LOCATING THE UNPROFITABLE COW.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VI, Issue 504, 28 September 1912, Page 6

LOCATING THE UNPROFITABLE COW.

Speaking at the annual meeting of the Eketahuna Cow-Testing Association, the chairman, Mr Thos. Parsons, stated that the year's work had given members an indication, which they could not otherwise have obtained, of the value to them of the cows milked. This knowledge was invaluable to the man determined to make money out of dairying. He compared th 6 herd showing the lowest, The one herd, taking, better fat at Is per lb, had returned the owner £l3 la 2d per head, and the other £6s 9d, a diffrence of 6.18s 5d per cow. The testing had demonstrated that one man's cows were worth ns much again as the other man's. This was an object lesson which should appeal to all dairymen. It was impossible to pick out the best average cows in the ordinary way, a3 members of the Association had ascertained to their loss. The work of the association so demonstrated the fact that twofifths of the cows tested were unprofitable to those who milked them. It was generally undestood that unless a cow produced butter fat to the value of 10s for the season, with butter fat at Is per lb, she was not showing a profit to the owner. The. average of all the cows tested showed they produced £8 18s 9d, or a total profit; of 8s 9d per head. At this rate settlers were not going to pay off their mortgages very quickly, and it appeared that intense culilng was needed and these herd 3 generallv improved if dairying was to prove a profitable industry to the district. He contended that cows which did not produce 20ulb of butter fat in a Beason were not worth keeping, and dairymen should aim at this maximum and over. He recognised a shortage would be created if eveybody culled heavily, but settlers could rear young stock from the best cows in place uf grazing duffers, and matters would soon right themselves. Again, instead of sacrificing the culls, they could be apeyed and milked throughout the winter and sold for beef early in the summer at a good figure. He was pleased to see the Government as assisting associations, and he thought they should go furhter and insist on every cow which did not show a tfpiofitable return being branded. This would prevent other dairymen being saddled with the culls.