HERD-TESTING.

Franklin Times, Volume 14, Issue 260, 3 August 1925, Page 2

HERD-TESTING.

N.Z. CO-OP. ASSOCIATION

EAST YEAR'S OPERATIONS

- Tht* following: report and halance-siic-t, was presented at. lit** second annual meeting' *»t tie New Zealand .~p era live Herd-lesl ing Association ; convenors last week at Hamilton, j In submitting the second annual report and balance-sheet of Ihe. New ! Zealand Co-operative Herd-testing As- | social ion. it is most gratifying to note ! pno expansion that lias taken place hi ' this most important work. You will remember that group herd-testing j ; commenced in ihe Waikato Ihree years i Muring the first year SuOO cows i were tested: in the second year, 31.003 1 cows were tested, and during the past | season 38.308 cows were tested. Hairy farmers are now .realising that it is I j lis | as important for Hiern to test their herds as it is for ihe business man to keep books and lake out Hie cost of each article he handles. Muring the past season we tested I-257 herds in in groups, at an average cost of is Sd per row. This is an increase on the previous season, when 3 1 .00.3 cows were, tested at an average cost of is ml per row. The increase is accounted for by the tact dial our first season's operations were over a tH-months period only, the association "being formed in August, ami j tin? books closed on May 31. the balance-sheet now before you is tor the full 12 months. Hud is. from .tune 1 to May 31. This is retleclod in an increase in testing officers wages of lid per cow, and in overhead expenses of id per cow. Muring tl'm past two years the association has made £IB7O in protil. hut as practically all this money has been returned to members, the association itself is not better off than when it started operations two years ago. The general manager lias dealt fully with this question at alt the group annual meetings, and in every case ttie principle lias been accepted. In order to. il‘ possible, reduce the cost of testing your hoard arranged meetings of all the co-operative dairy companies operating in the South Auckland district.. Four of those, companies have already agreed In subsidise the association to the extent of (id per cow provided a suitable subsidy is obtained from the Government. A majority of the oilier companies have decided to place the question before their annual meeting of suppliers. A delegation consisting of myself. Mr H. yi. Somerville, and the general manage!'. Mi* G. M- Hum'*, was appointed to place Hie whole position betore the Minister of Agriculture, and to make Hm request for a Government subsidy of Is per row to he paid to any organised group herd-testing association operating in the Dominion. I'nfortunalely urgent business prevented ni> accompanying Hie delegation. I lie deputation received a very sympathetic hearing, and. as (tie subsidy is recognised as a vital necessity by all Classes of the community, we have every reason to expect that it will he granted. In the event of the association receiving the subsidy of Gd per cow from the dairy companies and the Is per cow from the, Government. Ihe Hal rale for the ensuing year wilt he reduced to is per eow—nol 3s >d ; Your directors have, decided Gnat the fid per cow from the dairy companies should be used towards writing off the plant account, and placing the association on a sound business basis. I would like to acknowledge lien* the very great assistance we have received from the various dairy associations \. and P. Associations, breed associations and Chambers ot <mmmerce in supporting our request fm a . Government subsidy. In the past orders on the dam comrot losling fee. MV.*™ spread over nine months. Unit that Ibis considerably hampers out finance and in' future we propose o collect Hie testing fees in ‘ ' stalments of is per cow spread over lh o live tlusli months. No testing hr,urcs will in future be sent to members until they have signed an m dei paid cash in advance. In 'be alt ' case a discount of U P<’ 1 ’ ( * f>nL " 111 bt proposed to start testing this coming season on August lm and nine ; monthly tests only will be gm'n Aj > extra tests must be paid loi at tin. r a| ( , of Gd per cow, with a mm.mum of lOs per visit. . Your directors have given v* > 1 careful consideration to a call mj> ' ing scheme which we beliexe will be a verv vital fad or in the building up ot our'dairy herds. As you are aware in ibc pasl many good calxes haw ' - lered. These, we believe, will now”be reared, and in the near future wc mav exped Hint only marked calves and marked heifers will he We propose to maik b> vvu. in 1I no in the ear all heifer calves from l”o!rm giving 2501” Jm terCat second culvers gi\m e lot Her-fa I, and third culvers or old. i rn 3or!’,ay S -I>.'»v,dcd 1 >.'»v,dcd H..-V ...... ] )V registered pedigree sires and provided the entries are certified to in a statutory declaration. The (lue* - l() rs wish, if possible, to see the call marking scheme pay Us way, and Uiey , . therefore decided to make a ciiof 2s Gd for each call* marked| The niarklng will be done: by I he testing officers and a register will he kt t. NV c believe Ibat in a lew veais m calf register will he an invaluable ieXI Ihe recent conference held vvilh co-operalive dairy companies, the uuesiion of constitution was very cai Cnllv considered, especially as regards I! "nGnlelio,, ..n 111. board of tl.'-uo-l,lN Finally, it was decided that the ' miipanv with Ihe largest proportion ot •■uaranlre at the hank should mini - mile ihe chairman, that the other ' ' - niieralive companies who agree to • c,.p| llieir proportion of the hank lia Pililv should nominate three duve■s Four directors will he elected hv Yhe convenors of the groups, 'to constitution. as re-drafted wdl be submitted for four approve ... members of ynur boar-1 reliu. by cIU xiott ot time: Mr W. I. Woiski and Mr. T. Luxtoii. Mr Worstvr otters himself fo>- —m-Unm md m addr

lion, nominations have been received on behalf of Mr W. 11. Allen, of Tirau, Mr J. B. McKinney, of Bombay, and Mr JI. <;. Wallace, of Tamahere. As only Iwo seats are vacant Ibis will ncecssilute bolding’ ail election. •Tin! association average for the past season is 227.521 b of fat in 238 days, as against 207.81 in 237 days for the previous season. The unprofitable cows, that is, cows producing - less Ilian 2011 b of butter-fat. during the past season, were 38 per cent., as against 48 per cent, in the previous year. The highest cow produced 740.981 b in 302 days, as against 780.12 lb in 300 days. The lowest cow averaged 28.071 b in 223 days. This animal was a second oalver and came into profit on August 20 last. She was tested seven times and on the figures, appears to be a genuine cull. She was in a herd of 30 cows which averaged 107.251 b in 250 days. The. best herd averaged 372.001 b in 28 days. The lowest bent averaged 80.191 b in :l 10 days. it is interesting to note that of the 1237 herds tested no less than 112 herds averaged over 300 lb of butter-fat and at least 440 herds averaged 270.971bs in 254 days. These figures prove conclusively that, with universal herd-testing and calf-mark-ing-, the average in the area in which we operate can be increased within a y.M’y few i ~' *f* .mops 'it butter-.at. c