New Butterfat Record Set

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32351, 17 July 1970, Page 10

New Butterfat Record Set

Butterfat production per cow tested in the last season is estimated at a further record level, in spite of adverse weather at various times throughout the territory, and a prolonged severe dry spell in coastal Canterbury, says Mr F. W. Wyatt, chairman of the South Island Herd Improvement Association, in the thirty-first annual report. The production estimate is 3651 b of butterfat compared with 3601 b in the previous season. Mr Wyatt said that membership of the herd recording service had shown a slight decrease of 18. During the season 796 herds

were tested but the total number of cows tested—an estimated 53,000 —was a record for the association and consistent with the trend throughout the country. The number of cows in seminated in the spring mat ing groups had decreased slightly, said Mr Wyatt re ferring to the artificial breeding service, but the overall conception and in calf rates had been the highest yet attained. For 40,564 cows inseminated, the conception rate was up to 68.1 per cent and the incalf rate up to 85 per cent It was interesting to note, he said, that of all inseminations from proven bulls of the three dairy breeds, 54.2 per cent were from Friesian bulls. An ever-increasing demand for semen from beef breeds was also noticeable and to help meet this the Dairy Board was providing

a limited deep-freeze service from Charolais bulls in the coming spring mating season.

The herd recording service showed a profit for the year of $4662 and the artificial breeding service an excess of income over expenditure of $5121. Mr Wyatt said that provision had been made for substantial rebates to members of spring-mating artificialbreeding groups, but there would be no rebate on herd testing this season. A contract had been approved for the building of a caretaker’s residene.ee and further capital outlay would be required to improve deepfreeze storage equipment. Mr Wyatt said that an alteration in the system of charging herd recording fees would be made for the coming season, but the basic scales would remain the same.