Farmers Urged To Use Son Of Merit Semen

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29264, 23 July 1960, Page 8

Farmers Urged To Use Son Of Merit Semen

’T’HE efficiency of New Zealand’s artificial breeding services are in danger of being undermined by the reticence of dairy farmers to use son of merit semen. Unless more young bulls could be proven quickly, it was stated at the annual meeting of the conveners of the South Island Herd Improvement Association this week, there would be much less semen from proven bulls or the standard of material available would be lowered. '

The director of herd improvement for the New Zealand Dairy Board, Mr J. W. Stichbury, said that this year about 40 per cent, of all herds in the country would be using A.B. This spring 800 new herds would be using A.B. in the Auckland district alone. The result of this was that fewer and fewer bulls ■ were being proved on farms and the availability of proven bulls was declining. To make up for this, since 1951 yearling bulls had

been purchased in increasing numbers—well over 100 this year—to be proven under ' A 3. With about 35 per cent of farmers using artificial breeding also "herd testing over the country as a whole—the percentage in the South Island was 58—Mr Stichbury said about 1000 inseminations were needed to prove a young bull, but due to wastage of this semen the artificial breeding centres was having to send out 2000 inseminations to do this job. He said that of son of merit semen sent to associations, a little more than half had been used. Mr J. R. Unwin, general manager of the South Island Association, said that usage of son of merit in some of the South Island groups was as low as 17 per cent of the quantity allocated. .The artificial breeding centre would not be able to keep up its team of bulls unless the material was used and if necessary the association would take it into its own hands to see that it was used, said the chairman, Mr J. G. Macartney. He said that the Dairy Board had in mind the issue of nothing but son of merit semen on one out of every four days, but it was hoped that this would not be necessary. With bull power available and the increase in use of artificial breeding, Mr Unwin said it was not possible to 'get more than 75 per cent, of merit semen, and unless young bulls were proven and proven quickly the position would get worse. A suggestion was that some members should offer to take son of merit semen only for which they would receive a concession. That would cost a lot of money and those not using son of merit semen might have to help pay for it.

Mr W. 3. Johnston (Southland! said that he preferred son of merit sires to many merit sires. He recalled that five two-year-old daughters of son of merit sires had averaged 4781 b of fat with one going as high as 5371 b.