IMPROVING HERDS

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 257, 22 June 1932, Page 7

IMPROVING HERDS

WEEDING OUT CULLS USE OF SUITABLE LAND TO RUN TESTED HEIFERS. INOREASE IN PRODUCTION. (Specially Writicn for the "Morning Post" by G. J. . Armstrong, Opotiki.) Those "who have given any serious ~ tliought to the present financial posi- „ tion of our Dominion will agroe that we are now depending almost cntirely on our dairying industry for our trade baiance. No doubt, our wool and meat returns will improve in timo, but it seeras that, for some time to come, we must loolc to our dairyfarmers to "baiance our budget." His Excellency, Lord Bledisloe, speaking at a gathering some time ago, deplored the faet that our average production per cow was so low, and exhorted farmers to increase the average. The present seems to be the opportune time to kill two birds with one stone, i.e., provide reproductive worlc for a number of our unemployed, and increase our dairy returns at the samc time. His Exccllency quoted the average per cow as well under 2001b of butter-fat. Now, as we have a number of large herds averaging 2001b and over, it will be readily seon that we must be milking thousands of "dud" cows, to have such a low average. Discussing dairy matters with a farmor' from the Waikato, I was told that his herd of 120 cows averaged over 3001b of butter-fat. I enquired what he did with his heifer calves; he replied that he reared his marked calves, that is, calves from tested cows that gave not less than 3001b of butter-fat,; the others he sold as Bobby calves at 2s per head, so heifer calves from cows giving just under 3001b of butteM'at | wero slaughtered at a return of 2s | per head to the breeder. Talcing this J as a typical case, it meafis that we I are killing thousands of superior | calves, whieh if reared, woukl be a diJ rect means of bringing up our yield, j while we are milking thousands of | unprofitable cows. I What is the Rexnedy. I What is the remedy? The scheme which I have tliought . out, I ara eonfident, would provide the remedy, and be the means of groatly increasing our returns in a few years. In the iirst place it would be necessary to make herd-testing compulSory. At present some farmers are testing, Ihe majority are not. Why? Because many farmers are not fully alive to the value of herd-testing, but place a tent sheet before their eyes showing that Smoky gives 4051b of butter-fat for the season, returning at present prices £23 5s, whcreas Lucy gives 1401b, returning only £7, and they will wake up. These are not imaginary figures, but aro actually taken from my own first season's test sheet. I ara sure the Herd Testing Federation, now operating, would welcome compulsion, as it would romove the greatest stumbling block from its path — apathy of the farmer. Government stock inspectors, co-operating with herd-testing officials, should have authority to mark, with the Government broad arrow, as culls, all cows not coming up to a certain standard, which standard could be low at first, say 2001b, and raiscd as herds improved. Inferior cows should carry the condemned brand, otherwise they are often passed on. A Vain Hope. Attending our local monthly stock sale some time ago, I saw a goodlooking Jersey cow close to proiit * knocked down to a dairy farmer for £0 12s Gd. I remarlced to a bystander that she seemed to be cheap. He replied that the cow had been milked and tested the season prev'ous on a farm near his and gavo under 1501b of butter-fat for the season. Now what happens to this cow? If the purchaser tests she will make her appearance in the saleyards again next yea'r, and some one else has a try at hor. If the purchaser does not test he will probably milk her till she dies of old age, saving heifer calves from her in the meantimo, in the vain hope of improving his herd. This is happening all over New Zealand. The cull cow, when detected, is passed on. Mark her as a cull and she will go to her proper place— the butcher's block oi* the mmure works. Many farmers are milking cows that they know are not up to standard, for the simple reason that they do not know where, or cannot alford to buy others to replace them. Rcplacing Culls. My idea is that the Government should select blocks of unimproved land in dilferent parts of the cone try, improve such blocks by the use of labour from the unemployed ranks, = sulficiently to carry young cattle. These blocks could be stockcd when ready with marked calves, pnrchased in the first place by the Government. The heifers could be grazed, by the Government, till close to profit and could then be sold to farmers to replace their culls. Culls could be collectqd at the end of each dairying season, under direction of the resident stock inspector, to be taken over by the Government at markei value and to be disposed of to the best advantage by the Department, the main considcration being to get them out of the milking shed. The order could, at the sar-q time, be taken from the farmer whose culls were bought, for the number of heifers he would require to replace, and the diflierence in value securcd to the Government by bill of sale or by an • order on the factory supplied, interest being payable in the meantimc.. Building Up Herds. At present the Herd Testing Fedehation has fixed 3001b of butter-fat as the standard to qualify a cow to have her calf marked. This would ' probably have to be reduced to, say, 2501b for a few years to allow a ; sufficient number of marked calves to become available, to build up the : herds depleted by culling. Farmers would be only too willing to rear their heifer calves, especially considering the present law: price for pigs, as they . — ' irr

would be assured of a good market for them at weanihg timo, the proceeds from th'e sale of surplus calves would be a welcome addition to their income. I ara convinced thata scheme, such as I have foughly outlined, could be put into operation without any addi- , tional expense to the country, in fact, the State would eventually be the gainer, as the areas used for the rearxng of heifers, as they becamo more improved, by stockihg and topdressing, could be cut up fpr closer settlement, arid fresh areas broken in. There are approxima'tely 80,000 dairyfarmers in New Zealand, whom, I am sure, when they roalised that they would, under this scheme, have an assured number of marked heifers, from wliich to rdplcnish their herds, at cost price and on easy terms, would readily take up debentures payable 7 to 10 years. The funds thus created to be used to purchase heifers, bulls, manure, seed, etc. Labour Available. The Unemployment Board could be called on to supply the labour required. The geographical position of the Tauranga and Rotorua districts, with the large areas of unimproved land especially suited to the growing of turnips to winter on, makes them partieularly suitable to rear heifers on, from whence they could be easily drafted to farmers in the Bay of Plenty and other parts of the Island, as required. Other suitable areas could be used in the North of Auckland and Hawke's Bay. I ara convinced that a scheme of operations somewhat on the lines I have suggested if given effect to would, in a few years, be the means of adding to our prosperity by increasing the returnS from our farms at present in use and also by bringing into profitable oceupation large areas of Crown lands now lying idle. Since writing the above I had the opportunity of discussing the subject with Mr. Hume, organiser of the Herd Testing Federation, and his favourable comments lead me to believe that I can confidently hope for the Federation's support.