HERD IMPROVEMENT SCHEME

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 1, Issue 20, 5 June 1939, Page 8

HERD IMPROVEMENT SCHEME

ASSISTING THE INDUSTRY

MR R. A. CANDY'S VIEWS

INCREASED DAIRY PRODUCTION

Speaking nt the recent meeting of delegates from the Bay of Plenty, Poverty Ray and the W airoa County Group Herd Testing Association-?, held in Wliakatane ; Mr 11. A. Candy Dominion president, said that the season 1925-2(i was the first in which group herd testing was carried out in Waikato, said Mr Candy. The Ngarua group was started in the 192G-27 season. The idea of those who tested their cows at that time was to see what were their best "ows and to breed from the top half of their herds with the aim of having herds averaging 4001b of butterfat or ( more in a few years. After several ' years of testing it was found that | the problem of increasing herd pro- j duct ion, was not as easy as that. Mr C. M. Hume, the pioneer of group herd testing, had devised the marked calf scheme with a view to helping the industry to raise thoi average production of the dairy herds ! For the last five or seven years there had been a static period. As a- 1 matter of fact the average production per cow this season was likely to be lower than for the last 10 3 r car:>. What was the reason for that lack of progress and for that stagnation? Herd Sires Not Good Enough Mr Candy said: "I am satisfied that the reason why we have not progressed is the inability of the avetfage herd sire to leave daughters as good as their dams. We must concentrate on the sires used in the herds fur more than we have done.'' The question of disease in the dairy herds entered into consideration,. So many good ccws have gone out of the industry because of disease that farmers are not able to cull as manv low-producing cows as thev would like. The cost of making such extensive replacements would be too much for them to stand. 4< Tt is more essential to have cows doing" 3501b or fat for long periods than, cows doing 4001b to 5001b for only a few seasons,'' said Mr Candy. "We now have to check up and find out whether a cow is capable of withstanding disease—whether the cows we are breeding from are capable ol withstanding mastitis, or whether the cows we are breeding from are liable to it.' ? Discount For Old Members Mr Candy stated that a considerable amount of subsidy was available this year to assist the herd testing associations. It was desirable to have a greater proportion of continuous testers. Farmers were to be encouraged to test their herds every year. Those who this* year arc entering into their third and fourth years of continuous testing will receive a 10 per centum discount, those entering into their fifth year 15 per centum, and those entering into theif sixth year or over 20 per centum. This is a very tangible benefit to members of the association who ha,ve been consistent sup. porters for a number of years. Educational Officers There are to be appointed educational officers who will be officers of the Dairy Board. Their function .-will be to move throughout the dairying districts and address meetings ol voung farmers' clubs, the Farmers' Union and other organisations,, and try to disseminate the information that the herd testing authorities will he able to accumulate in Wellington as a result of their statistical survey of hexxls under test. These office r< wil] lie able to give farmers greater knowledge of breeding principle-" than they have had in the past. More Money for Industry Every 101b rise in the average production of all cows milked in. New Zealand nv-fins at to-day's prices another £1,000.000 for tlic dairy indus. try.'' said Mr Candy in urging the importance of herd improvement. ''We have asked the breed societies to refuse to transfer pedigree anithat do not have sufficient buterlat backing.'" One reoresentative of the Jersev breeders' federation had intisu-iied that he favoured :tot regis!; ring such bulls. "In the future : t 's going t r > b" vbsohitely neccssa|v t( make a fet'O (his provedJnvf." business,'" added 'Tr Candy, ''because of the tremeod vis influence that bulls have on herd •iroductioii. We must realise that one 'nil! has an influence equal to that if 40 or 50 cows in a herd. (Continued at of next column)

The educational oil'icprs will try to f "t of he'd sires fronv fanners. The Herd Testing" Assoei-i. I on wants to Uet n vast amount of surveys of herd sires during the next 12 months and to get the farmers to understand which bulls were good ones and whieh were no good for the industry. "In the future the dairy he l '?! imorevements associations - are going' to play a more important part in tSi - 'ndMstrv.,*' said Mr (/i-'dy ''anil - 4oi nt* to he the o|* !m>l -iiv' V " V f vnier wheth he has hi; her-' ' ,'e' i"'led o»- not. We do not v;in; me: "'v en ineref'-e : n th" p'.Tnh >r o" herds being reeor? )«•»!, nnl«w* thor-* i;oing" to he a co-'-espondim/.lv great increase in the uti'isition of the :n----fonnation i£ain«vT from herd record, ing. It wo'.;ld be better to get a greater proportion of fanners who will ut:f : se that information than v increase in the number of herd;ecord'ed. * *