The Press SATURDAY, MARCH 8, 1958. Beef From Dairy Herds

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28530, 8 March 1958, Page 12

The Press SATURDAY, MARCH 8, 1958. Beef From Dairy Herds

A switch from milk to beef production in Britain is desirable for a number of reasons; and a significant switch will be welcomed by New Zealand butter producers concerned about Britain’s over-production of milk. For these reasons, New Zealand farmers will watch with interest a joint venture by the Fatstock Marketing Corporation and the National Farmers’ Union Development Company to encourage such a trend. They have formed a company, Fatstock Finance, Ltd., which will operate credit schemes providing for beef producers an equivalent to, as the “ Economist ” puts it, “ that sheet-anchor of the dairy “ herd owner’s finances, the “ monthly milk cheque There will be an ordinary short-term credit scheme to finance the buying of store cattle and another scheme will provide advances of up to 60 per cent., paid in equal monthly instalments, towards the cost of fattening them. The advances, with interest and administrative expenses, will be deducted from the final purchase price by the fatstock corporation. Beef production in Britain has been increasing as beef bulls are used on inferior dairy cows, but the new scheme is expected to accelerate this trend considerably. It will assist high-cost dairy producers, who should make the change, but who have been unable to substitute for the monthly milk cheque an annual beef cheque because of inadequate working capital. The peaks and hollows of the beef producer’s income will be ironed out and beef production, particularly for the smaller farmer, will be more attractive. A drop in the over-production of milk

will aid the British economy and taxpayer and lead to better land utilisation. As research in New Zealand on the use of dairy cows as incubators for the production of beef calves continues, the British scheme will be remembered. The British Milk Marketing Board reported last year that out of a national herd of three million breeding females, nearly a million calves by beef bulls would eventually be available for rearing for beef. If New Zealand used a similar proportion of dairy cows for beef production, at least 800,000 calves could be produced each year in this way. Reared to an average dressed weight of 5001 b, they could contribute 175,000 tons of extra beef to supplement normal high-quality beef production. A small trial shipment of crossbred beef has been sent to London; and butchers reported they could find a ready market for it at a few pence per lb below the price of select beef. Crossbred beef might not provide as good a return to the dairy farmer as butterfat, but it is a useful diversification in uncertain times. It is cheaper to produce and is a useful means of increasing beef production rapidly. If the American and Asian markets develop as New Zealand hopes, this might be a ready way of meeting the demand. Indeed, such a diversification was recommended by an eminent British authority, Dr. John Hammond, when ne visited Christchurch last month. Not only did it mean that the dairy farmer was producing useful beef, Dr. Hammond said; it meant also that since the farmer was breeding for his dairy herd only Jrom his best cows, the herd was improved.