CHAPTER SIX

The Eighties and Beyond

The '80s opened on a positive note - a goodseason combined with good prices provided afavourable outlook for people on the land. Recordwool prices were received in 1980; the 1980/81harvest realised the highest grain prices in years;pigs were more valuable in 1982 than they hadbeen for some time, although increasing costsreduced the profit margin. The concerns of theAgricultural Bureau were those of farmers in thissituation, and the activities of the branches echothis feeling. They could look forward to consoli-dating their position, experimenting with newtechnology where appropriate and building onsuccessful enterprises when they had proved theirvalue.

1980 was a good year for wool. Prices were highand the excellent season resulted in a heavy clip.This renewed interest in the sheep industry.Shearing Shed Management Schools became verypopular during this period, despite some conflictwith the shearers' union (the AWU). There wasconsiderable discussion about the learnershearers and whether or not they were breakingunion regulations by shearing sheep withoutbeing paid for their labour.

Animal welfare groups were becoming increas-ingly active by this time, posing quite a problemto farmers in their criticism of current animalhusbandry practices. On 19 September 1980 theDirector of Agriculture, Mr Jim McColl, attendedthe ABA meeting to discuss the question of theAnimal Liberation Movement. He remindedmembers that, although they were dealing withhighly emotive issues, it was important to recog-nise that the movement reflected world trends.Agriculturalists must re-examine their ownpractices and be prepared to listen to the otherside. Only by co-operating with the animal libera-tionists would they be able to develop a mutuallysatisfactory code of practices. The industries most

affected by agitators were pigs, poultry, and sheep(with regard to mulesing in particular).

The Angaston Branch held the first of what wasto become an annual heifer competition on 5 May1980. The competition is open to all Bureaumembers and any other interested dairy farmersin the area. Each contestant pens three dairyheifers of any breed, and the judges and observersvisit each dairy. The heifers must not be in milk,and no trimming, clipping or brushing to improvetheir appearance is allowed. The judge of theinaugural competition was Mr Roy Feibiger. Heawarded both ribbons to Mr D. J. Koch for BestHeifer of the Day and Highest Aggregate Score. In1986 Hiscol, the Herd Improvement Scheme Co-operative, sponsored the competition and offeredtrophies for the winners. In order to promote theeducational value of the competition, 1986 alsosaw the introduction of junior competitions. Acompetition to choose the best heifer from lastyear's competition was also included from 1986.This provides an opportunity to observe thedevelopment of the animals, and assess whetherthey have fulfilled the promised potential of 12months previously.

Lucerne had been a popular pasture for manyyears. Unfortunately, the previous decades hadseen lucerne stands greatly reduced by two of itsmost devastating pests, the spotted alfalfa aphidand the blue-green aphid. By the early 1980s aphidresistant varieties of lucerne from the USA wereestablished in South Australia. In 1980 the Tinti-nara Branch conducted trials on lucerne, one ofthe most valuable pastures in their area. Approxi-mately one-third of the annual rainfall in theTintinara district falls during the summer months,and dry land lucerne pastures can make use ofthis rainfall, providing green summer fodder. TheABA was impressed by the Tintinara Branch'sexperimentation on 50 acres of aphid resistant

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Angaston Branch Committee, 1987Back L-R: Messrs L Pumper IVice-Pres), M Zeelander,L Sibley, W Rosenzweig, M KJemm.Front L-R: Mess/s H Koch ITreasI, S Fulton IPresI,M Grossmann (Seel.

Keith Branch Committee, 1987Back, L-R: Messrs L Pfeiffer iSnr Vice Prest, C SandersonUnr Vice Presi, M Paech tTreasiFront How, L-R: Mess m D Cozens /Sec), G Slattew IPresl.

lucerne varieties (in which the varieties werereplicated four times), and resolved to send thebranch a letter commending them on their hardwork and initiative. The trials were carried out onthe "Logan Rock" property, managed at that timeby Mr Graham McKenzie. Experiments withlucerne on different depths of sand were observed,as the plots covered ground up the side of a sandyridge. Department of Agriculture officers atKybybolite were involved in the trials and MrRobert K. Harkness, a local farmer belonging tothe UF&S as well as the Agricultural Bureau, wasresponsible for much of the work done in settingup the experiment. Several Agricultural BureauField Days included an inspection of the trial plotsand Departmental staff cut samples of the lucerneand measured both the fresh weight and the drymass produced.

Agriculture has become increasingly reliant oncomplicated technology in the 1980s. Farmersrecognise more and more that they must use allthe scientific innovation available to them if theyare to play their part in today's world. Thisincludes the use of computers in their work,whether for storing farm records, or obtainingoutside information. On 18 August 1981 the KellyBranch joined members of the public at the KimbaArea School to observe a demonstration of themicro computer there. In 1985 they learnt moreabout the role of computers in farming at acombined meeting with the Kimba WAB. Membersof both groups met at the home of Mr & Mrs LyallCliff to hear a lecture on the subject by Mr AllenClegg. Bureau members all over the State began torealise that computers had something to offer

farming, as well as every other branch of industryin our society.

An interesting exercise was undertaken at the1980 Upper South-East and Tatiara Conferenceheld at Keith. Rising fuel costs were a worry tofarmers, and A. D. Sellars and Sons Ply Ltddemonstrated a tractor powered by sunflower oil.The tractor, an unmodified Chamberlain 4080,was fitted with a dynanometer. This way theeffectiveness of the tractor could be measuredwhile running on both diesel and sunflower oil.The results were encouraging; it ran well onsunflower oil with only a slight power loss ofabout two kilowatts on average at the power-take-off.

Bangham Branch Committee, 1987.Back L-R: Messrs Eddy Parke, Peter Hill (Sec!, Bill Vogel,John MaJorey.Front L-R: Messrs Tivvor Pridham, Ian Ortlepp(Chairman!.

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Bern Branch Committee 1987.Back L-R: Messrs Peter Tanner, Trevor Hacker, AndyGapco.Front L-R: Messrs Joe Mack IChaimiani, Truvur Chappie{Sect.

Looking back at the early years of the Agricul-tural Bureau, we hardly recognise the croppingpractices of 100 years ago when compared to themethods used today. Gone are the days of burningoff, dust and horses. No longer are farmers warnedto rest the land, allowing time in the rotation forit to lie fallow. Good farm land is far too valuableto simply lie there and continuous cropping isencouraged. This, of course, is carefully workedout to maintain soil fertility, using grain legumesto enrich the soil with nitrogen to feed the nextcrops. "Trash" farming, the ploughing under oforganic matter to build the soil, is also practisedtoday.

Farmers had long understood the necessity ofcareful treatment of their soil to maintain fertility.One hundred and sixty people attended a confer-ence held by the Bern Branch of the AgriculturalBureau on the subject Living with Used Soils in1981. Prof. Jim Quirk, Director of the Waite Instituteand a world-renowned soil scientist, opened theconference, and reminded those present of thecomplicated nature of soil management. Mr PhilCole, a Senior Research Officer in soils with theDepartment of Agriculture discussed suitablestrategies for their situation:

Cultivation should be minimised because itdamaged soil structure and roots, so reducingthe plant's intake of nutrients and moisture.With the right irrigation system it was notnecessary to cultivate to grow grapes, he said.He knew of vineyards that had not been culti-vated for 10years and were producing well.

In the Tatura area Victorian growers achievedadded root area by heaping soil from the midrow space in mounds beneath their vines.The mounds were mulched with straw, whichwas left to be incorporated by organic agents.That practice considerably increased yieldsbecause the mounding compensated for theroot area lost because of cultivation and soilcompaction.The installation of drip or microspray irrigationenabled detailed control of water applicationbut an improved irrigation system was not acure-all. A total approach was needed.Over-watering could damage roots, and it wasparticularly important not to over-water andwaterlog the soil in spring when the soil androots were cold.Waterlogging at low temperatures providedideal conditions for root rotting organisms andif the roots were damaged by rotting the plantlacked the expanse of roots necessary tosupport it during times of temperature stress insummer.He said that such considerations did not marrywell with conventional frost control procedures,and suggested that was an area that neededfurther research . . . as soils being cropped aged,populations of soil fungi and nematodesincreased, host-specific soil micro-organismsestablished, and toxic substances were formedin some instances.While some of those organisms were beneficial,most of them led to decreases within yields andproblems with replanting.

That meant that growers should:develop an open, well drained soil which hadbiological as well as physical benefits;use organic manures and cover crops, whichimproved the soil structure and providedfood for soil organisms and so tended toprovide a more stable soil environment;check for specific replant disease whenconsidering replanting. Specific replantdisease was the result of a build-up of toxinsand pathogenic organisms on a previousplanting that inhibited the establishment ofthe new plantings.

For that reason, rotation of crops was desirable.A rough practical test was to take samples ofsoil from the area to be replanted, sterilise halfof it, and trv to grow seeds of the proposed cropin the two lots of soil. If thev thrived in the

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sterilised soil but not in the untreated portionit was likely there was a problem."Resting" a soil for as long as possible betweenremoving the old trees or vines and replantingthe area could help overcome the problem.Alternatives to rotation included chemical treat-ment of the soil to kill pathogenic organisms,which was very expensive, and the use ofrootstocks resistant to the problem organisms.( G r a e m e Jennings , The Conference ofQuestions, The Advertiser, Tuesday 9 June 1981.1Continuous cropping and trash farming were

the main topics of interest during the HummocksConference hosted by Halbury Branch on 11March 1981. The ideas were quite new at the timeand provoked a great deal of discussion. Sincethen they have become common practices in thearea.

Soil preservation was an important topic atAgricultural Bureau conferences in the croppingareas of Eyre Peninsula also that year. The FarWest Coast Conference sponsored by GoodeBranch at Ceduna on 6 July 1981 included paperson Minimum Tillage Without the Aid of Chemicalsby Mr Ron Provis of the Charra Branch, TrashFarming Machinery by Mr Eric Jericho ofWharminda. While the last two dealt with theactual practice of trash farming, Ron Provisexplained why it could prove to be very useful intheir area.

The traditional method of soil preparation inthese areas is to burn early with as hot a fire aspossible, and to work the ground as soon aspossible after the burn.Being concerned at the amount of wind erosiontaking place year after year, we began toquestion the advantage of these practices.

. ••It...... J IgCTEBBl I

Halbury Br-anch Committe li)87Back L-K: Messrs G H Bishop iSeci, T f' Neumann (Ptt;s>,G K Cottle, P W TillerFront L-K: Messrs A A Robinsun, A Chapman /VicePresident I.

These soils have little humus, and the questionis how to get humus into them as the rainfall isnot sufficient to break down vegetable matter.An early hot fire destroys the small amount ofbroken down vegetable matter forming on thesurface, and what is left is soon blown awaywith the wind. A hot fire sweetens the soil, andkills the bad vvogs, is the traditional answer.However, on close examination there is littleproof to substantiate this, in fact evidence tendsto refute it.

Admittedly delaying burning too late in theseason can cause problems if rains shouldcome. However, with modern trash clearingmachinery this is no longer the problem it was.The longer trash can be left on the soil, the lesswind erosion can take place, plus moremoisture will be retained in the soil.

Now the second question, why work the landearly? To get the sun and wind into the soil tosweeten it, is again the traditional answer.Nobody has yet explained to us exactly what ismeant by sweetening the soil. The truth isnobody knows. It is again only tradition. Havingin our own minds exploded the traditionalmyths, we asked, and are still asking whatmethods can replace them. More by accidentthan design we found that a poor late burn,with no previous working before sowingproduced yields equal to land treated in thetraditional manner.

We are gradually learning, and becoming moreconfident in the late burn, one tillage method.Even with an early burn no working of the landtakes place, unless early rains are received togerminate weed growth well before sowingtime. Under the circumstances it must beremembered that we are doing our first working,while on the old method it would be our second.

It is essential with the one working-sow methodto have machinery which will "dig" and havegood trash clearance, and sufficient power towork, at a pace and depth to dislodge weedgrowth which may have become establishedsince burning.

We use an air-seeder, trailing light harrows. Wesow our super through the machine at seedingtime and several days later harrow again withfield harrows. Visually no reduction in yieldsare noticed. In fact yields could be increased.Advantages are, saving in fuel costs, less wearand tear on machinery, more time for otherwork or leisure, and more important, a reduc-tion in wind erosion.

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Greater care must be taken with working depth.Too shallow a working will not disturb the bigweeds yet too deep may give a poor germination.

Machine shares must be in good order and ofsufficient width to cut all the ground. The mainobject in view is the maximum possible reten-tion of top soil, even if a temporary reduction inyields takes place. This reduction can be morethan offset by other obvious savings. (Summaryof paper in 1981 Far West Coast and CentralEyre Peninsula Agricultural Bureau Confer-ences, pp. 10-11.)

Trash fanning came in for close inspection atthe Central Eyre Peninsula Conference arrangedby the Minnipa Branch the following day. Mr JerryMott addressed this group as well. Mr FredMaynard of Lameroo gave a paper dealing withthe methods and results of stubble incorporationand retention in his own experience, and Dr BobFawcett of the Department of Agriculturediscussed the results of Departmental trials intrash farming, concentrating on its effects on soilstructure, nutrition and disease.

Interest in trash farming continued throughoutthe 1980s. In October 1984, the Cungena Branchvisited the Lameroo area to evaluate the newtechnique.

The first night was spent at Tailem Bend duringwhich a discussion on mineral fertilizer versuschemical fertilizers took place.

Thursday morning three car loads arrived atKeith Payne's property where he and hisbrother-in-law operate a farm, plus a machinerydealership. No livestock are run on the property,so all the work goes into intensive cropping.Keith stated that with the low annual rainfall(10 inches) they had to conserve moisture, plusretain as much trash on the ground as possible.To burn was to invite disaster as has happenedwith previous farming techniques.

Their plant consists of a Versatile tractor, aMorris chisel plough, a rod weeder, bladeplough and an airseeder. We inspected his cropsduring which it was heartening to see farmingunder marginal conditions.

During the afternoon we visited Fred Maynard'sproperty where he showed us his 4150 cultivatorplus air seeder, a modified slasher and a largetandem disc implement. Fred relies on histandem disc to overcome any difficulties withstubble residues. He was hesitant to recom-mend this machine for farmers in the lightersoils because the discs could bury the strawinstead of cutting it up.

Streaky Bay Branch Committee, 1987.L-K: Messrs Jeff Williams tPresI, Phillip Wheaton ISect,Meryyn Crossman (Asst Secf, Alan Roberts {Vice Presl.

We then journeyed out to the crop trials whereFred has been experimenting with differentrotations. On some of the trials nitrogen hadgood results, but on others it seemed to beuneconomic.

Friday morning we made a brief visit toRoseworthy College to look at wheat trials.

The trip initiated many things to discuss, manyideas to look at and was time well spent for allthose who attended. (Far West and CentralAgricultural Bureau Newsletter, No. 4,1984, p. 7.)

1982 turned out to be a severe drought. Allfarmers were affected, some to a greater degreethan others. Keeping livestock alive until the rainscame and new feed grew was a major problem formany pastoralists. During this period, membersof the Butler Branch experimented with lot feedingsheep. Previously, farmers had been obliged to sellor agist sheep they were unable to feed, or sufferwind erosion on the properties bared of vegeta-tion. Some work had been done on this problempreviously (as seen in information presented tothe Wolseley Branch in 1978 by Mr Adrian Barber).

Butler Branch Committee 1987.L-R: Messrs A Pfitznet, Publicity Officer: A Bishop,Secretary: S Fiegert, Vice President; I) Bates, President.

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Yongala Branch Field Day, 1982. Demonstration of spraying equipment.

However the Butler Branch contributed a greatdeal to this research, putting the theories intopractice, modifying and refining the lots suggestedto establish the most effective and economicalway to feed stock. Mr Brian Ashton, a LivestockAdviser with the Port Lincoln Branch of theDepartment of Agriculture, helped them co-ordinate their feeding programmes. Althoughthere was plenty of information available, lotfeeding of sheep had never taken place on a largescale before. Brian Ashton spoke to the ButlerBranch on drought management, and many of themembers were keen to test out lot feeding on theirown sheep. Seventeen farmers in the districtimplemented the plan, most of them members ofthe Agricultural Bureau. The trials went very well,and two of the case studies on the report on lotfeeding featured local farmers, the Fiegert Brothersof Butler Branch and Mr Richard Ware of theTumby Bay Branch. The information gainedduring the lot feeding by members of the ButlerBranch has been invaluable to farmers all overAustralia in surviving later droughts.

Despite the worries associated with drought,farmers, aided by their eternal optimism,continued to take part in Agricultural Bureau life.The Yongala Branch organised a Sheep Assess-ment Competition. These competitons, alsoknown as "wether trials", had begun to take overfrom the hogget competitions of earlier days.These competitions, based on the hogget compe-titions of the 1950s, are still very popular in sheepgrazing areas. They are arranged slightly differ-ently today, however. Instead of travelling fromfarm to farm, the competitors usually bring theirentries to a central yard. Here all of the animalscan be examined together and comparisons

noted. Although experts are invited as formaljudges, the observers often run a competition onthe side to see, for example, who can estimate thefleece weights most accurately. Sheep are oftenshorn later in the day, and fleece weights corre-lated. Many branches arrange for mid-sidesamples of wool from each competition hogget tobe tested beforehand - this means an accuratefibre diameter is available to the judges.

In 1982 the Roberts-Verran Branch sponsoredan airseeder school at Cleve. It was very successful,with approximately 400 people attending from thesurrounding area, some coming from as far awayas Kimba and Tumby Bay This was one of the firstopportunities for farmers on Eyre Peninsula tohear about this revolutionary new seeding system.Two keynote speakers addressed the school - MrDavid Rust from Adelaide and Wallaroo Fertilisersand Mr John Thomas representing the JohnShearer machinery manufacturer. One of the mainproblems with the early airseeders was that fertil-iser tended to build up and block the air ducts.

Roberts-Verran Branch Committee 1987.L-R: Messrs Bevan Millard tSecl, Adrian Masters, DavidMasters (Presl, Des Ottens. Absent. MJ 'Buzz' Walton.

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One Tree Hill Branch -a demonstration formembers during themeeting, 21 September1982.

However, airseeders provided a much fastermethod of seeding than the combine, so were ofenormous benefit to those cropping largeacreages. Static displays were set up by severalmanufacturers, and farmers examined them afterhearing the speakers. Representatives of thecompanies were on hand to point out the featuresof their own company's airseeder.

The drought continued into 1983 with noprospect of relief in sight. To make matters worse,raging bush fires broke out in the summer, devas-tating huge areas of the Adelaide Hills and theSouth-East. Both humans and livestock were burntto death, and enormous damage done to buildingsand fences. When the rains finally came, theBarossa Valley sustained thousands of dollarsworth of flood damage. Farmers all over the Statefaced the coming season in less than favourablecircumstances.

In 1983 Cicely Bungey took on the position ofTraining and Development Officer - Bureaux, andher responsibilities as Executive Officer wereassumed by Ms Lesley Jacobs who had been withthe Department of Agriculture since 1975. LesleyJacobs had previously taught home economics insecondary schools, and in 1975 had become theWomen's Extension Officer for the Department ofAgriculture. In 1980 her duties expanded toinclude overseeing the Rural Youth Movement;further expansion to encompass responsibility forthe Agricultural Bureau made her Senior Exten-sion Officer in September 1983.

In 1983 the Eastern Eyre Peninsula Bureauxorganised a study tour of the Upper and !x>wer

Mallee and the Riverland. The five day itinerarycovered a wide range of farming industries, all ofwhich were very interesting to those on the trip.

MONDAY Travel by bus Port Neill toRenmark via Cleve and Kimba.

TUESDAY Visit properties in the Parrakie,Lameroo, Pinnaroo districtincluding an evening meal withthe Lameroo Bureau.

WEDNESDAY The Riverland and Irrigationareas, visiting a Co-operativepacking shed and winery tostudy the operations of co-

Arno Bay Branch Committee 1987.L-R: Messrs Men1 Glare, Kin Dunning, KayPreiss, DuncanMcL'allutn I Vice Pntsi, Ron Gmsstn; Geoff Hauschild

, Kobert Pwiss

Crossville Branch Committee 1987.Back L-R: Messrs Geoff Bammann. Wan-en Quinn,Mathew Lnonard.Front L-R: Messm Kyrn Pean-.e iPmsi, David Foxwel! I Seel,John Price.

Franklin Harbour Branch Committee 1987.L-R: Messrs Clyde Shiphaitl, Francis tteinke, /Presl:Robert Morris, /Sect; Robert Jacobs; Maurice Beinke,fVice Pivsi,

operatives and labour manage-ment on an innovative fruitblock.

THURSDAY Visit upper Mallee properties,including the Wanbi ResearchCentre.

FRIDAY Travel by bus to Eyre Peninsula.

(Eastern Eyre Peninsula Newsletter, August1983, p. 9.1

The tour was well supported and those involvedfelt they learnt a great deal about agriculture inSouth Australia.

The recently reformed Mangalo Branch held aField Day on salinity problems in the district in1983. It was preceded by a meeting to which MrKen Wetherby and Mr Mason Siviour were invited.They both addressed the group, providing usefulinformat ion lor ihc local fanners

Ken described the Mangalo salinity situation asbeing a problem of excess water. Crops use lesswater than the original scrub, and the extra run-off as it travels down the hill dissolves salt

deposits in the soil. This causes an increase inthe height and salinity of the water table in thegullies and is called "valley salting".

The problem can be solved by doing somethingabout the excess water run-off.

Mason Siviour from Miltalie described his waterinterceptor (WISALT) banks he has installed on49 ha of his property. These banks are designedto hold the water on the hillslope. In one bankedarea water table levels over the past two yearshave been consistently falling.

A week later 32 members of the Bureau metwith Bill Matheson, Senior Soils Officer with theDepartment of Agriculture, Andrew Hobbs, andmembers of the Upper Eyre Peninsula SoilConservation Board, Mr Alex Sampson (Kimba)and Mr George Cleave (Mangalo).

Mr LJoyd Crettenden's property was visited andevidence of subsurface hillside water flowobserved in hillside soaks. The start of valleysalting was also noticed where a rise in watertable to within 60 cm of the surface of the broad

Cortlinye BranchCommittee, 1987L-R: Messrs Glen Brenke,Dene Williams, EddieLieblich, Alex SampsonIPresI, Allen Sampson (Seel,Andrew Scott /Vice Presl.

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gully was noticed. This water tested at 1,130mg/L which is quite fresh. Will this salinity levelget worse over time?A good puccinellia patch was then observed atMichael Nuskey's, who had fenced his salinescald, and hand seeded puccinellia onto the"roughed up" area. Active self-seeding is estab-lishing further down the saline drainage line.Interest was also expressed in other salt tolerantspecies such as tall wheat grass, salt bush andsalt tolerant trees. Planting of these speciesshould occur initially just outside the salt scald.Some tree species were observed in OranShardlow's property. (Eastern Eyre PeninsulaNewsletter, August 1983, p. 10)The branches of the Agricultural Bureau

continue to run trials in conjunction with theDepartment of Agriculture. Three Point Linkage,the Bureau newsletter for the Upper South-East,contained a report by Mr Kevin James on theWillalooka Branch's experiments in 1983. Thebranch was concerned with testing several waysof improving pastures.

1. Last year's lucerne establishment trial on MrKevin Hunt's property is being repeatedbecause of the poor season last year. Thereare 3 sections included in the trial.a Testing various varieties of lucerne, namely:

CuflOl Siriver Pioneer 572Nova WL 514 SpringfieldNataador Wakefield Hunterfield

b Using various cover crops. They are lupins,peas, triticale, barley, oats and clover. Thecover crops are sown in 7" and 14" rowswith Matador lucerne under-sown.

c Use of different fertilizers. They are:Plain super Organic base 1:1Super Cu, Zn, Mo LimeSuper + Sand (instead of lime,Ammonia 2:1 for comparison)Nil Treatment

Manganese and iron will be applied as a sprayat a later date.Matador lucerne is used with the fertilizertreatments.All lucerne was sown at 2 kg/ha, with limethrough the super box into 14 rows. Backcultivation tynes were removed to leave thelucerne in the bottom of the furrows. Woodenposts were dragged behind the combine toconsolidate the furrows. Lucerne in the varietytrials was inoculated and lime pelleted.This trial was sown on 1 and 2 July 1983.

2. Another lucerne trial is being conducted onMr Eric James' property at Willalooka. Thistrial is using 5 sowing treatments on a slopingsite with bad water repellence.a Conventional seedbed preparation -

lucerne seed dropped on surface andharrowed in. Cover crop oats, sown in July.

b Conventional preparation - with seed sownin furrows. Oats as cover crop. Sown in July.

c Conventional preparation - sowing with awetting agent in furrows. Sown in July.

d Conventional preparation - then sown tocereal rye (20 May 1983). The cereal rye isthen sprayed out before sowing lucerne, infurrows, probably in August.

e Deep ploughing (16") then rotary hoed andseeded to cereal rye on the same day (21April 1983). Cover crop to be killed and sownwith lucerne in furrows probably in August.

All treatments are to be seeded at 2 kg/ha ofSheffield lucerne and sown with lime.

3. A clover variety trial has been sown on MrWilf Hunt's property using the followingvarieties.Daliak Woogenellup Maral shaftalMt Barker Seaton Park 4 TrifoliumNungarin Esperance varietiesEnfield Trikkala

4. The last trial is testing perennial grasses on asite at Mr John Bruce's. The following varietiesare being used:3 Phalaris - Seedmaster

- Sirolan— Sirocco

2 Fescues - Demeter-Epic

plus Currie cocksfoot, Tall wheat grass andHaifa white clover.This trial was sown on 15 July. (Kevin James,Three Point Linkage, No. 3, July 1983, pp. 4-5.)

Comprehensive trials like this one provideinvaluable information for farmers.

For some time the ABA had been concernedabout the lack of adequate farmer training facilitiesin South Australia. Roseworthy AgriculturalCollege had previously run courses suitable forpractical farmers. The syllabus had been upgradedunder the directorship of Mr R. I. Herriott,resulting in a more academic course. In the early'70s it became a College of Advanced Education,so was no longer under the Department of Agricul-ture. In 1975 the UF &, S recognised the gap left bythese changes, and approached the Departmentof Technical and Further Education (TAPE) with

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Wattle Range BranchCommittee 1987.L-R: Messrs DonEdwairis, Noel CraigIVice President!, DavidSmart IPresl,John Cambert, TonyWoo/5 ton (Sect, RobMr Bride, John Dawkins.

the aim of introducing a new farmer trainingscheme. The result was the "On-Farm TrainingScheme". In 1985 farming was declared avocationand trainers became eligible for a rebate underthe CommonweaJth Rebate for ApprenticeshipFull-Time Training Scheme. The TAPE Course wasconcerned with providing a course in whichtheory and practice were integrated. A total of 30days each year is spent at the TAFE College, andthe rest on the farms. Course organisers claim thatthe structured programme, which requiresspecific skills to be learnt, is equivalent to 10 yearsstraight farm work experience. The pilot coursewas run over 18 months in 1978-79 through thePort Lincoln TAFE College. The 26 original traineeswere based at Cummins. Today there are approx-imately 200 students participating in what is nowa two year course.

In August 1983, the ABA passed a resolutionendorsing the proposal to turn Sims' Farm atCleve, Eyre Peninsula, into an agricultural trainingschool at secondary level. Mr C. L. G. Sims hadbequeathed his farm to the Government for thepurpose of Agricultural Research. Since his deathin 1960, the land had been leased to local farmers.In 1973 plans to establish a research centre therehad been discussed, but nothing further had comeof it. A move on the part of the Department ofAgriculture to sell Sims' Farm took place in 1984.During the Eastern Eyre Peninsula Conferenceheld at Rudall the subject was hotly debated. Allconferences on Eyre Peninsula that year votedunanimously to retain Sims' Farm for agriculturaleducation, although some of the land had alreadybeen handed over to the Cleve Area School. TheEducation Department appeared to be a suitablebuyer of the property, so that the plans to establisha residential farmer training college could beimplemented there. Although a residential collegehas not yet been built, the farm is used for teachingpractical skills to the Certificate in Agriculturestudents in Years 11 and 12 at the Cleve AreaSchool.

1984 also saw the establishment of a SouthAustralian Rural Advisory Council (SARACK Thiscommittee consisted of two members each fromthe ABA, the Women's Agricultural Bureau andthe Rural Youth Movement. The Council first meton 29 August 1984. Their purpose was to considerthose matters affecting rural people which werenot already the domain of any of the three groups,for example, transport facilities in country areas.

On 16 August 1984 the Wattle Range Branchhosted the Lower South-East Conference. Theconference theme was Managing Information forProfit. In an age where we are all constantlybombarded with information from television,radio and in print, there is a great need to be ableto sift through it and reject that which is of littleor no use. For the farmer, this is particularlyimportant in relation to marketing informationand trends. Farming is a business, after all, andmust be managed in such a way as to produce aprofit. The conference aimed to give some insightinto the ways in which the information explosioncould be used to help achieve this end.

Towards the end of 1984, three of the AdvisoryBoard members agreed to take part in trials of anew computer system, "Videotex". Elders - IXLset up Videotex in the homes of Messrs L. Guerin,R. Smyth and G Mayfield It was a service providingon-the-spot information about weather forecasts,current market reports, etc., with the capacity totransmit messages between private terminals. Forexample, a farmer on Eyre Peninsula with aVideotex system could contact a farmer with thesame system in the South-East. Videotex showedsigns of promise but, because it was still in itsearly stages, there was little information of anygreat value to the South Australian farmer. Similarcomputer links are likely to become popular inthe future as more information becomes availablethrough the system.

Computer technology is gradually taking animportant role in today's agriculture. Some

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The Advisory Board of Agriculture, 1984. L-R: Messrs Kevin Dunstone. Riverland; Don Mitchell, Lower North;Gerald Shipway, Lower South-East; Rohyn Evans, (Acting Senior Gmup Extension Officer/, Grant Mayfield,Chairman, Southern Hills; Brenton Kehn, Eastern Eyre; Rob Smyth, Upper South-East; Laurie Guerin, r'ar WestCoast; Trevor Roocke, Upper North; John Synions, Kangaroo Island; Jeff Pearson, Lower Eyre Peninsula;Noel Isaacson, Murraylands; Neil Smith, Yorke Peninsula; Brian Vickers, Adelaide Hills.

livestock is now sold on the Computer AidedLivestock Marketing (CALM) video system. Buyersview videos of the stock to make their decisions;the seller does not pay any freight charges untilthe sale is concluded. With this selling method,animals do not have to be held in auction yardsuntil sold, or returned to the property if no buyeris interested. This cuts down on the stress towhich animals are subjected in the sale yards and

decreases chances of cross-contamination whenanimals from different properties come into closecontact.

Chemical weed sprays are an important aspectof farming in today's competitive market. FieldDays held all over the State remind us of thesignificant role they play. The Koppio Branch helda very successful Chemical Spray and Equipment

Loxton Branch Spray Day,IK July 1985.

20(i

Loxton Diyland Branch Committee 1987.Back L-K: Messrs Thco Kaesler, Tom Shannon, TrevorFielke,f-'mnt L-K: Messrs Michael Vowles iSeel, Bevan r'ivlke(Chairman),

Field Day on 4 April 1984 at Yallunda Flat. Itssuccess was not only due to its theme beingdirectly relevant to local farmers; it also had to bewell-organised so that visitors had easy access tothe information they needed. This was achievedthrough the efforts of Messrs B. Penna, K.Macdonald (Branch President), and P. Docking(Branch Secretary*.

The followingyear the Loxton Branch organiseda spray day for its members and other interestedfarmers. Approximately 250 people were present,and it was estimated that about one third of theNorthern MaJlee farmers attended. Some peoplehad travelled from as far afield as Victoria to takeadvantage of the opportunity to learn more aboutchemicals and spray equipment. Most of theorganisation was done by Mr Michael Vowles, andthe information day was held on his family

property. A report in the Loxton A'evvs describedthe activities.

A Bureau spokesman said the basic idea of the"spray day" was to explain latest techniquesand comment on the sprays suitable to combatthe emergence of new weed varieties. 'The daysof spraying 2-4D with a low volume boom sprayare numbered", the spokesman stated.Farmers are looking at spraying fallow groundinstead of cultivation as a soil conservationmeasure due to closer cropping rotations.(Loxton News, 1985.1The 72nd Riverland Conference held on 18 June

1985 at Waikerie, was based on the theme PracticalSpray Technology. The agenda covered manyaspects of spraying chemicals in the context offruit production.

Spraying — the Basic Principles- G. A. Moulds, District Horticultural Adviser,

WaikerieGetting the Best out of your Existing SprayMachine

— S. Norton, Hardi Spraying Systems, CavanPoints to Ponder with Low Volume Spraying

G. O. Furness, Entomologist, LoxtonResearch Centre

Using a Multi-head Machine- K. Hudson, Citrus Grower, Sunlands- P. Schulz, SA Viticulture &, Grower LiaisonManager (Gramps)

Efficient Application of Herbicides- G. Fromm, Plant Protection Adviser, MurrayBridge

Three Field Sessions were held in the afternoon:1. Demonstrations of Multi-head sprays (threetypes).

Waikerie BranchCommittee 1987.L-K: Messrs ShaunArnold, AndnnvThomson, ChrisChristiansen I Chairman I,dreg Moulds ISAGRICAdviser), Tony Wui~st,Roger Gihhons, RichardSmith iSeci.

207

2. Using a Covered Low Volume herbicide Unit.- Darryl Lang & Barry Anspac ILoxton

Research Centre).3. Calibration of a Herbicide Spray Unit.

-Bill Panagiotopoulos, Horticultural Adviser(Bern) and Ian White, Farm Manager (LoxtonResearch Centre)

/Practical Spray Technology, 72nd Annual Confer-ence Riverland Branches Programme, 18 June1985.1

The effective use of chemicals is obviously acomplex issue which is of paramount importanceto today's farmers.

The first Karoonda Sheep Fair was held in 1985.Four Mallee Bureau Branches initiated the Fair -Sunnyside, Chapman Bore, Karoonda and Borrika.It was designed to highlight Merino breeding inthe Murray Mallee District. Its features includeram and hogget displays, yard dog trials, sheephandling equipment, and a large Wool Corpora-tion display (including a fashion show in 1987 and1988) as well as extensive commercial displays.The Karoonda Sheep Fair has become an annualevent since its inception in 1985, and is one of thelargest events of its kind in South Australia;attendance numbers have gone from 130 in 1985to 1500 in 1987 as interest in this well-organised,informative day grows.

A new Native Vegetation Management Act cameinto force on 21 November 1985. It controlled the

Borrika Branch Committee. 1987.L-K: Messrs Doug Pai-ker iSeci. Ian Wood tChainnanl,

clearing of scrubland, and made provision forcompensation in certain circumstances whenapproval was not forthcoming. The ABA wasclosely associated with the administration of thisAct. The original authority making decisions onscrub clearance under the 1985 Act consisted oftwo farmer representatives, Mr David Boundy ofMinlaton (a member of the Executive and FinanceCommittee of the UF & S, and a former member ofthe ABA) and Mr Neil Smith of Maitland (a memberof the ABA at the time) along with Dr AndrewBlack (a past President of the Nature ConservationSociety of South Australia) and Dr Robert Lange (areader in Botany at Adelaide University). The ABA

Tooperang-Finniss Branch Members, 1987.Back L-K: Messrs Peter Vivian lAdvisoty Board - Sth Hills!, Norbeit Von Kuetzen lPreside.nl 1986-871, 1'revot Movie,Sam Von Kuetzen, Horst r'ehrmann, Tim Prance lAg Oept V H I, Bill Walker, Ian Eats, Linton Jacobs I President1987-881 Wan-en Jacobs, Phil Hunt, Bmce Hicks {publicity OfficerlSeated L-K: Jane Jacobs, Kath Movie, Kos Eats, Dorothy Walker, Helga t'ehrmann, Jill Hunt tSec/Treasureri,Domthy Jacobs. Absent: Geoff Loader, Asio and Margaret Tognetti

208

i -Yankalilla Branch Committee, 1987L-R: Messrs PeterSymonds, IPivsl: Graham Putter,IVice Plies>; Nigel Pile, iSec-'I'masi.

has retained close ties with the authority, contrib-uting to a balanced approach to the preservationof natural vegetation in South Australia.

By 1985, farmers were again facing difficulttimes. With costs constantly increasing and pricesdropping, the profit margins diminished. Manywho had expanded during the early 1980s, payinghigh prices for land and buying machinery towork it, found themselves with enormously highinterest rates to meet. The financial side of runninga farm became more and more complicated. Toshed some light on financial issues, the Agricul-tural Bureau branches in the Southern Districts

. ̂ :'

;K-| fr

held a combined meeting at Yankalilla, The assetstest, recent changes in tax legislation, high interestrates and the new capital gains tax were discussed.The meeting was very well attended since it was asubject of concern to all. Farm bookkeeping is nolonger a simple matter; farmers today often findthemselves in a position of juggling monev tomeet mortgages and loans with high interest rates,and filling out increasingly complicated taxationforms.

Membership of the Agricultural Bureau hadbeen dropping off for some time. In 1985 the ABAdecided to conduct a needs survey to determineways in which the Board could be improved. Theyrecognised the necessity for upgrading the imageof the ABA and the Agricultural Bureau as a whole.If a higher profile could be created, raising thestatus of the Bureau, more support for its activitiesfrom both Department of Agriculture staff and thegeneral public would follow. Methods of achievingthis included more press releases, participationin topical issues, I such as Salvation Jane eradica-tion and its opposition from beekeepers whoneeded this agricultural pest to produce goodquality, regular supplies of honeyi, and trainingworkshops to develop Board members' skills.Reintroduction of a regular Agricultural Bureaunewsletter was also considered. Branches wereadvised to hold meetings in comfortablesurroundings rather than bleak, draughty halls.The branches were also encouraged to seek

l#MSin>'•u*» T**'*^..f.^U,*-.**

Tarlee, Stockport andAiford Branches, 1985Field Dav.

209

\lillicent BranchCommittee 1987 I.-KMessrs Ben Evans. PeterGregiirke, Garth Huppatz,Chris Skew, GeoffTucker, GeoffStorke\:Bill Gregurke.

sponsorship for field days and conferences fromagricultural companies. The ABA discussed thepossibility of strengthening links with similarorganisations interstate, namely the New SouthWales Agricultural Bureau. The South AustralianAgricultural Bureau has always maintained itsconnection with the New South Wales Bureau,sending delegates to their Annual Conference ;<heNew South Wales Bureau was always representedat the South Australian Annual Congresses anddelegates now attend the annual WAB function.The ABA believed that more formal ties betweenthe Bureau would be of mutual benefit. Theimportance of fostering close liaison with Depart-ment of Agriculture staff at all levels, and with theMinister of Agriculture, was also emphasised.

1986 marked the sesquicentenary of thefounding of South Australia. All over the State,people celebrated 150 years of European settle-

ment here, and the Agricultural Bureau wasinvolved in many of the festivities. The FreelingBranch entered three floats in a local Jubileeprocession. They depicted the early years ofagriculture in the Lower North District andincluded blade shearing, cow milking, separatingand winnowing. The Millicent Branch took part ina visit of the Jubilee Flag Ship Falie to Beachport.Members donated fleeces for a bale of wool to beloaded on-board the Falie in a re-enactment of lifein the district last century. The wool was latersold and the proceeds donated to charity. TheJubilee Trade Train included a Bureau promotiondisplay featuring Mr Keith Cameron shearing asheep with old fashioned blades. The Kellv Branchcelebrated its 60th Anniversary in conjunctionwith the Jubilee 150 activities. They marked theoccasion by organising a crop competition. Thiswas particularly appropriate, because the originalreason for starting a branch of the Agricultural

h'reeling HranchCommittee 1987.Standing L-H: l\'StandishiTinas/Assl Seel. K fannerI Sec I, tt Muster.i\ Schuster, J U'ih,J Kernit'h, T O'Brien!/'!'

Seated: K Given,J Caivrse ll'n-sl, K SchilcliVice Pivsi, K Heinrich.

y210

cW

Kelly Branch memhtntiul 1986 Annual GeneralMeeting.

Bureau in the Kimba district in 1926 had been toarrange crop competitions.

The ABA was involved in arranging a JubileeConference in conjunction with the Women'sAgr icu l tu ra l Bureau and the R u r a l You thMovement. For the first time in many years, theAgricultural Bureau held a function for all of itsbranches, and once again worked as a single unitwith the two organisations that had originallybeen part of the Agricultural Bureau, the Confer-ence discussed Global Agriculture— Can We Cope?on 30 and 31 July 1986 at the Festival Centre inAdelaide. Its aims were to bring:

Unity of purpose to a diverse community;Awareness of rural South Australians of nationaland international issues;

Knowledge and understanding of Australia'splace in the world;The ability to meet the challenges and overcomethe threats of technological advances and socialand economic changes. (Global Agriculture -

Can We Cope?, Programme, 30-31 July 1986,p.l.)The Conference was opened by the Honourable

Kym Mayes, Minister of Agriculture. This wasfollowed by an address by Katharine West, apolitical commentator based at MelbourneUniversity Her fiery and controversial addressaroused the enthusiasm of the audience and gavethem plenty to think about After a short break foraf ternoon tea, Professor James McWil l iam,Director of the Australian Centre for InternationalAgricultural Research, discussed The Impact ofGlobal Agriculture on the Developing World. Thiswas followed by a talk on Structural Change inAgriculture and the Rural Communityby PrafessorWarren Musgrave from the Rural Adjustment Unitat Armidale University.

An official dinner held that evening wasaddressed by both the Hon. John Bannon, Premierof South Australia, and The Hon. Kym Mayes,Min i s t e r of Agricul ture . The R u r a l YouthMovement presented the P. C. Angove Memorial

Mr Grant Mayfield presenting Awards to Mr Sydney Coleman trightl and Mr Ken Turvey ilefti

211

Award to Pauline Howard, and the WAB presenteda cheque for the New Guinea Health CentreGardens to Mrs Valerie Fisher, Deputy President,Associated Country Women of the World. ThePresident of the WAB, Mrs Shirley Williamsannounced the incoming President and Vice-President of the WAB Council, Mrs Diana Penni-ment and Mrs Marie Willis. The Chairman of theABA, Mr Grant Mayfield, presented 50 year awardsto Mr Sydney Coleman, of the WilliamstownBranch and Mr Ken Turvey, of the Milang Branch.

The keynote speaker of the evening was MrJohn Elliott, Chief Executive of Elders-lXL. Headdressed the question of global agriculture, andthe role Australia had to play, from the perspectiveof the private sector.

The second day began with an address by MrNigel Monteith, Director of Australian AgriculturalConsulting and Management Pry Ltd. His subjectwas Pressures that Community Values Place onWorld Agriculturalists, which provided the assem-bled group with much food for thought. The groupthen broke up into two mini forums. Delegateshad an opportunity to choose between Facing theAnimal Liberation Challenge or Farmers - theOriginal Conservationists. After lunch, the keynotespeaker, Mr Ian McLachlan, President of theNational Farmers Federation, discussed theEconomic Implications of World Agriculture. Thiswas followed by Dr Andy Stoeckel, Director of theBureau of Agricultural Economics addressing thetopic Competing on a World Market. Later, theaudience again split into two groups to attendmini forums, this time both on the same subject

Australian Industries Competing on the WorldMarket - Where Do We Fail?

The Conference was a resounding success,largely due to the efforts of the organisingcommittee Diana Penniment (Chairperson),Chris Curnow I Displays i, Marie Willis iRegistra-tionsi, Mark Scobie (Treasurer), Grant Mavfield(Entertainment), Connie Bartlett (CommitteeSecretary), and Laurie Guerin (Publicity). Ofcourse, the financial support of the sponsors wasimportant to this success, and the help of thefollowing companies must be acknowledged:

Monsanto Australia LtdCommonwealth Development Bank of AustraliaHorwood Bagshaw LtdICf Australia Operations Pty LtdAlf Hannaford &. Co. Pty LtdSouth Australian Department of AgricultureSmith Kline &, French Laboratories Pty Ltd

The ABA was intimately involved in the schemefor training Algerian agriculturalists in Australia.As part of a scheme to improve dry land farmingin Algeria, the ABA agreed to make arrangementsfor six young men to live and work on SouthAustralian farms for one year. The trainees arrivedin Australia on 16 April 1986. After a two weekinduction course at Turretfield Research Centre,thev divided into pairs and spent 18 weeks onfarms in different regions of the State — in the EyrePeninsula, Northern, Central, Murray Lands andSouth East Districts. They also took part in fourweek attachments to Regional Offices of theDepartment of Agriculture.

Algerian Agriculturalistsstudying a maize-divingoperation at Hordortown.

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Lenswood and Forest Range Branch Committee 1987Back L-R: Mesm-s H Edwaiils, I t'ilsell, R Schultz, G Flavell.U Brock.f-'mnt L-R: /V/rasre R Mieglich tSec/Treasl, D Kumnic.k

, P Jovcc i\'ict: Pivsl. Absent: B Hannafoiii.

The Apple and Pear Growers' Association ofAustralia held its Annual Conference in SouthAustralia in 1986, so the Lenswood and ForestRange Branch of the Agricultural Bureau decidedto arrange a three day Get to the Core Before 2004seminar in conjunction with the South AustralianApple and Pear Growers' Association while theinterstate visitors were here. The seminar beganwith a Field and Technical Day on 23 July 1986 toprovide a break between the conference andseminar lectures. It took the form of a bus trip toS. &, B. Plummer's Kenton Valley Orchards, lunchat the Lenswood Cold Stores Co-operative packingshed and an afternoon visit to Messrs Don andDavid Kumnick's orchard at Lenswood. The list ofspeakers indicates the importance of the seminar.

1. Predo Jotic

Subject:

2. Carlo Fiteghelli

Subject:

3. Ted Swales

Horticulturalist PomeF r u i t s , T a s m a n i a nD e p a r t m e n t ofAgriculture.

Modern Orchard Systems- Planning, Design andDevelopment.

Experimental Institute ofFruit Production, Rome,Italy.

Situation and Prospectsof Apples and Pears inItaly.

Professor in Agriculture,O ' K a n a g o n Va l l ey ,Canada.

Subject:

4. Paul Miller

Subject:

5. Shaun Keenan

Subject:

6. Richard Bartram

Subject:

M o d e r n O r c h a r dManagement

Scientific Officer in Horti-c u l t u r e , V i c t o r i a nD e p a r t m e n t ofAgriculture

Mode rn O r c h a r dManagement in Australia.

Market ing Director ofA u s t r a l i a n Growers 'Marketing Corporation,Victoria.

Marketing, Packaging andPromotion.

Horticultural Consultant,Washington State, USA.

Apple and Pear Marketingin the late 1980s.

An evening address was presented by Mr JohnJohnson, Principal Horticulturalist I Pome fruits),Department of Agriculture, New South Wales. Heprovided very useful information on N^shi Fruit(Asian Pears) and new apple varieties. The seminarwas also addressed bv Mr Ian Armour, Chairmanof the Apple and Pear Growers Association ofAustralia, and Mr Robert Swift, Chairman of theApple and Pear Corporation. Of the 250 peopleparticipating in the seminar, approximately 40%were delegates from interstate. The seminar wasvery successful and had wide ramifications, theeffects of which are currently being felt throughoutthe industry.

A new cereal was gradually taking on in SouthAustralia during the 1980s. Triticale, a crassbetween wheat and rye, was first grown commer-cially in South Australia in 1978. It had beendeveloped at the Waite Institute. It is an excellentanimal fodder because it is a particularly goodsource of protein. Triticale is also a useful crop toplant in drifting areas because of its ability towithstand sand-blasting.

The Riverland Gadget Day, sponsored bydifferent Agricultural Bureaux in the district eachyear has become an important event in SouthAustralian Agriculture. The first Gadget Day washeld at Moorook in 1968. Since then it has rapidlygrown, until the organisers expected 8,000-10,000visitors in 1987 with more than 200 sites taken upby exhibitors. Display and information stalls arearranged by both Government Departments andprivate industry. Prizes are offered in a GeneralCategory, a Gadget Gone Wrong and the MostSuccessful Labour Saving Device. Altogether these

213

Riverland Gadget Day Committee, 1987L-R: Mr Geoff Guscott, Kenmark Branch; A/s Jennv Curtis; Messi's Graham Dean, Haiimark; Phi! Larimer; Joe Meek,Berri; Brad Smith, Renmark /SAGRICAdviswi; Sam Alhanese, Renmark; Michael Trautwein(Chairman!, Henmark; Bruce Moms (Sec) Henmark; Peter Freeman, Runmark.

three categories compete for a total of more than$1,000 in prize money. Commercial exhibitors areoffered prizes for the display best presented andfor the most innovative equipment or product. Anofficial dinner is held each year for exhibitors andthe general public. In 1986 a poster competitionwas included. Students of the Riverland HighSchools were invited to design posters around thetheme How Do You See The Fruit GrowingIndustry of the Riverland Past and Present.

Conferences and Field Days continued to bevery popular among Agricul tura l Bureaubranches. These events had been introduced bythe Bureau in the earliest days of its existence,and have remained an important part of Agricul-tural Bureau life ever since. The Lower South-Eastbranches have revitalised their conferences aftera disappointing turnout in 1980. Each year sincethen the conference has had a theme to provide afocus for the speakers. For example, the 1986conference was addressed by Mr Jim Shepherd,President of the Australian Merino Society, andthe South-East Jubilee Sheep Expo was developedaround his speech. Each conference has a keynotespeaker, someone well-known that will attractaudiences. To make this possible, the brancheshave sought commercial sponsors. This way theycan afford to pay speakers and cover the cost ofair fares, etc. Conference books are provided atthe door, the cost included in the registration fee.They include papers from the speakers, adver-tising and a promotional page for the AgriculturalBureau. Displays relating to the conference themeare set up. The conferences have become muchmore important events due to these changes andbetter organisation. Much larger crowds are

attracted to what is perceived by the generalpublic, as well as Bureau members, as a worth-while day.

Many of the members of the Agricultural Bureauhave contributed considerably to the widercommunity. Often the people who are preparedto put an effort into any community organisationin the country are involved in many similar groups,and are concerned about community issues. Thisapplies particularly to politicians, and there areseveral Agricultural Bureau members currentlyrepresenting different parts of South Australia onboth State and Federal levels. They include:

Neil Andrew, Waikerie Branch, Member forWakefield and House of Representatives.Peter Dunn, Tuckey Branch, Member of Legis-lative Council, Upper House of South Australia.Peter Blacker, Member, Butler Branch, Memberfor Flinders in the State Parliament.

Until recently, David Boundy, of the MinlatonBranch was the Member for Goyder in the StateParliament.

Over the years, many Agricultural Bureaumembers have made their mark on politics in thiscountry, most notably, Sir Thomas Playford of theAshton Branch, who became the State Premier.The original Central Bureau (forerunner to theABA) consisted of several politicians, and thisinvolvement has continued through the century.

Other Bureau members hold prominent posi-tions in grower organisations, for example theUnited Farmers and Stockowners I formerly theUnited Farmers and Graziers). These include D. B.Pfitzner (Buchanan Branch), B. G. Schinkel (Kvbv-

214

bolite Branch), Gerald Martin (Wattle RangeBranch) and Jim Valladares (Waterloo Branch).

The Agricultural Bureau fosters interest in agri-cultural education and research. Several membersof the Bureau have been awarded ChurchillFellowships and Nuffield Scholarships. Messrs R.H. Badman, of the Kvbybolite Branch and Ian S.Tolley of the Renmark Branch have both beenChurchill Fellows. The Nuffield Scholarship wasset up after World War II by Lord Nuffield of BritishLeyland fame. He arranged a Trust Fund to allowCommonwealth citizens to embark on study toursof the United Kingdom, and for British citizens tostudy overseas. They are open to those wishing todo research in agriculture, medicine and environ-mental studies for approximately six months. Twocandidates from Australia qualify each year, andthe States each take a turn; this means that eachState sends a scholar every three years. Agricul-tural Bureau members chosen over the yearsinclude:

1950 C. R. Kelly1953 Allan C. Hookings, Millicent Branch1956 M. L. Davies, Kybybolite Branch1960 P. J. Young1972 Guy S. Wheal, Millicent Branch1975 J. N, Andrew, Waikerie Branch1984 Trevor Day, Weaver's Branch1987 David Shannon, Kapunda Branch

South Australian farmers currently face themost difficult circumstances the agriculturalindustry has seen for some time. Once again, theyare encouraged to diversify, just as they had beenin the past. The emphasis has changed todaythough, and instead of running sidelines, they areadvised to identify new markets and grow newproducts. Grain legumes have become animportant new industry and some farmers havebranched into floriculture, growing native flowersin particular. The self-help nature of the Bureau isinstrumental in developing these new areas ofagriculture. Members can discuss the new prod-uct's economic value and methods of cultivation,harvest, etc; they also arrange field days toexamine the results of new products on propertiesof local farmers who have already tried them.

In 1987 the Agricultural Bureau was representedat the two-day South-East Agricultural Field Dayheld at Lucindale. The Lower South-East branchessponsored a demonstration of butchering as ameans of promoting the Agricultural Bureau andencouraging new members to join. They arrangedfor Mr Glen Feist, a butcher from Naracoorte, togive a light-hearted demonstration on preparing acarcase for the kitchen.

The Nelshaby Branch inspecting Jojoba trees at Baroota.Jojoba has been introduced to this pmperty as a meansof diversifying production

The Agricultural Bureau has survived in almostthe same form for one hundred years. Meetingstoday are less formal than they were in the earlydays, however, and guest speakers are invitedmuch more often. Branch members rarely givelengthy papers at ordinary meetings, althoughthis varies somewhat between branches. Ideas areexpressed more freely in the presence of guesthpi-iikers, but members it-alise that local peoplesometimes have more knowledge relating to theirspecific problems than experts from other partsof the State. Experience teaches some things thatcan be learnt no other way, and farmers are oftenmore willing to accept a new practice which hasbeen proven in their district, rather than tested inthe controlled environment of research centres.The more casual structure of meetings allowsmembers to exchange information less formally,and some branches prefer to quiz a guest speakerrather than listen to a lengthy lecture. Thisencourages all members to participate in thediscussion, and enables them to get the infor-mation they really need from the speaker.

215

Branches tend to have more field days, demon-strations and visits than in the early days. Straightmeetings are not very attractive to many of today'sfarmers, and, in order to get non-Bureau membersinvolved in their activities, Agricultural Bureaubranches have to organise more interesting events.Some branches emphasise the social aspect oftheir meetings more than others, providing supperafterwards or a barbecue tea after field days. Suchtimes give members an opportunity to discussideas in an informal manner; they can bring upsubjects not mentioned during the meeting, andthose uncomfortable speaking to a large groupcan ask questions privately. Annual Dinners arepopular, especially as they provide an opportunityfor members' wives to be involved in the Agricul-tural Bureau activities. However, more and morewomen are becoming full members of the Bureau;their interest in fanning has been aroused andmany play an active role in the management andlabour involved in running the family property.

Some commercial companies are currentlysetting up discussion groups for farmers. Therewas considerable controversy amongst Bureaumembers on this subject - some see the groupsas a threat to the Bureau movement, believing thatfarmers will only go to one agricultural meetingand, if they have already been to a discussiongroup, they are less likely to attend Bureaumeetings. Others see these groups as comple-mentary to, rather than being in competition with,the Bureau. In areas where farmers are involvedin a variety of different industries, it is very difficultfor a single branch to cater for all interests.However, the important point is that, if farmersprefer to go to other discussion groups, the Bureauis not fulfilling all their needs. The answer may beto approach the organisers of discussion groupsand encourage them to conduct the meetingswithin the existing system rather than separatelyfrom the Agricultural Bureau. The Bureau mustre-examine its programme and activities, makingthe necessary adjustments to survive as a vitalforce in agricultural education in this State.

Farmers no longer rely on the Bureau for alltheir information about changes in agriculture.Television, radio and an abundance of agriculturalnewspapers, journals and magazines duplicatemuch of the information available through theBureau. However, the Bureau provides animportant place for interaction between people.Here they can discuss the ideas they have read orheard about, modifying and evaluating new tech-niques in the light of others' knowledge. And,perhaps most importantly, the AgriculturalBureau provides an opportunity to discover the

success or failure of the innovations from theexperience of those who have put them intopractice. Practical experience is often moreconvincing than scientific research.

In recent years, membership numbers havebeen gradually decreasing. This reflects, at leastin part, the declining rural population of SouthAustralia. During the current recession, even morepeople are being forced to sell up and move to thetowns and cities. However, the Bureau still repre-sents a similar percentage (about one quarter) offarm workers as it has in the past. Part of theAgricultural Bureau centenary celebrationsinclude a membership drive. New interest in theAgricultural Bureau has been generated throughthis exercise, and a new branch, Bundaleer, hasbeen opened in the Lower North District south ofJamestown. There is also a possibility of anotherbranch opening in early 1988, in the Georgetown/Gulnare area.

South Australian farmers are now dealing withone of the most challenging periods since theDepression of the 1930s. Now is the time whenthe Agricultural Bureau can offer an importantservice. Since its earliest days, the Bureau hasbeen an educational organisation, bringing newtechnology to the farmer, making his work fasterand more profitable. It is impossible for theDepartment of Agriculture's Extension Officers todeal with every farmer on a one to one basis; theAgricultural Bureau provides a ready-madenetwork through which Departmental Officerscan communicate with groups of people. TheDepartment has always worked in close liaisonwith the Agricultural Bureau, and Governmentsupport (both financial and in principle) has beenan important factor in its success.

Looking back over the last 100 years, one cannothelp but be impressed by the achievements of theSouth Australian Agricultural Bureau. Many of themajor innovations in agriculture have been intro-duced to farmers via the Bureau, from tractorsand superphosphate fertilisers to air seeders,mulesing and irrigation systems. It is not only themajor figures in South Australian agriculture wehave to thank for this, but also the less well-knownindividuals, some of whose contributions arerecorded in this history, and others whose namesare lost in time. The Agricultural Bureau isfortunate in having attracted excellent leadersover the past century, but it is also important torecognise that their efforts would have been invain if it had not been for thousands of loyalBureau members in branches all across the State.

216

The Advisory Board of Agriculture 1987.L-R: Messrs Ivan Venning, Upper North; Mark Greenfield, Lower South-East; John Symons, Kangaroo Island; JeffAmey, Upper South-East; Don Molineux ta descendant of Albert Molineux, the founder of the AgriculturalBureau!, Mid-North; GregSchulz, Yorke Peninsula; Brian Vickers, Adelaide Hills; Tony Habner, Eastern EyrePeninsula; Trevor Fulton, Far West Coast; Jack Seekamp, Riverland; Rob Smyth, Murraylands;Don Mitchell Lower North; Peter Vivian, Southern Hills; Insert: Jeff Pearson, Lower Eyre Peninsula.

The Agricultural Bureau has played a vital rolein agriculture in South Australia for the past 100years. It has been an important force in educatingfarmers in all facets of primary production.Although the face of agriculture has changedalmost beyond recognition during that century,farmers still face many of the same problems. The

Agricultural Bureau has helped find ways to copewith these difficulties in the past, and retains itssignificance today as its members search for newways to overcome current difficulties. The Agri-cultural Bureau can look forward to contributingeven more to the well-being of South Australianagriculture for many years to come.

217

I-—-s-

W45 Cnntfvss - His E.\cellency the Governor ISir Willoughby Morriei accompanied by Mr A J A Koch (Chairman of the Advisory Board of/\gricultui'e> and the Hun Sir George Jenkins, MP (Minister of Agriculture).

N

1951 Congress - Messiy S D Gramp: J K Angas iPivs. KAHSl, Pmf. J A Pivncott CBK, FKS; tivnator H W 1'tiaivon; A /, ttoyal tVict- Cliainiuiii'. /• C HirhuninISficivtaiyl. Mrs H Hottffei-s (I'msittent WAfi Council!, O It Heinrich/Chairman), the Hon George Jenkins, KBK, MP/Minister of Affithe Right Hon H G Menzies (Prime Minister ofAustraJial—Giving the opening address.

1952 Congress - Presentation of Life Membership Certificate to the Hon Sir George Jenkins KBE, MP (Minister ofAgricultural.

L-R: Messrs R C Scott, WJ Spafford, A G Stricklanat back wearing spectacles not identified.!

1, FC Richards, Hon G FJenkins, "Lofty" Barlow. (Gentleman

220

to

The Advisory Board of Agriculture, 1954. Messrs W C McGee (Assistant General Secretary, Agricultural Bweaul, R G Richards I General SecretaryAgricultural Bureau!, DrA R Callaghan CMC (DirectorofAgriculturel, O H Heinrich, B H Bednall (Conservator ofForestsi, The Hon A W Christian (MinisterofAgricultui-el, A C Smith, A L Royal (Chairman!, D A Cramm (Vice Chaiimanl, The Hon Sir George Jenkins KBE; J D Sellani; A J A Koch; J L Shvwell,Prof J A Prescott, CBE, t'RS, D S Cramp; A R Bretag, C R Kelly, PJ Baily, Absent: H N Wicks OBE.