BUTTER-FAT RETURNS.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIII, Issue 4380, 20 February 1922, Page 3

BUTTER-FAT RETURNS.

IMPORTANCE OF TESTING* ' “Elfficiency” sends us the following striking comments on the present condition of our dairying industry, and suggestions for its improvement: “It is now quite obvious to all thinking men who have the welfare of the country at heart that the time has arrived when some comprehensive co-operative scheme between the Department of Agriculture and the dairy farmers ,of the Dominion, should ne devised, to come into operation on July 1, 1922, the object of such .scheme being to lay the foundation of a practical means to increase the yield off butter-fat per dairy acre from 851 b to 1501 b, and so put the dairy flarming business on a sound financial footing with buttef-lfat at Is to Is 3d per pound, “It is obvious that land values in many districts are quite out of proportion to the producing capacity tf such land—even with' 3001 b butterfat 'cows—and in such cases these values will have to be reduced. It is a wellknown fact that out of approximately 1,000.000 dairy cows, occupying, approxim,ately 2,000,000 acres of our dairy lands, 30 per cent, of such cows arejsuch low producers that the average far the whole 1,000,000 is thereby reduced to less than 1701 b off flat per cow, or 851 b per 'acre, taking an average of two acres to the cow. To put the dairy farming business on a sound footing with fat at Is to Is 3<l per pound, two things require to be done : (1) Land values must be reduce! to a level that will allow of a 1501 b per acre butterfat yield at Is per IV, which is £7 10s per. acne, pay-t ing interest on land and stock depreciation, labour and sundry expenses,’ and leaving reasonable profit to the farmer on his investment. (2) The yield of 1 butter-fat must be increased from 851 b to 1501 b per acre. "When these two things have been accomplished, and not till then, will the dairy farming business of .this fair Dominion be on a safe and sound financial footing. It is to be : regretted that land values, were ever allowed to soar to the height that many farmers unfortunately bought ’in at, on an absolute gamble on the price, of butter-fat, the price ofl which we have no control over. However, it is no good crying over spilt milk. # The dairying Industry must now face the position as it is and make good. INCREASING THE YIELD, “The second part, to increase the yield off butterfat from 851 b per acre to 1501 b per acre, is more difficult, and will take four or five years to accomplish, but it can be done and must be done if dairy farmers are going' tc make good. Feeding, weeding, and breeding arb the three keys to successful dairying, I will go into the question of feeding. We all kpow that if a cow is not. properly, fed she cah’t produce her maximum of milk and butter-fat. Under this scheme we take it that the average farmer see to it that he feeds his epws properly. .The all-important question of systematic monthly testing of each cow is where the great benefit of Cooperation with the Agricultural Department can be worked to such enor-> mous advantage to the dairy farmers. At the present time, according to the latest' figures available, there are on,ly some four per cent, of our cows tested. The reason for this deplorable state ofl .affairs is not that the farmers generally do pr>t recognise the benefits dt testing, but the facilities in the way off suitable machines to attach, to the milking machines for quickly and effectively taking the weight and sample of each cow’s milk have hitherto been unprocurable. The next difficulty the farmer 'has had to put up with is a means of getting, his Samples tested after he has got them and ,a proper reeprd cf his nerd kept. True, there are in some- districts testing associations, but they cover a comparaiively small section oi the herds ofl the country. A SUGGESTED SCHEME.

“I would suggest that the Department of Agriculture in co-operation with the dairy farmers of the Dominion take this matter up in a practical way on the following lines: (1) Det the department divide up the whole country into 400 milking districts with approximately 2500 cows to eac.i district; appoint 400 testing officers,, one to edch. district, salary £3OO per annum, costing £120,000 ; appoint five inspectors to supervise the work, salary £5OO, £2500 ; appoint .one in-| specter of dairy herds generally to control the whole movement, £lOOO ; office, stationery, and other expenses, £133,500. To meet this expense the department to strike a cow tax of 3s per cow, or one-fifth of a penny per pound of butter.-fat on 1701 b, average cow, which on 1,000,000 cows 1 would provide £150,000. Such tax to be payable in the month of June. in each year. Any cow in the herd producing 2751 b fat to be exempt from taxation, and the department to make up any deficiency there may be through cows having earned their exemption. Cash prizes of £3OO, £l5O, and £5O tp be offered by the department in each milking district for the fisrt > three herds of 50 cows and oyer to reach 3001 b butter-fat per cow, such herds having started at an average according to their factory, returns of below 2001 b per cow. “As there are approximately 20,000 bulls required for New Zealand’s dairy herds, and- as the latest figures show only 13 per cent, purebreds and 87 per cent, scrubs are in use, I could suggest that the department offer a cash bonus of two guineas :o be paid to the farmers fbr every two-year-old purebred bull bred from any of the four milking Strains. This would encourage the.breeding of purebred bulls, and is of the utmost importance to the breed of butter-fat producing cows. “Each testing officer Should be provided with a suitable brand so that all cows which have been proved by actual test to be duffers can be branded. This would prevent them being sold as dairy cows to some other farmer. “After all, the dairy herds are the very foundation of the industry, and it only remains for the department ot take the lead in this movement and

provide the facilities on the lines here suggested, for which the average farmer would gladly pay his. 3s cowtax. Mew Zealand would then have the most perfect dairy produce in the world Why should New Zealand not have it ?”