| A swede seed shortage has struck in Southland, where local farmers are gravely concerned about how the next year’s traditional winter swede feed for sheep and cattle stock will be grown.  Ike ‘Gumboot’ Smith, a Southland farmer of Nightcaps, has labeled the situation ‘The Great Southland Swede Seed Shortage’. "Normally a few farmers harvest swede seed and sell it to the rest of us, but they all grew parsnip last year instead. No one realised no one was growing no seed," said ‘Gumboot’. Invergargill Major Tim Shadbolt said, with a smile, "The swede seed shortage is a patriotic concern for all of Southland." Importing other swede seed is not an option, as the famous Southland swede seed has been inbreed over generations, and only the Southland swede will grow to the taste of the local livestock. A&P Show organiser Izzy Upp said "The crowd pulling ‘biggest swede’ and ‘swede self-portrait’ competitions may not go ahead." It is to early to tell what the implications are of this situation, but it certainly has Southland farmers on edge. |
| The Great Southland Swede Seed Shortage |
Wednesday, 14 December 2005 16:02
