DAIRY PRODUCTION

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 260, 25 June 1932, Page 6

DAIRY PRODUCTION

REVJEW OF POSITION AT THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE. A DECREASING TENDENCY. In the course of an address to the dairy conference at Palmerston North this week the President, Mr. A. Morton of Taranalcai, declared that many farmers had been faced with the necessity of reducing top-dressing operations. It was a lamentable fact that during the past two years the production per cow had been decreasing and that tendency would have to be speedily checlced. He was afraid that unless things improved generally they would be faced with a decrease in the total production. Increased production was never more essential than it was at present, in order to compensate farmers for the drop in prices, and this could only be brought about by improved pasturss and so on. New Zealand and Australia together were now supplying more butter to Gteat Britain than Denmarlc, and Denmark was becoming concerned about the position. The consumption of butter in Great' Britain was increasing year by year, and was ousting margarine from the majority of homes. New Zealand was faced with the necessity of improving the quality of its produce in order to maintain and improve the demand on the Home marlcets. Wider Field Needed. It was unfortunate that New Zealand's market abroad was confined to the United Kingdom, said Mr. Martin. Cheese prices were not as bad as butter prices; in fact, in some respects they were better than last season, but there was still room for improvement. So far as the quality of butter and cheese was concerned, it was significant that there had been very few complaints. However, that should not deter them from making greater efforts in order to effect improvements. Mr. Morton paid a tribute to the work being carried out for the benefit of the industry by the Dairy Research Institute, and said a very for-

ward step had been made m the direction of instructing factory managers and their assistants. Scientific knowledge had been imparted to those men, and it was bound to prove of benefit to the industry generally.