Research Into Bloat Pays Handsome Dividends

Press, Volume C, Issue 29566, 15 July 1961, Page 6

Research Into Bloat Pays Handsome Dividends

rp WO excellent examples of the benefits that farmers derive from research were given to the town supply dairy farmers’ conference at Haiswell this week by Dr. A.. T. Johns, Director of the Plant Chemistry Division of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research. In Victoria, Australia, a dairy farmer on 130 acres running 95 cows lost 51 cows valued at £3570 from bloat in four years and his estimated loss of production as a result of bloat over that period was £5040 —a grand total of £B6lO. Since spraying his pastures to control bloat

he has had ■no losses for a trifling expenditure of £62 on spraying equipment and an annual cost of £3B for tallow, etc.

Nearer at home. Dr. Johns quoted the case of a farmer at Shannon. His herd on 120 acres consists of 120 cows and his annual losses from bloat have averaged 20. In the spring of 1960 his returns were 3501 b of cream daily. When consistent bloat hit his herd daily production dropped to below 2001 b of cream. When his farm was visited on October 19, 60 cows were badly bloated. On the following day he started spraying and within two weeks his production was up to 3751 b of cream a day. Since that time he has lost no cows and bloat has been completely controlled by spraying with heavy paraffin. Dr. Johns said that in terms of butterfat at 3s a lb this man’s daily production loss from bloat was £26 and his annual loss of animals was about £7OO. Against this cost of spraying involved a capital expenditure of, -say, £6O and a daily charge of 2Jd per cow—2ss plus about an hour of his time.