HERD TESTING ACTIVITIES

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 667, 20 May 1929, Page 10

HERD TESTING ACTIVITIES

WORK OF WAIKATO ASSN. (From Our Own Correspondent) HAMILTON, Sunday. A review of the work of the New Zealand Co-operative Ilerd-Testing Association was given yesterday by the manager, Mr. C. M. Ilume. The finances of the association, said Mr. Hume, were thoroughly sound. All charges had been met by revenue and the association’s unencumbered assets were valued at £2.900. During the year 80,600 cows had been tested. Kintil figures were not available, but one herd tested had averaged 4001 b butter-fat, while a small herd had yielded -lOSlb butter-fat a cow. The cost of plant last year was £1,058. The association advocated an extension of its calf-marking scheme, and suggested that this was a question which the Agriculture Department could undertake. It was not known whether a. Government subsidy would be available next year, but assuming that there would be no subsidy, the association proposed to charge £5 for every herd, plus 3s a cow. so that the owner of a herd of 20 cows would pay £S. Should a subsidy of 3s si cow he made available this sum would be rebated to members. Mr. Hume suggested that farmers could ssive considerable sums if groups of them would agree to buy a pedigree bull for each farmer and then exchange them every two years. There would be then no fresh outlay for eight or ten