Farming

METRICATION:  100% complete
	Metric	Non-metric
	Land area in hectares
	Sowing rates and crop yields in kilograms per hectare
	Crop spraying in litres per hectare
	Livestock weights in kilograms
	Feedstuffs in kilograms
	Milk production and wholesale in litres

Metrication programme

The Metrication Board co-ordinated a programme for metrication in agriculture, horticulture, and associated industries. The programme, which was centred on the farming year 1975/76, was devised in consultation with farming organisations and with industries and trades supplying farmers and horticulturists and marketing their products.

The metrication programme was approved by the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the Ministers responsible for agriculture in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Farming metrication booklet – 1975

Dates central to the metrication programme, were February 1976, when the Annual Farm Review was published in metric, and 4 June 1976 when returns for the Agricultural Census were completed in metric for the first time.

Measurement units

The following table summarises common measurement units used on a typical farm before and after metrication:

Quantity	Old unit	Metric unit
Land area	acre	hectare
Petrol and diesel oil	gallon	litre
Crops
Sowing rates for seeds	hundredweight/acre	kg/ha
Drill spacing for sowing	inches	cm
Crop spraying	gallons per acre	L/ha
Crop yields	ton per acre, cwt per acre	tonne per hectare
Farm Supplies
Fertiliser bag sizes	1 cwt	50 kg
Feedingstuff bag sizes	½ cwt 1 cwt	25 kg 50 kg
Milk Production
Wholesale volume	gallon	litre
Feeding rates (feedingstuff per unit of milk)	lb per gallon	kg/L kg/kg
Meat Production
Feeding standards (feed weight per live weight)	lb/lb	kg/kg
Weight gain	lb per day	kg/day
Live weights	lb	kg
Dead weights	lb	kg