Moumahaki Experimental Farm. A Controversial Start to Agricultural Extension in New Zealand

I’ve discovered Moumahaki Experimental Farm est.(1892) in South Taranaki, New Zealand. 

A fascinating story of how Research & Demonstration Farms started in New Zealand. It’s what happens when you are left alone and get lost in a book shop! A weekend discovery gem!

This is part of my history. 

I’ve worked as an Agricultural Scientist in Extension and Dairy Farm Consultancy with farmers in NZ, Australia, Taiwan, UK, Ireland and France visiting research and demonstration farms, all my working life. 

For 33 years the Experimental Farm at Moumahaki was a jewel in the crown of the farming industry. Today we debate the merits, funding and roles of these farms just as they did in the 1890s. 

These farms need to take risks, set big targets and go far beyond the practices of the day. They will be criticised and lambasted by non-believers, the unconvinced and the funders. 

Through challenging the thinking of the day, ignoring the boundaries, imagining the future and good science they progress agriculture forward. Moumahaki really did it  in the most extraordinary manner.

Over 2000 farmers visited the Moumahaki Experimental Farm each year to view the research & farm systems being tried on the state run property. Most travelled by train.
Today there is little evidence left of this historic site. (See photos.)

They arrived at the Moumahaki Railhead, were picked up by the farm staff, given dinner then walked over the farm listening to the manager explaining the research results. 

Groups of up to 200 arrived by train. Some like the Feilding A & P farmers came annually to visit & learn. Dairy Farm Discussion Groups still travel together to learn together.....perhaps not by train so much today!

The farm had four distinct purposes- demonstration, experimental, scientific and educational according to Laraine Sole’s book “Moumahaki Experimental farm”. 

The initial 300 acres (120ha) consisted of poor pasture and bush, some good flats & some very steep sidings with a river frontage. The first Manager was Francis Gillanders from Scotland.

Mr Francis Gillanders set about to establish an experimental farm that included dairy cows (Ayrshires), beef, sheep, pigs, poultry, potatoes, arable, vegetables, fruit (apples, pears, grapes & even pineapples). Early experiments included pasture establishment, hedgerows and the use of different fertilizers at varying rates. Breeding trials (with imported selected livestock) were conducted with Kerry Dexter cross cattle, Shire and Clydesdale horses, Ryland sheep, Strawberries, Mangolds, Swedes and Kale varieties.

Mr Gillanders is quoted as saying 

" The public have a right to criticise, and it is only to be expected that they will do so; but with all due respect to some of the critics, they might get a little more authentic information on the subject before attacking what they evidently know next to nothing about". 

Agricultural research funding & extension was obviously alive and well even back then in the 1890s. I'm starting to like this guy!

Experts touted the farm as “the farmers’ laboratory”. The history of Moumahaki Experimental Farm is truly amazing!

Moumahaki Experimental Farm was the very first in NZ. Few farmers or advisors have heard about this remarkable farm. Located in South Taranaki, north of Waitotara, in New Zealand it was the first State Experimental Farm established by the new NZ Department of Agriculture in 1892.

There was an “Agricultural & Pastoral Conference” at Christchurch in 1892 attended by A & P Show representatives from all over NZ.

 They moved “that in the opinion of this conference the establishment of a properly equipped expert agricultural department is urgently required in NZ. That although there was a Department of Agriculture there was no official in a responsible position who could give advice and assistance to settlers” A petition was sent to Parliament demanding action.

From the early 1870s there was considerable discussion, in newspapers and elsewhere, about the necessity of scientific and technical education for farmers. There were numerous commissions, reports and intense debates about how to establish a formal system of agricultural education. Lincoln Agricultural College was established in 1880 and Massey Agricultural College in 1926.

The 1892 A&P conference had recommended that the department provide farmers with scientific information. The departmental response was to establish experimental farms (one (Moumahaki Experimental Farm) near Waverley in Taranaki and one at Waerenga (Te Kauwhata) in the Waikato in the 90s and 7 more by 1910 including Ruakura (1901)).

 The Start of NZ Department of Agriculture

The state of thinking at this time is reflected in the Governor’s speech on the opening of Parliament in August 1906, "My advisors deem it advisable to encourage the application of scientific methods to productive processes in order that our farmers may successfully meet the increasing competition from other countries. Though much has been accomplished in this direction, much yet remains to be done" (Parliamentary Debates 1906).

So began Agricultural Extension and Experimental Farms for research and demonstration in New Zealand.

Really Important to have Social Scientists Working in Agriculture

Social scientists are very active in Agrifood. 

That’s great! I welcome these intelligent minds working in both the agriculture & food space. Agrifood is about people. Dairy Farming is primarily about people. 

How people think, make decisions, work with each other, how we collectively live & work together is really important stuff. Yet mainstream agricultural science, farmers & farming largely ignore the social scientists & their work. I’ve just attended the Australia-NZ Agri-food Research Network conference held at Massey University.

To my embarrassment I admit I was largely unaware of the research work being undertaken in the Agrifood space by social scientists. These people work in Geography, Politics, Rural Sociology, Psychology, Maori studies, Economics, Extension, History, Business Studies, Communication & the Environment. What’s more there are some very good postgraduate students…. lots of them! 

It is so encouraging to see Agrifood attracting bright young people & the Research Network supporting these young scientists.

There were 2 presentations that struck a particular chord with me. Firstly Dr Lesley Hunt’s paper, from the ARGOS Project (a number of papers), stating that not all farmers are driven by the profit/increase production motive. Not new information but really important to be said again when we are facing important public problems like sustainability, climate change & the environment. Farmers have many goals, motivations & value systems that encourage different systems & create a complex rural society & community. NZ research & extension is totally focussed on profit & increased output. Reference to “the top quartile farmers” might be feel good stuff but is rarely helpful in understanding farmer decision making.

Read about the NZ Agricultural Research Group on Sustainability (ARGOS) 

 

Marie McEntee’s study (University of Auckland) into how effective NZ Agricultural Extension is, showed a dominance of “Top down” linear thinking and approaches being used. 

The mere term “Transfer of Technology” implies a transfer of information. Can scientists really develop “better” solutions? It’s all too easy to blame the end user for failure to adopt. Farmers are being seen as adopters not as originators of knowledge. Why? This was an excellent presentation for those who are listening.

In my experience farmers are fully in control of the on farm decision making process. They drive it. Farmers are actively creating new knowledge & information (research) all the time but are largely ignored by extension & research. 

Why would they respond to top down technology transfer? They are however very keen to participate in research & development.

The rural community has complex networks that work very effectively to enable change. So if science & society want change that involves farmers, we’d better all get to understand farmers, farming families & the rural networks. These networks include social media and are global. This is really exciting & chaotic.

Read the Future Agenda – The World in 2020

 

 The “Future Agenda” forum was created by the Vodafone company.Much of the future agenda involves social change. Issues such as “Cocktail Identities”, Enjoying the Ordinary”, “Switching off” are already here & are likely to become even more important. 

Agrifood, including pasture based dairy farmers need to understand the social future. We need to better understand people. Social Scientists have much to offer.

The internet has enabled people all over the world to connect & become a community.

 The impact of increasingly global common interest groups with which people align their priorities should not be ignored by farmers or researchers. Priorities like sustainability, environmentally friendly, quality food & good diets will impact massively on the way we farm in the future.