HERD TESTING.

Hokitika Guardian, 12 September 1925, Page 4

HERD TESTING.

A .MODEIIX NECESSITY. I ("Avi'o in the New Zealand limes.”) Never in the history of the dairying industry has scientific knowledge been so necessary as il is at the present time, and in order that the Dominion may maintain her present enviable reputation with regard to Iter dairy produce, it is necessary that her producers shall avail themselves o| every aid offered by modern dairy science. With the aid of the- trained ehettlLl and the bacteriologist it is possible to produce an almost perfect grade ot butler. and through co-operative marketing and tlm control of produce, it may also he possible to obtain the maximum prices for the butter produced, but nevertheless, dairying will still remain unprofitable unless we increase the productive capacity of our herds. This can he accomplished only through the medium of herd testing, the necessity for which is now recognised by all practical men. Slowly, luit safely, the lift'd testing movement, is growing year by year, and provided Government- assistance is given, thenwill he a very rapid advance during the next two seasons. Statistics have at various times been adduced to show that dairying is not really profitable when the long hours worked are taken into consideration, and there is not the slightest doubt that- litany farmers, through including too ntaIIV robber cows in their ht’ids are not receivng a fair return for t heir labour. The remedy Himvcver. li,close at. hand, and it is. sale to ,;iv (hat there is no other industry v. here producers work so much in tl.e dark as do the dairy-farmers with regard to the productive capacity ol their herds. From one end of the Dominion to the other the necessity for herd testing is being stressed bv otliccrs of the Depart nielli of Agrieult,a.v.l the wonderful influence which belli testing associations have alreadv had upon production, has also i ~,,1,1,1 tn attract interest to the question. The average production ol hutterlnt iow in New Zealand i- only about ISOIbx. despite the fact that the climate is one ol the best in (he world, and other conditions generally favourable. There is no cogent reason why this average should ttnl eventually increased to SGDIhs. and it is wlilt this rim in view, that llm majority of the m-operative herd testing asso,ml ion-, have been Infilled. The fundament til principle behind 1 1 ,.,| i.Aing is the elimination of the cull, nr hoarder cow. which is giving insufficient htiUerfat to earn her keep.. Added to this is the very valuable provision fur the marking of tin- calves so that the scrub hull will he eliminated. Subsequent, to the annual conference of the Nit I iottal Dairy Association at I lit we rit, a deputation waited upon the Minister tor Agriculture and asked that he should subsidise the work of the associations in New Zealand. This deptt Ia t ion received a. sympathetic hearing. but nothing definite was promised. In some quarters it it;,-, been suggested that the matter is one which concerns only the dairymen, and that, a Covcrnincnt subside wits not warranted. Attuning which would tend to increase the product ion of the country nm| tints increase our exports is of interest not only to the producers bill also to the general public, and it is interesting to note Unit the majority of our competitors in the dairy produce field, receive Government assistance with regard to herd testing. It is reasonable to presume that if older

dairying countries have loom! it to their advantage to render assistance to (lie herd testing ninvetnetil . the .New Zealand < Jovernnienl. would also find

that it had adopted a wise policy in rendering -imilar assistance. We have followed lbe lead of Denmark in the mailer of co-operative marketing, and we c.uiimi do better than follow her in our Inna I t c--i i ug. In A list ml in. (banks to the assistance given by lbe tfovernmenl . bertt testing is making rapid progress, and in Victoria, the (inventment finds oO par cent, of the expenditure incurred in lihe administration of the herd testing associa ions. fit return for this assistance ii demands that alter two seasons tlm members of the associations shall cull from their her.ds which are producing less than I7">lhs of I ■ 111 1 erl aI. am! that, within lilteeii months of tie e: a 'll of Mich an ass seiat ion. 2(1 per emit, ol Ibe bulls used for service shall mil of dams whirl) have reached a standard laid down liv the (iovemnu-nl tests. in this manner a gradual improvement is being brought about, and the farmers one mag -d t. breed alone better line- . The ayia-m ea t of testing in New /..aland >'• considered tu h- in the \ : - i ii.it v of f,s per cow. hut in scattered d'sl riels the co.i would any cases hr noarlv hiuf. this amount, and would ltd I as a heavv burden on the da irv-fa niter. During a recent di mission on the question in Poverty, linv. it was shown that in some parts; t.f il. • d'-lrb-t ike work could k 1 car-! vied mil for about (is p *r cow. bill that in the more scattered areas ii would cost about lls a head. _ If is obvious that some assistance will have t i bo given the farmers in the -i altered ureas, it’ the sv-tem is I'> Is l encouraged. A suggest inn wa- recently made that the (loveronneiil should .subsidise the Work of the te.-'in-‘ assoi ia! ions • v |he extent el' Is a bead per season, be! il i-- "Ntromoly dnubtiid whether ! hi-' j. ; sufficient. fhime idea of the value of the work that has been done thronehoul the nonunion is gained from 1’ '■ returns ol Ihe testing association* in t’“' Waikato, and also front tlm results attained in smim of the smaller associations scattered throughout ibe country. Ibe \ v /calami Herd Tesi nig Association, which carries on its om-mli-ns t dir.'iUv'-out ill.- whole el ibe Waikato, had pro herds under (• -u during liie season which reeemlv closed, the total nunier of cows being dd.,!d. Ihe results were interest iug. for they showed Viet, of all the cons tested. 21 Jib I. or per lent.. were unprofit aide, whpo the remainder were returning a profit to their milkers. It is almest- a tragedy, when one thinks of the time, money, and energy wasted upon those 21.0. T! cows which never returned any profit:, to their unfortunate owners, and modern conditions and competition demand that surf' a state of affairs shall not he allowed to exist any longer. The | record frr the .season was 7! 1 kb. while Ate lowest was 2d.dl, this being received from a vow that was milked for 223 i days. The work of past seasons was apparent in the returns, for a greater production is gradually being built, it)), and lasi year there were 0212 of the cows tested which produced over ?,00l!> of butter-fat for the season. On the other hand, there were 2200 cows which produced less than lOillh of butter-fat, ami it is to he hoped that many of these have Iteen culled out from the herds. Feeding and breeding are essential factors in the success of the dairying industry in New /calami, hut the most important work whit It yet remains to he accomplished consists in the raising of the standard of production bv means of herd-testing. Tn the markets of the world we compete with countries which have been quick to adopt the latest ami most scientific methods of farming, and it is essential that we should compete on even ground by adopting those methods which they have followed with such outstanding success. It is to he hoped that serious consideration will he given by the (lovernment to the claims of the dairymen to receive a subsidy for herd-testing, for the matter is a national one. and if the improvement of the herds can be hastened along by only a few years, the increased production will have more than compensated for the initial expense involved in the subsidising of such an important work.