PROFITABLE DAIRYING.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIII, Issue 4457, 23 August 1922, Page 2

PROFITABLE DAIRYING.

VALUE OF HERD TESTING.

MR W. J. BYRNE ADDRESSES PUTARURU FARMERS.

The value and benefits to be derived from herd-testing is a subject that Mr W. J. Byrne has fpr many years associated himsejf with. In order to help those concerned in the industry he has addressed a large number of meetings, the last being at Putaruru a few days ago. Reports pf his addresses have appeared in our columns at various times, but the subject is such a vital question to dairymen that a condensed report of his recent address will not be out of place.

The lecturer first gave a short history of herd-testing, saying it was commenced in Denmark in 1895, as a sequel to the invention of the Babcock test, a simple and cheap method given to the world free by Dr. Bab cock and intended originally to fix the value of milk as between buyer and seller by ascertaining the butterfat content thereof. Thie average but-ter-fat production peri cow pfr year in Denmark then was 1241 b, but since herd-testing had been universally adopted there it had increased to 2611 b by 1914, and to-day it was about 3091 b The average in New* Zealand was hardly 16Hb, the figure for 1921, whereas if it were 3001 b, as in Denmark, the difference in return to the country, reckoning the value of but-ter-fat at 2s 6d per pound, would be £10.000,000 per annum. Was not this rather astounding ? It was false policy to test one’s herd for one year only and consider that gave bne a good basis for the work of improvement. In Denmark any dairy farmer joining a testing association Had tp join for five year's. Ip that period a fanner became absolutely convinced that it paid tp test his cows year in and year out in order tr at he should know which ones were unprofitable and replace them with profitable cows. Herd-testing was first introduced into New Zealand in 1909 by Mr Cuddie, of the dairy division, after his visit tp Denmark. The lecturer later commenced it in the Thames Valley, where it had given excellent results. For instance, the 1920 returns from the Thames Valley Herdtesting Association showed that the average butter-fat production fpr the season for the cows Coming under the association was 2361 b, well above the average for the Dominion. Some details should prove interesting, and they were as follow : The best herd averaged 3221 b the worst herd 1431 b, the best 10 herds 2581 b, the worst 10 herds 1791 b, the best cow gave 4521 b, the worst cow 641 b„ the best TO cows averaged 4291 b, the worst-10 cows 961 b.

Some farmers were fairly good ■judges of the butter-fat capabilities of a cow, but many others hopeless as judges. In any case, however, judging was more or less mere guesswork •. testing was the only certainty. In one instance he knew an experienced farmer who -pointed out what he considered his worst cow in a comparatively good herd of 50-bdd. When the herd was tested this “worst” cow gave 2031 b. Only nine cows gave more, while 43 gave less. Actually, the worst cow in the herd gave 981 b. Again, he considered performance more; reliable than pedigree. Some 10 yeans ago he knew a man who bought a pedigree cow for 17 guineas, a good price then, and about the same time a "scrub” cow for £2 17s 6d. The pedigree cow gave 491 b of butten-fat in 90 days, and the "scrub” cow 1471 b in 116 days. Needless to say, the pedigree cow did not retain its place in the herd. The lecturer emphasised that persistence in testing was absolutely essential 'f proper, practice was to be followed. The testing of a cow one seven-day period; the system that used to be followed by some pedigree breeders, was not a reliable guide at all in nis opinion as to the merits of a cow. The quality or the quantity of milk given by a : cow were not separately reliable indications of the cow’s worth These two elements must be considered in conjunction. It was estimated that to cover all the costs of its maintenance and milking a cow would have to produce 1601 b of. but-ter-fat in the season. On one producing less that that, therefore, the farmer was losing money, while on those producing more he was making a profit. The necessity for knowing what each cow was producing ip order that the unprofitable ones could be culled out and replaced by profitable ones thus became apparent. The all-importance of increasing the average production of a herd as much as possible was manifest, and it was only by testing that the dairy farmer could do what he should in this regard. Mating one’s more profitable cows with .a good bull of substantial butter-fat backing and rearing the female progeny to replace the unprofitable cows, he considered, was the most feasible method in most cases. It was not merely a matter of a day or so to increase the average production of a herd, but consistency on ths right lines would give great results. A farmer was here or there heard to say that he did not have time to test his cbws. But it was waste of time milking without testing, for that same farmer would probably be milking many unprofitable cows, geting nothing, as regards profit, or less than nothing from each of these for milking them, say, 600 times a year.

Tn starting to increase the average production of his cows, alter ascertaining their individual value from the point of view of butter-fat production. the dairy farmer] should set a sensible standard for attainment. As regards a standard for heifers, it was of little use keeping heifers which in their first year gave much under 1601 b of butter-fat. He bad known one case in which a heifer had given only 691 b and the owner had said: "Oh, she’s only a heifer; I’ll keep her and see how much she gives in the second year.” But this anipial had shown a deficiency of 911 b below the 1601 b required to cover her maintenance and milking, costs for the season, and if she was to be a paying proposition the following season

she would have to give 160.1 b phis this 911 b deficit, a total of 2511,b. Was it reasonable to expect she would do this ? To qualify for enti;y into the herd book a pedigree animal was required to give, under semi-official test, 260-:slb of butter-fat as a heifer, 2771 b as a three-year-old, 3151 b as a four-year-old, and 3501 b as a five-year-old. In conclusion Mr Byrne referred to the fact that the. Mptumaoho Herdtesting Association, formed a year ago, was proving $ success. It post this association 3s 6d pen cow per year to do the testing, and about 2000 cows were necessary to form an association.

In reply to a question Mr Byrne said the check which such an association had on any farmer’s testing returns was the amount of butter-fat he supplied to the factory. Moreover, the tester should be a man of character, who would deal with any dis« honesty in the matter. Membership in such an association should be at least for a three-year term. One year’s membership was of comparatively little US& A very hearty vote of thanks was accorded Mr Byrne for his address. At the conclusion of the address it was decided to get all particulars ami form ap association.