Your blog category
Like all small communities, the village of Whatawhata Research Station extended far beyond the farm boundary fence. Part 5 records some of the new tales, many gleaned from the friends of friends. Lands & Survey v Maori Affairs. The success of the Lands and Survey Romney and Angus breeding schemes at Waihora, led by Superintendent … Read more
Christmas parties. When I look at the old slides of the Station Christmas parties, I cannot believe the size of the gatherings. Grown ups in summer garb and crowds of kids of all sizes. It just proves what a vibrant place it was, and how we were like one great whanau. And the pics I … Read more
Ritchey tags. When I took over the L&S Angus breeding scheme at Waihora, we had to decide on how to ID the 600 wild cows, and as our Station had used round brass tags on chains for years, Graham Hight thought they were the only choice. Thankfully the Ackland brothers of Mount Peel station in … Read more
Firewood. Before winter, getting stocked up with firewood was an essential for every householder on the Station. The Station had a circular saw which fitted on the back of a tractor driven by the PTO. It was a terrifying machine, and not helped by many people who had a few skills in using it. You … Read more
Betty Farrelly’s 1986 book (Farrelly, Elizabeth J. Whatawhata Hill Country Research Station — An historical Review 1949–1986, including early farming in the Waikato and formation and activities of the Department of Agriculture, (No ISBN number) is the main source of the Whatawhata Hill Country Station history, and much more. The photos in particular bring back … Read more
One good thing about a serious drought is that it makes people in both town and country realise that if it doesn’t rain, how very vulnerable we humans are, especially farmers who rely on pastures to make a living. Suddenly people are realising that water is a lot more important than oil – and that … Read more
CATTLE BEHAVIOUR BASICS: PART 2 Cattle as ruminants: Grazing & milking: Feed intakeBy Dr Clive Dalton Cattle daily routine Pictures of stomachs Milking effects on grazing routine Feed intake. Getting dairy cows to eat more
The North Tyne folks is canny folksFrom Kielder ti the werl,But them that lives i’ Bellingjum’sThe canniest o’ them erl. An’ when ye come amang us, y’oureAs welcome as can be,Ye’ll find that wor hospitabulAn’ open-hearted tee. But if ye plan te settle heor,Ye’ll hatta leorn the rules’We divvent like the cocky yins,An’ canna bide … Read more
Ah met an owld sweetheort the day.Ah’d courted when a lad;She smiled at the same shy way,But, man, hor eyes were sad. Ah kindly asked about hor healthAn’ hoo she’d fared i’life,An’ hed she come the way o’ wealthAs some man’s canny wife. “Three times” – she towld us, -“Ah’ve bin wed,Three times a widow … Read more
Ah wes feelin’ bad this mornin’, Ah’m nowt ower grand ye noo,Thore’s a throbbin’ at me temples, an’ a het flush on my broo;Wi’ achin’ joins an’ catchy thowt, Ah hevvent onny dootAh musta ketch’d the bug they cerl, – “Ah Lot of it Aboot”. The wife, she taks yin look at me, -“Ah know … Read more
Fair Doon the dale the dark North TyneRins bonnie on hor chosen line;Wi’ monny a sparklin’ silvor shineUpon hor faceShe weshes banks she wesh’d lang syneI’ reivin’ days On Kieldor fells she hes hor riseWheor sweet the lang-bill’d curloo cries;An’ tho’ at forst but lowpin’ size,-A wee bit ditch,-Yet bi she gits wheor wor place … Read more
The leet is fadin’ ‘cross the fell as Ah torn hame for lowse,-Anithor lambin’ day is ower, an’ just a score o’ yowesHes yit ti lamb – an’, man, Ah’m croose we’ve gitten this far thro;Without the troubles that we’ve hed the past springtime or two. Ah’m glad we gat the yowes erl dipp’d that … Read more
By Dr Clive Dalton Early historyCattle were brought to New Zealand in the early 1800s by the first European settlers, to provide milk, draught power, meat, horn and hides. They also played in important role in breaking down bush and scrub during pasture development. The Durham Shorthorn and the Red Devon were the first breeds … Read more
Sheep’s teeth, telling age by teeth, normal and abnormal mouth, teeth defects By Dr Clive Dalton Ageing sheep by their teeth Sheep have no top teeth. Instead they have a hard dental pad that their bottom incisors bite against. You can estimate the age of sheep by when the front temporary milk teeth are replaced … Read more
Noo the canny owld gadjees that wandor abootAlang wor village street,Are the yins that thor wives ivv’ry mornin’ hoy ootFrom undorneath thor feet, Ye can terk as ye like, but it’s aye bin the sameAs lang as Ah can mind;An’ Ah fancy that them that feels pity or shameJust speak o’t as they find. Ye … Read more
I’ve predicted the demise of NZ saleyards for some time, thinking that animal welfare and effluent issues would be the triggers for change. I was wrong, and didn’t predict that the final nail in the coffin of saleyard auctions would be the price of oil. It’s a big enough shock to fill the family car, … Read more
This ram’s tail is too short. It should be about 80mm longerDocking is in full swing and too many farmers are not heeding the MAF Sheep Welfare Code and are docking their lambs’ tails too short. The rule is simple to remember – “the dock should be able to wag”! Docking is done under considerable … Read more
Sheep, husbandry, genetics, stud breeding, starting a stud By Dr Clive Dalton What to breed for?When discussing breeding methods. we have assumed that we know what we want to breed for – our “breeding objectives”, and sheep geneticists can put you to sleep talking on this subject! When you start to consider this question, it’s … Read more
Cattle, farming, husbandry, stockyards for cattle, loading ramps basic principles, helpful construction suggestions, stand off and feed pads By Dr Clive Dalton Loading rampsHaving to build a set of yards for handling and loading cattle on to trucks can be an expensive exercise, but there is no avoiding it unless you can use your neighbour’s … Read more
Making a wooden handled shepherd’s stick. By Clive Dalton When I started as a ‘shepherd laddie’ on Anglo/Scottish Border farms in the 1950s, (thankfully on the English side), the first thing I needed was a decent stick to ‘look’ sheep on the heather and ‘bent’ (tussock) fells. The stick was used like the NZ musterer’s stick, … Read more