BAY FARMERS SEE WAIKATO DAIRY HERDS AT HOME

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 15, Issue 26, 26 April 1950, Page 5

BAY FARMERS SEE WAIKATO DAIRY HERDS AT HOME

(By W. H. Mandeno, Consulting Officer, N.Z. Dairy Board, Whakatane). A day at the races had nothing on a bull purchasing expedition for prolonged suspense and gambling for big stakes. For four years the issue may be in doubt and a farmer’s nett income is at stake. After a study of the recently issued Sire Selection Service catalogue of the Auckland Herd Improvement Association several farmers in the Bay of Plenty made the trip to the Waikato. This service to testing farmers has been inaugurated to help members to secure their bulls on the farms of the breeders *and inspect the details of production records, Sire Surveys, and feeding conditions.

Recently the catalogue has featured some of the “A. 1.” buls at Ruakura and the Lifetime Merit Register cows as it has been shown that such meetings give the “best bets.” There are some “bookie breeders” who play safe by using proven sires, but there are not enough to go round and farmers in increasing numbers now realise what is the next best bet.

Early Milking Milking was early and cars met at the first stud about 10 a.m. The procedure followed on each farm was more or less the same with a steady hardening of the will to resist time-consuming hospitality as the evening milking time approached. Earlier phone calls had ensured minimum waste of time as well as a series of “first refusals” on selected lots.

An inspection of the herd was the first item. On the first; “traverse” a general picture of breeding background and feeding was obtained to give an estimate of comparison with the home farm conditions. On the return a more intensive inspection was made of the close relatives of the selected lots. The dams of course came in for as critical a study as any show entry, except that those were grazing with the herd instead of being led. The jaw was seen in action, the barrel was assessed for capacity and the udder most closely inspected for defects which might make machine milking difficult. The ease and clearness of milking were also ascertained. * These factors may to a large extent be taken for granted where a lifetime merit cow has shown by her very existence in commercially run herd over 8-10 seasons that she must be a reasonably acceptable animal. Few farmers will milk even pedigree cows giving 4001bs of fat per year if the udder has collapsed and requires the cups to be applied on one side after the other. Likewise it is obvious that entries in the Lifetime Merit Register have earned their qualification by being better than average cows over a greater than average useful lifetime. Apart from the fast dying advocacy of fancy points it will be seen from the close inspection' given dams of bulls that conformation has some interest for bull buyers. It is more important, however, to note that for catalogue entry and prior to field inspection the bull’s pedigree must be based on sound production with emphasis on long life. Fortunate Position

Pedigree breeders in the Waikato within range of the experimental “A. 1.” services have been placed in the fortunate position of having sons of Merit Sires to offer. Moreover some of these breeders who have tested consistently for years have proved in their own herds- a Merit Sire or two. These then are the herds capable of producing the bulls in greatest demand —in fact in such demand as to cause several of the party to comment on the small number of bulls left unsold. To a breeder, who might have to winter his yearling bulls and spend considerable sums on feed and grooming prior to the spring sales, the sight of little more than weaner calves in their natural condition being keenly sought at good prices is a little disconcerning. It is however. all a recognition of the fact that the breeders with stock bred on lines the farmers demand are reaping big dividends. Although A.I. is largely confined to the neighbourhood of Ruakura this in no way detracts from the value of stock bred in the Bay of Plenty. Two of the leading bulls in use at Ruakura have had considerable use in the Bay and their stock is now widespread. There are other bulls as good still in use and fortunately some are in herds with a background of consistent testing and economic feeding. These may be located in the Sire Survey and Merit Register of which the latest edition is now available from the Herd Improvement Associations. •