By Dr Clive Dalton The old badge of office of staff from the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries. It featured the ‘a’ for agriculture and the fish was hidden inside the ‘a’. It was well recognised in the field and was developed at very little cost within house. MAF staff involved over last 50 years … Read more
History of NZ Lands & Survey Department Angus & Romney breeding schemes.A Selection of References By Dr Clive Dalton & Dr Doug Lang ReferencesDalton, D.C., Gibson, A.E. 1974.Breeding high-performance Angus cattle – a Lands and Survey project. Proceedings of the Ruakura Farmers’ Conference 26: 7-19. Hight, G.K., Gibson, A.E., Wilson, D.A., Guy P.L. 1975.The Waihora … Read more
History of NZ Lands & Survey Department Angus & Romney breeding schemes – Part 8 By Dr Clive Dalton & Dr Doug Lang Looking backBy the late 1970s the show was on the road and nothing could stop it. More than that – it had now gained international recognition. However, some local breeders were still … Read more
History of NZ Lands & Survey Department Angus & Romney breeding schemes – Part 7By Dr Clive Dalton & Dr Doug Lang Again, political genetics raised its head as bulls for the Waihora herd and on surrounding blocks were now being bred from the Waihora nucleus cows. It was made very clear by Angus stud … Read more
History of NZ Lands & Survey Department Angus & Romney breeding schemes – Part 6 By Dr Clive Dalton & Dr Doug Lang CattleThe momentum and enthusiasm created by the sheep scheme soon spread to the 30,000 Angus cattle run in the Rotorua superintendency. The technical side of the sheep scheme was looked after by … Read more
History of NZ Lands & Survey Department Angus & Romney breeding schemes – Part 5By Dr Clive Dalton; Dr Doug Lang Political geneticsLike all L&S regions, the Rotorua superintendency had a well established ram and bull buying policy, and a specialist staff member had devoted his whole career to this business. He was known around … Read more
History of NZ Lands & Survey Department Angus & Romney breeding schemes – Part 4By Dr Clive Dalton & Dr Doug Lang Enthusiasm firedThe theory backed by the practice (and vice versa), clearly fired the imagination of three important people – Barry Dawson, the L&S field officer for the blocks around Waihora, and the manager … Read more
History of NZ Lands & Survey Department Angus & Romney breeding schemes – Part 3By Dr Clive Dalton & Dr Doug Lang Dreams versus realityAlf Tinkham was Superintendent of Land Development for the Rotorua district of L&S at that time, ably supported by Lloyd Bedford. Alf was nearing retirement after many years of loyal service, … Read more
By Dr Clive Dalton & Dr Doug Lang Gene flowThe theory was very simple; if genetic improvement came through selection, then there must be more scope for selection in a large flock or herd than in a small one. There was never any argument on this point. Every student who had been bored to death … Read more
By Dr Clive Dalton & Dr Doug Lang A germ of an ideaIn August 1967, Dr Doug Lang and the late Graeme Hight were driving back from the Massey Sheepfarmers’ Conference along the Western Bays road bordering Lake Taupo, discussing a research project that they had started at the MAF Whatawhata Hill Country Research Station … Read more
Agricultural history. Dr W. E Petersen’s 1948 visit to New Zealand. By Dr Clive Dalton Pan Am has landed In1948, a quiet revolution hit New Zealand dairy farming. It arrived with the landing of a Pan American World Airways airliner at Auckland Airport, carrying Dr W.E. and Mrs Peterson from Minnesota University in the USA. … Read more