Dairying on border dykes is proving to be a viable alternative land use in Canterbury and North Otago. This 1984-85 season will see 20 border dyked farms in Mid-Canterbury area now dairying that have been converted from sheep to dairy in the past 6 years. The reason for this is simple. All the theoretical advantages of dairying on free draining irrigated land are real. I quote the Chairman of the New Zealand Dairy Board when questioned at Ruakura Farmer's Conference this year about the industry of growth in this region'. He said, "I wish I had never gone to see the area - it's attractive land offering immense opportunity". We are now in our fifth season of production. I am finding the challenge of increasing production every bit as exciting now as it was in the first year.
