BRANDING OF TESTED COWS,

Putaruru Press, Volume IV, Issue 128, 15 April 1926, Page 6

BRANDING OF TESTED COWS,

ASSOCIATION’S PROPOSAL. Should It Be Compulsory ? The question as to whether ,the New Zealand Co-op. Herd-testing Association should enforce the branding of all cows tested under the association was a matter for discussion at a meeting of Morrinsville and Te Aroha group committeemen held at Morrinsville on Thursday. The matter was introduced by the reading of the following remit:— “ The question of branding, or some other mark for identification purposes, being made compulsory, is b'ecoming of vital interest to the Herd-testing movement, and the directors are of opinion that it should be carefully considered at the conferences. The association has gone to the extent of ■withholding certificates for cows, other than pedigrees, unless the whole herd is branded.” Mr. C. M. Hume (general manager of the association) said it had been impossible to force branding through the calf-marking scheme, and if they were to enforce branding by calf-marking •they would have no calf-marking. If J the Government gave a subsidy it I ■would probably be conditionally on j branding. Why, he asked, did so many j of the members object to branding ? j Mr. W. McLachlan said that the branding of cows was the strongest j point in the herd-testing system. Twenty yeai-s ago he had advocated ' branding. Mr. Hume said that one of the worst cases that could be obviated by branding was in a group not 100 miles from ' Morrinsvilffe. A farmer bought a fine- | looking cow at a sale at the high price of £lB and after a few months’ | testing found it to be a cull and of j ■very little value. If this cow had ! been branded it could have been iden- | tified as a cull. Mr. F. K. Tompkins thought the 1 farmers would be put to a considerable amount of expense by branding. He asked when the branding would be done. If it were done while dry there was a danger of slipping, and if while milking there would be considerable expense and loss of milk for a while.' Branding would also damage the hides.

A Voice : If they didn’t have any , damned hides at all it would be beti ter. Mr. E. C. N. Robinson: We are not producing hides, but butter-fat. A j hot brand, he considered, would not disturb the cow’s milking, j Mr. Hume said that the branding j would be done with the farmers’ own registered brand, and numbering from No. 1. A cow would not have to be re-branded when changing hands. He had noted that unbranded cows did not bring any more money than branded cows. The tanners did not object to branding providing it was done in a certain place. Tatooing would never take the place of fire-branding for identification purposes. The tanners had suggested branding on the neck, but this could not be seen when the cows were in the bail. ' To Mr. E. R. Whitechurch: Mr. Hume said that where a farmer had more than one herd the brand would be the owner’s registered brand then the number, and, for first herd “ A,” and for the next herd “ B,” and so on. Mr. W. D. Ross suggested that when a cow was sold the brand should be visible, otherwise her records would be held to be worthless. Mr. Hume said that the brand was usually better during the second year after branding. Mr. Barrowclough suggested that the association should not stand behind any records unless-the animal m question was branded. Mr. Hume said that they had not reached the time when they could insist upon compulsory branding. Mr. T. Turner (testing officer) did not think the farmers understood branding, which at the time would bring down the quantity of milk, but would put the test up. In one case where he had tested just after branding, the milk war- nearly down to half, but the tes was up to nearly double. The testing officer should not do the branding, as, when he next came to the shed, the cows were rfraid of him, and in some cases held their milk. Mr. Stewart said he and the testing officer had branded several cows in the open bail, and did riot break a leg-rope. Mr. Hume said a red hot brand was not sufficient, they wanted white heat, if possible, but, of course, with open kerosene tins this was difficult. It was decided to defer the matter of branding.