HERD TESTING

Hokitika Guardian, 30 August 1933, Page 2

HERD TESTING

ADDRESS AT KOKATAHI. At the Public Hall Kokatahi last evening, Mr O. M. Hume, federation superintendent of herd testing deliv.eril ed an instructive address, in the t . course of which a number of interesting slides were shown. -These included ,f one of a cow that had established a ■t record for the Dominion. Starting 1. as ’a fi\;e-yoar-old, she returned in four g years. ii 2489 lbs fat. 111. four of the y years she,, was,the highest cow in the y New 1 Zealand Association’s returns, o and:fop eight consecutive seasons aver--8 aged 6381bs fat. [j The next slide showed , a cow owned 8 - and tested by Messrs Hoklswoi'th Bros., of Edgecombe, Bay of Plenty. . This cow has been under test for nine , successive seasons with an -average ,1 production of 5621bs fat. ■ Figures relating to the world’s dairy e production wei’e then thrown on the screen, these showing that U.S.A. made over- one-third of the world s c l butter which, however, did not suffice for that country’s needs. New’ Zealaud was ninth on the list of pi’oduec ing countries, producing about three . per cent., but was third on the list of exporting countries. New Zealand 7 moreover, was seventh on the list of j. cheese-producing countries, and was ' the greatest exporter of that article in the world. “There is all the difference between a herd and a collection of cattle, a I ’. fact which is recognised by too few,” l “ stated Mr Hmnc. “A herd leads'to sue--1 cess, 11 collection nowhere,” A farmer l" desiring ivn advance from the bank, fo t 1 instance, had far greater chance o( ’■ securing same if ho could provide figures relating to his - herd’s productivity. Farming was 110 W a business, 1 no longer a matter of keeping “oi’na- = ments” on the farm. Mr Hume likened a. herd to so many workers on a farm. s If they were human w’orkers they ; would not be kept in employment, if ) they failed to earn their keep and ; wages. The same treatment should he 1 meted out to the unprofitable cow. The only way to ascertain whether a cow js paying her way is by testing her. Testing is now recognised as the first plank in successful farm management. 5 . Mr’. Hume then referred’to a statement made by Mr A. H. Cockayne, Assistant Director General of Agri- ■ culture, as, to the value of consistent . herd testing. Mr Cockayne, he said, ' had 1 stated, that he was convinced that • it paid a farm to test year by year. The herd under test would, in the ' \ average, produce 251 b of fat per cow j more than if that same: herd was not I. under, test-.. With testing fees at even . j 5s per cow this gave a handsome re- ) i turn. In Mr Cockayne’s,, opinion the herd if under test is better, managed and better fed than wouldotherwise ; be the case. A slide, which the speaker claimed,, was.the most important of' his series showed the herd sire as vital. Two j essentials should be observed. First 1 that the bull is a pedigree and second ! that if possible. he should be from a I dam with a succession of testing records, Mr Hume claimed that the succession of records was a guarantee as to the constitution of the dam, her ability as'a : producer and her consistency in breeding. A bull with such backing can surely be relied upon to pass these good qualities on to his offspring. A sli-ae entitled “The Blind lead the Blind” caused quite an amount of amusement. It depicted a pedigree which showed an entire absence of butterfat figures but many complimentary remarks about the animals. Buy from the breeders you know, said Mr Hume, and insist on the succession .of records- Your aim should be to have strong constitutioned cattle. The best definition of constitution I have ever heard, he added, is the ability to withstand disease and to produce profitably over | a period of years. A number of -slides were shown dealing with calf marking. Calf marking said the speaker, is the foundation on which will be built the profitable dairying industry for the future. Attention was drawn to,the fact that no heifer calf, sired by a pedigree bull born on or after the Ist July 1931, will be marked and registered unless the sire had been certificated. He urged farmers therefore to buy only pedigree bulls which vvere certified or which were eligible for certification. In this way the low producing pedigree cows of the Dominion will be eliminated, and, he added, unfortunately there are many of them. Mr Hume’s remarks on the testing section of his lecture can be brieflv summed up under two headings. Herd testing and management of the herd and the pasture. Under the first heading he showed conclusively that not only is herd testing necessary but it pays to test regularly. Under the second heading comes rotational grazing, good grasses and the intelligent use of fertilizer. mmmmmmmmmmmmmmrn