Taupo

We finished up near Bulls New Zealand yesterday on the Hugh Dalrymple farm. We had another really good turn out and two hour session.

We had a very good discussion and most really saw what I was talking about. One farmer told me he had to work a field 13 times to get it in shape and admitted he cannot afford to do that and needs help. Soil quality is gone after 13 times working the field. The result is the consistency of a roadbed. Plants don't like that.

So we explored all the ideas we could come up with to build soil and reduce tillage just like we have across New Zealand. It has been a very good exchange.

Drainage is a problem here, the water table is too high. Hugh was investing a whole lot of money digging new drainage ditches to get the water table down. I agreed with his assessment.

Lake Taupo is New Zealand's largest lake. Volcanic pumice surrounds the borders. We walked 3 KM to Jolly Good Fellows for dinner. I asked LuAnn, isn't that Winston Churchill's picture on the sign and menu? She said no, that is some local person. So of course I asked a waitress and it was Churchill. I laughed and said I won and she said who did you think it is? I said she thought it was a local bloke. She said do we look like that??? We all laughed.

Well that is enough for now.

Ed