Herd improvement body’s year

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32660, 16 July 1971, Page 14

Herd improvement body’s year

Adverse weather had been experienced throughout the territory at various periods, the prolonged dry spell in coastal Canterbury being particularly severe and causing the early drying-off of some herds, says the chairman, Mr F. W. Wyatt, in the thirty-second annual report of the South Island Herd Improvement Association.

But in spite of this production per cow for the season had been maintained at a high level, which reflected the farming capabilities of members and the quality of their herds. Mr Wyatt said that there had been an increase in the membership of the herd recording service of six and of a total of 802 herds tested during the season 612 were on monthly test, 152 on alternate month test and 38 on the production ranking system of test. The estimated total number of cows tested for the season at 55,000 was a further record for the association, as was the number of cows “charged for” at 53,882, which was an increase of

3880 over the previous yeat which in itself was a record.

The estimated butterfat production per cow was 3561 b which was 121 b lowei than in the previous year. Mr Wyatt said that the association’s committee had decided to withhold any rebate on testing charges this season because of an anticipated sharp increase in costs of this service for the coming year. In spite of rising costs the committee felt that recording fees could be maintained on the present scales for the next season at least. They were: monthly test, herd fee $5 plus $1.65 per cow and a minimum fee of $3B; alternate month test, herd feed $4 plus $l.lO per cow with a minimum fee of $26; and production ranking test, a herd fee of $3 plus 55c per cow and a minimum fee of $l4. In the 1970 season there were 30 spring and winter artificial breedings groups with 777 herds, and of a total of 42,332 cows inseminated 33,006 were got in calf with a conception rate of 67.9 per cent and an incalf rate of 84.7 per cent. Mr Wyatt said that there had been an increase in the number of cows inseminated. The demand for semen of beef breeds had showed a sharp increase and it was the association’s intention to widen the scope of choice in this service for the coming season. The accounts show that income exceeded expenditure in the herd recording service by $7002 and in the artificial breeding service by $5727.

The report says that Messrs A. C. Monk (Kokatahi) and A. Beveridge (Outram), representing testing members in wards 3 and 5 respectively, and Messrs Wyatt (Hari Hari) and J. D. Willocks (Stirling) representing artificial breeding members in the same wards, had retired by rotation but they had been nominated again and being unopposed would be declared elected for a further term of three years at the

annual general meeting.