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
Making moving images – Video and DVDBy D.C Dalton and G. R. Moss The power of moving imagesMoving pictures are much more powerful than still pictures and the written word in getting a message across. Everyone knows that, and it’s especially true in farming where so many things we do are concerned with ‘action’. In … Read more
Northumberland, farming, husbandry, history, humour, dialect, Daft Laddies, 1950s By Dr Clive Dalton One of the big disadvantages of being a Daft Laddie on an inbye farm up the Tyne or Rede valley in the 1950s was that inevitably your antics and sartainly your predicaments would be on public view from the road and especially … Read more
Daft Laddies. Farming Tales of North Tyne and Rede 50 years on. By Clive Dalton and Donald Clegg An extract from the book – Daft Laddies. Farming Tales of North Tyne and Rede 50 years on (2003) By Clive Dalton and Donald Clegg. If you would like a copy, contact donaldclegg@btopenworld.com It was hard for … Read more
Research killed by bureaucracy By Clive Dalton New Zealand scientist Dr John Baker’s comments in a recent 2007 farming publication on “what’s happening to NZ science” was refreshing. Dr Baker led the team that developed the Cross Slot no-tillage drill at Massey and then by his own company. He lived like many of us through the … Read more
The arrogance of science By Clive Dalton I’m sick of the arrogance of science. Having been part of it in both UK and New Zealand, I realised years ago that there was no more closed mind, than that of the so-called “open-minded” scientist. Rocking boats was never good for a scientific career. Yet there has never … Read more
Sources of information from text books, research papers, technical leaflets & reports, sheep industry organisations‘ publications By Dr Clive Dalton Dalton, D. C. (1980).Introduction to practical animal breeding.Out of print. Photocopies of First edition available from Dr Clive Dalton, 12 Maple Avenue, Dinsdale, Hamilton 3204. Price $45 which includes GST and postage within New ZealandBlackwell Scientific … Read more
By Dr Clive Dalton IntroductionCattle have served mankind for around ten thousand years, and the ancient herders soon learned that if you treat them well, they’ll reward you with good production and profit. They’ll also stay healthy and provide you with great job satisfaction. Now believe it or not, recent research into the human/animal behaviour … Read more
By Dr Clive Dalton What everybody knows The old solution What needs thinking about now? The solution – genetics What to do Disclaimer This material is provided in good faith for information purposes only, and the author does not accept any liability to any person for actions taken as a result of the information or advice … Read more
By Dr Clive Dalton Balanced feeding Dogs need a balanced diet, which has everything in it to meet their needs for maintenance and production. What does a dog need for maintenance? Table below has a mass of information on the energy and protein that a dog needs. First, look at the layout. Note these features: · There … Read more
Finding sheep in UK and IrelandPurebred ewes on Somes By Dr Clive Dalton Finding sheep in UK and Ireland Without going back to the official MAF Research files (if anyone would know where to look), this is what Dr Neil Clarke, previously in Ruakura genetics remembers about the flocks he located that had sheep for … Read more
First MAF importation Selecting sheep for importation Organising the sheep before transport to New Zealand Summary of events By Dr Clive Dalton Summary of events Selecting sheep for importation Selecting individual sheep as a representative of a breed is never an easy task, as differences within breeds are always greater than differences between breeds. Sadly this is a much-ignored … Read more
Daft Laddies. Farming Tales of North Tyne and Rede 50 years on.By Clive Dalton and Donald Clegg An extract from the book – Daft Laddies. Farming Tales of North Tyne and Rede 50 years on (2003) By Clive Dalton and Donald Clegg. If you would like a copy, contact donaldclegg@btopenworld.com Recipes from Northumberland Federation of … Read more
Northumberland, farming, history, dialect, humour, machinery, ploughing, plough sock(shares), 1950s By Donald Clegg RocksNot all a Daft Laddie’s knowledge was gained the hard way. Some came simply by asking questions of the boss, or the old hands on the farm. I had been ploughing a field ready to sow corn, or maybe turnips, when the plough … Read more
Northumberland, farming, humour, dialect, military service, morse code, Korea, history, 1950s By Donald ClegggThe King wants a Daft LaddieFor two years I was a guest of His Majesty King George VI, followed by Her Gracious Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. It was an offer I couldn’t refuse and spent much of my National Service in Korea … Read more
Northumberland, farming, humour, dialect, Daft Laddies, floods, camping , history, 1950s By Donald Clegg Draining the peat for tree plantingAfter National Service I returned to work on a farm in the North Tyne and where I had my Daft Laddie wrestle with the bracken crusher. In those pre-Kielder dam days the North Tyne River was prone to … Read more
Northumberland, Redesdale, agriculture, farming, history, moor burning, moorland management, dialect, humour Moor burning: A Redesdale Daft Laddie’s burning desire By Donald Clegg The smell of reekFor hundreds of years man has used fire as a means to clear scrub and invasive plants off land so that he could farm it in one way or another. … Read more
Northumberland, farming, history, entertainment, Agricultural show, Bellingham By Clive Dalton Highlight of the farming yearThe highlight of our year up the North Tyne, without doubt, was Bellingham Show held in the last week of August for well over 100 years. We Bellingham folks dated everything in our lives by the Show. Arguments over dates could … Read more