promenadeBut t in- tanner feeds them all

ISil

The workman wields his shining toolsThe merchant shows his waresThe astronaut above the cloudsA dizzy journey daresBUT ART AND SCIENCE SOON WOULD FADEAND COMMERCE DEAD WOULD FALLIF THE FARMER CEASED TO REAP AND SOWFOR THE FARMER FEEDS THEM ALL.

IB. A. Simmonds, 1 February 1977, quoted inABA Minutes, 7 April 1977.)Large areas of the State had been affected by

drought in 1976/77. The Government finally agreedto provide drought assistance, and a sub-committee of the ABA drafted a report to beconsidered in establishing the scheme. Loanswere repayable over seven years (with a maximumof 10 years) at an interest rate of 4%. For manyfarmers severely affected by the drought, thefinancial aid provided by the scheme could makethe difference between bankruptcy and survival.

Although the State-subsidised Wheat CropCompetitions had been abandoned in the early'60s, many branches were still interested inholding smaller crop competitions of their own.In 1977 the Adelaide and Wallaroo FertiliserCompany donated a shield to the Mt Hope Branchfor a barley crop competition. The crop was to bejudged allowing a maximum of 80 points for yieldand 20 points for trueness to type. The competi-tion continues today, with the shield being heldby each year's winner for the duration of that year.

The Mallala Agricultural Bureau ran a stockingrate trial from 1975-77. The trial was initiated andmanaged by the members themselves with limitedhelp from Department of Agriculture Staff. In aneffort to gain useful information relevant to theconditions prevailing in their area, the aim of thetrial was "to observe and measure the effect ofthree stocking rates on Merino wethers, theirwool, the pasture and gross margin profit; and toevaluate the impact of the trial on local farmeropinion". (D. W. Russell & J. Sharpe, A StockingRate Trial Run by the Members of the MallalaAgricultural Bureau 1975-1977, p. 1.)

The last point was important; the trial might beable to give some indication of the value to farmersof information discovered by themselves ratherthan information from an unfamiliar source.

In previous trials held in other areas, welldefined trends had appeared when the stockingrate of wethers is increased above the normal levelwithout a corresponding increase in the amountof feed available These are:

(aJ Sheep lose weight over the lean period butregain it as the feed position improves.

Mt Hope Branch Committee, 1987.L-H: Messrs G Mahoney, A Ness, P Meaney, M Dovelle, DRoberts.

(b) Grown sheep are not permanently affectedby losing weight except under extremestarvation.

(cl Wool per head falls off slightly but more woolis produced per hectare,

(d) Fibre diameter decreases.(e) Dental wear increases.(f) Marked changes take place in the composi-

tion of the pasture. The proportion of cloverusually increases at the expense of grasses.At extremely high stocking rates weeds tendto increase.

(g) The most profitable level of stocking rate isusually reached before the maximum woolproduction per acre is achieved.

A site of medic pasture was chosen about 1 kmnorth of Two Wells 140 km north of Adelaide andapproximately 8km in from the coast) on theproperty of Messrs Sharpe Bros. The area has anannual rainfall of 400 mm on average, fallingbetween mid-April and mid-October. Unfortu-nately, the period of the trial included the dryseason of 1976, followed by the drought of 1977.The hard-setting red-brown soil of the site washighly resistant to erosion. Of 191 2Vz year oldwethers, five groups of 10 were chosen for the trialon the basis of body and fleece weight. One groupwas returned to the main mob and held as spares.On 2 March 1975, 15 kg of Jemalong medic perhectare was sown on two year old pasturesconsisting of medic rye grass, barley grass, wildoats, dry residues and soursobs. The plot was sub-divided and allocated as follows:

No. of Paddock Stocking rate Superphosphatewethers size (ha) per ha kg/ha/year

10 2.0 5 8010 1.0 10 8010 1.35 7.5 8010 2.0 5.0 NIL10 Spares

(Russell &, Sharpe, p. 2)

Sheep were put on the trial area on 15 May 1975.After three years the anticipated results were

recorded. More usefuldeducted from the trials:

information was also

to preserve medics in this environment, grazingpressure should be heavy during the winter,eased during seeding of the medics andlightened considerably during the dry periodby making full use of cereal stubbles for grazing.For this purpose sheep can be regarded as"tools" to suppress weed growth and encouragemedics for the benefit of future cereal cropswhich provide the main farm income. Anotherbenefit of sheep is to reduce the amount oftillage necessary for cropping. Thus, whilereturns from sheep are important, they aresecondary to the main enterprise of cropping.It was evident in 1975, a good rainfall year, thatthe highest stocking rate (10 per hectare! wasthe most productive and promoted the bestmedic pasture. This pasture remained green fortwo weeks longer at the end of spring than thelow stocking rate plots (5 per hectare). Thisimplies that ideally stocking rate should bemanipulated according to the rainfall season.This is possible either by altering the number ofsheep on the property or by keeping sheepnumbers constant and varying the hectarageused for cropping. In dry years the stocking ratecan be reduced on pastures by seeding less areato cereals; or in wet years an additional areacan be sown with a legume crop thus increasingthe stocking rate on the pasture area . . .Attention was drawn through the trial to thevalue of set-stocking sheep at optimum stockingrates as opposed to moving sheep around.Messrs Sharpe Brothers, on whose property thetrial was conducted are convinced that set-stocking decreases the problems of runningsheep. They supported their views through thefollowing factors:a) Despite the stress on the sheep during the

trough periods there was no tender woolbecause the stress was imposed graduallyrather than suddenly.

b) The only three sheep that died in the trialdue to stress were in the low stocking rategroups which had higher body weights thanthose at the higher stocking rates. But theylost 13 kilograms of weight per head in twomonths on over-rated dry barley grassresidues. It is probable that this stress wasthe cause of their death.

c) At the low stocking rates the pasturecomposition went to grasses and soursob

Afford Branch Committee, 1987L-H Me.ws J Snodgrass iPmsi, \' Rodda iSec.i. B Price, JMats, E Philbey. Absent: (J. Rodda

growth was unchecked. At the high stockingrates soursobs were not a problem, whereaswhen sheep are moved around, pastures arespelled allowing excessive soursob growth tooccur.

dl No scouring occurred in any of the trial sheepand crutching, although done, was virtuallyunnecessary. The main operation waswigging and ringing. (Russell& Sharpe, p. 13.1

Several other points were brought up duringthe discussion of the results at a meeting of theMallala Branch in February 1978:

the most common sheep enterprise in the areawas breeding prime lambs from merino ewes.This enterprise adapted well to the grazingmanagement of medic pastures because primelamb breeders naturally have double thestocking rate during the winter to that over thesummer months.The point was brought out that the body weightchanges in the trial sheep showed that ifwethers from a heavy stocking regime were tobe fattened for sale to the Middle East,preparation for this should begin 6 to 12 monthsbefore selling. (Russell & Sharpe, p. 141

The general opinion was that the trials hadbeen well wor thwh i l e . Some very u se fu lknowledge had been obtained, and otherinformation confirmed.

The Echunga Branch held a very interestingfield day on 9 March 1977. Fourteen membersvisited five properties representing differentindustries in the area. A report of the proceedingswas printed for the benefit of members unable to

191

attend, and to inform the departmental officers ofthe branch's activity.

The first stop was the property of Messrs O. &.P. Kuchel at Flaxley. They had converted theirdairy farm to gherkin growing and single-suckledbeef steer production. One and a half acres ofgherkins were grown under contract toStephensons of Mt Barker. The land was preparedwith a poultry manure top dressing and later sidedressings of complete "E" fertiliser were appliedduring the growing season. Bordeaux mixture wassprayed on plants during humid conditions toprevent blight.

The previous Friesian herd was crossed with aHereford bull to breed suitable calves. Mr Kuchelexplained that Friesians had too much milk andwould not foster a second calf. Calves were runwith mothers until the age of 10 months, and thensold. At the time of the visit, all stock were beinghand fed since there was no paddock feed. Theysupplied four bales of hay three times a week to10 cows, each with a calf.

The next port of call was Gordon Kuchel's newherringbone dairy at Flaxley. Four years previouslyhe had installed a new 10-unit "mid-line"Dairymaster Milking Machine at a cost of $15,000.The members were impressed by what they saw.

Teat cups are suspended above the floor of thepit. Don't need to hang them up on the nib wallbetween each cow - this saves time with cupchanging.

Cows walk straight in, turning left or right to goout of individual exit for each side, and go backto the circular holding yard behind separatebacking gates. Eighty-five cows milked in 75minutes by one man.

"Jadiem" feeders used with an open and shutpull cord to each feeder unit. David found thatthe feeder return springs were unreliable,causing feed wastage, so he fixed up the "shut-off' cords himself. Cords are threaded throughpulleys in the ceiling to keep them out of thereach of the cows. The ceiling was painted paleblue, to act as a fly repellent and give the dairya neat finish.

The "Southern Cross" self-propelled rain gunattracted a lot of attention from the visitors.Operating close to the dairy, technical aspectsof the operation of this type of irrigation systemwere described by David. Members agreed that,besides saving labour, the system used lesspower and enabled the ground to be wateredmore frequently. (F. D. Kaye, Acting DairyAdviser, Report on the Field Day organised by

the Echunga Agricultural Bureau onWednesday, March 9th, 1977, p. 3)

Lunch was eaten at Darrol Magor's combineddairy and piggery. The group inspected thepiggery operations. The 10 sty arrangement wasdesigned to allow easy cleaning with a slopingconcrete base. When sties were washed downwith high power hoses, the area would draineffectively. Other features were explained, .and therearing practices described.

The concrete floor in the sleeping area is raised75 mm above the dunging area and insulationmaterial under the concrete helps to controlsleeping floor temperatures in winter andsummer.

The seven fattening pens are 610 cm long (20 ft)x 244 cm wide (8 ft) but the three farrowing pensare shorter.

One fattening pen is occupied by the boar anddry breeding sows.

The farrowing pens are not fitted with farrowingrails, but a creep arrangement at the back of thesleeping area has two electric heater lampssuspended from the roof, these attract pigletsaway from the sow after birth to protect themfrom crushing. No bedding is used.

Two sows, due at the same time, can occupyeach farrowing pen, a temporary partitionseparates them. After both sows have farrowedand the piglets are well mothered up, thepartition is removed. This enables the two littersto mix well before being weaned, so avoidingfighting.

Piglets are castrated at three weeks and weanedat 6-7 weeks.

The breeding herd of 13 or 14 sows are LargeWhite x Landrace, or, Large White x Berkshire,mated to a Large White boar. Replacement giltsare selected from the more prolific strains,depending on litter performance.

The weaned litter average is 8.25 pigs per sowwith just over two litters per year. (F. D. Kaye,p. 4.)

Floor feeding was the most efficient feedingmethod under the circumstances. Weaners grownfor bacon were given two kilograms of feed in twobatches per day. Sows got a little more, 2.5 kg perday when dry, which was increased to 5-6kg whensuckling piglets.

The Eokomit trials on the property of Len andDavid Downing were next for inspection. The AlfaLaval Company were in the process of testing theirbacteria soil additive on potatoes. It was expected

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The Advisory Board of Agriculture 1977.L-R Standing: Messrs Peter Dunn (Eastern Eyrel, Bryan Vickei's tCentrall, Noel Isaacson (Murraylands West I,Cain Day (Upper South Eastl, Neil Andrew IRiverlandl, Stan Fulton (Lower Northl Mel Prior II ipper North.I. DavidSnook f Lower South Eastl.L-H Sitting: Messrs Graham Ashman (Lower Eyrel, Cicely Bungey lExec Secretaiyl, Don Woods, Chairman (FarWest Coast! Brian Hodda lYorke Peninsula!.

to contribute to a more rapid decomposition ofcompost and aid the conversion of atmosphericnitrogen into plant nutrient form. It was alsothought to assist in developing humus in the soil.The powder is first mixed in a concentratesolution, then diluted 24 hours later. This canthen be fed through the conventional sprinklerirrigation system. In previous experiments, trialplots using Eokomit flowered earlier and witheldflowers longer than conventional fertiliser. Cropwork was also increased by 10%. In 1977 Eokomit"B" was tested for its pathogenic values. It washoped that it might prevent viral diseases whichcould reduce yield by up to 5 tons per acre.Members were interested to notice the pasturewhich had already been treated with Eokomit. Ithad retained its healthy green colour whenuntreated pastures beside it had turned red fromrust fungus attack.

The final stop of the day was to inspect theBundaloo flower nursery at Mylor. The owner, MrsStephens, had established a cut flower industryhere, specialising in carnations. Six tubular plastictunnels had been erected on the four acre site,and a controlled environment maintained. Plantshad a two year life-span. Disinfectant pads wereprovided at the entrance of each house for people

to stand on before entering. This was to preventcontamination from house to house - one year1600 plants in one house had been destroyed byFusarium Wilt

In 1978 Mrs Cicely Bungey became the newExecutive Officer of the Agricultural Bureau, takingover Geoff Robinson's responsibilit ies. Herprevious experience as a Nursing Sister and StaffTraining Officer at David Jones' had fitted heradmirably for the job. She was to retain theposition until 1983, when she became Trainingand Development Off icer - Bureaux. Hercommunication skills have been further put towork in 1987 when she took on the newresponsibilities of Rural Crisis Counselling Co-ordinator.

The drought of 1977, caused a great deal ofanguish. On 20 March 1978 the Wolseley Branchinvited Mr Adrian Barber to speak on the subjectof hand feeding sheep to get them through to thenext rains. By this time, there was virtually no feedleft in paddocks for the animals. He warned thatrams would need a vitamin A injection beforejoining if they had been on continuous handfeeding for some time. The following quantitieswere considered sufficient to keep animalshealthy if they relied solely on grains and hay.

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Wolseley Branch Committee. 1987.L-R:Messrs D Vanstone (Chairman!, TButler, tSec/Tivasi,T Thomas, A Tink, E Ridgwav, I Ridgwav, T Kennett.

1. Adult dry sheep and ewe hoggetsA Grain and Hay

1 0.33 kg oats + 0.33 kg hay/head/day.2 0.25 kg barley -I- 0.33 kg hay/head/day.

B Grain only1 0.45 kg oats/head/day.2 0.34 kg barley/head/day.

2. Ewes in late pregnancyA Grain and Hay

1 0.45 kg oats + 0.33 kg hay/head/day.2 0.38 kg barley + 0.33 kg hay/head/day.

B Grain Only1 0.65 kg oats/head/day.2 0.51 kg barley/head/day.

3. WeanersSame grain rates as dry sheep, but need twiceas much hay.

It was clearly an expensive and time consumingproposition, but for many it was the only way tokeep animals alive.

In 1979 the Nosworthy family donated a shieldto the Mt Hope Branch. This was to be known asthe "Lake Hamilton Shield" and was offered as theprize for a hogget competition. The firstcompetition was held in July that year. Entriesconsisted of 20 ewe hoggets. The remainder of themob could then be culled (the worst 10% of thesheep removed) and the rest also judged. This hassince become an annual event, stimulatinginterest in maintaining the quality of breedingprogrammes each year.

The Yongala Branch held a Pastoral Field Dayon the property of Mr Liam McKeough, 8 km northof the North Peterborough Saleyards, on 28February 1979. Mr J. McColL the Director ofAgriculture, officially opened the proceedings. Itwas a day of practical demonstrations, coveringevery aspect of the day's theme. The activities

began at 10 a.m. with a demonstration of welding,followed by mulesing and disc pitting. Beforelunch a demonstration using a contour bankingplough was performed by Mr B. Knauerhause.During the afternoon, the programme included asheepdog demonstration, fence erection, anddisplays of a cattle immobiliser, wool presses,portable yards and meat saws. It was a greatsuccess, and those who attended felt it was a daywell spent.

In 1979 white snails were discovered on EyrePeninsula. Ten years previously they had beenidentified on Yorke Peninsula and were graduallyspreading through the grain growing areas. Snailshad in fact been a worry to grain growers for manyyears, as this letter dated 3 July 1947 from Mr D.C. Swan (Head of the Department of Entomologyat the Waite Institute) clearly indicates:

I have your enquiry of 13th June about snails inwheat at harvesting time at Point Turton, andcopies of letters from Messrs John Darling &Son and E. D. Holmes of Warooka on the samesubject.The snail in question is a native of SouthernEngland and is known there as a sheep snail; inthat region it is eaten by sheep while grazingand imparts a characteristic flavour to themutton. Its scientific name is Helicedllaericetorum.This snail has been known in the Warookadistrict for a good many years, and has beenreported to cause the trouble at harvesting time

Mr Bill Nosworthy, snr Irightl presenting the LakeHamilton Shield to Mr Llovd Mahonev, 1985.

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Stockport titanchmembers at a meetingon 24 Mairh 1987.Back L-R: Messrs IanSvd \aiiTi, John Rohde.Pat Connell (visitorfromRiverton Branch /,Graham Smith,t'mnt L-R: Messrs HossRohde, MuiTav r'idockIPrest, Ian Rohde fSeci,Mick Faulkner (CiuestSpeaker!.

that you mention. I do not know the extent ofits distribution on Yorke Peninsula nor howseriously it is regarded by agriculturists. So faras I know at present, no cheap and effectivemethod of control on an agricultural scale isavailable for a problem of this kind. I am,however, making enquiries on some of thesepoints and will write to you again when furtherinformation becomes available.

These snails caused havoc with crops and werea major problem.

The difficult years of the late '70s caused manywomen to become more concerned with the farmsthey lived on. When wages became too high, manyfarmers' wives found themselves helping out onthe property, becoming involved in jobs rangingfrom taking care of the bookkeeping to drivingtractors. As their interest grew, they wanted tolearn more about every aspect of farming.Gradually the Bureau found women joining itsbranches. For example, in 1979, six women joinedthe Stockport Branch. South Australia had seenmany social changes during the '60s and '70s, andthe new attitudes affected rural people too.Women everywhere were encouraged to take upcareers outside the home, some from financialnecessity, others to make use of their talents. Oneresult was that some women became experts intheir field. Not only did women become moreactive in farming, but many Agricultural Bureaubranches found they were inviting womenspeakers to address their meetings. This trend has

continued through the 1980s, and to see womeninvolved in the Agricultural Bureau has becomeincreasingly common.

The period from 1960 to 1979 saw many changesin farming in South Australia. Mixed farming hadvirtually disappeared during this time. Eachbranch of animal husbandry, horticulture andagriculture developed into highly specialisedindustries. New technology in every area changedthe face of farming. The introduction of many newchemicals to combat insects, pests and weeds,bulk handling mechanisms, and machinery on anever increasing scale all contributed to the newstyle, and these changes are reflected in the life ofthe Agricultural Bureau. Members discussed thenew methods at their meetings, and field daysshowed them in practice. Specialised schoolswere run for intensive training in new techniquesto help farmers keep up with the rapid changes.Conferences provided the opportuni ty forbroadening discussion. It was essential for farmersto keep up-to-date escalating costs anddecreasing prices for their produce led to an evernarrowing profit margin during the period. Thissituation combined with a drought or some othernatural disaster could spell the end of operations.Farmers must use every innovation to reducecosts or boost production in order to stay afloat.Throughout the '60s and '70s the AgriculturalBureau existed as an important source ofinformation on all these subjects, a place wherefarmers could learn about the best ways to makea living out of their properties.

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