Milk Payments on a Fat Test.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 29 April 1910, Page 4

Milk Payments on a Fat Test.

The Dairy Farmers' Co-operative -Milk Company, Xmv South Wales, has mad;* a new departure. Tfc has decided to pay suppliers 011 a tat test ilmsis. The company's reason lor 111 i.s «tep is to improve the general l'flt quality ol' milk supplied for city distribution, and to give better pay to the producers. There can be no more direct way of enlightening the fanner as to the. value of his herd, and proving to him the wisdom ol culling out the unprofitable cows. The system is conducted as follows:-- A sample of each supplier s milk is taken each day, and tlu* tat tested weekly. A general average is taken for the month of <aN the milk secured by the company as well ol individual suppliers. The iiynrnge of the total week supplied will lie taken to represent the ruling price or standard price, according as tlieir milk is above or below the average of the whole. Suppose, for iustsinew, the general average test of all the .supplier* is I).;") per cent, and the price fixed by the association -it (id per gallon, any suppliers whose milk averaged that test for the month would be paid that rate. The supplier whose milk did not come up to the overage test—say oinly went 3 per cent—would bo paid less than (id per gallon, while the supplier whose milk tested 4 per cent would be paid more than (3d. A chart i.s being prepared, and the company will thus arrive at the right basis of payments. On a, basis of (id per gallon the valui> will vary about 1-1 Oil for every 1-10 per cent of fat. The system is entirely new in Sydney. At the present the supplier who sunds in milk below the standard of 3.2 per cent of fat gets the same rate 41s the m.an who sends ill the richest milk. As this company is a co-operative concern, the supplier as a shareholder is protected to tlio extent that lie can inspect the books, and see that he is being paid for all the milk sent in. He is in this way able to know exactly how ho stands with, the company. It seems probable (hat this system will be started by some of tlio northern dairy-farmers of Xew Zealand at an early date.