Herd association to raise charges

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32975, 22 July 1972, Page 20

Herd association to raise charges

Because of rising costs beyond its control, the management committee of the South Island Herd Improvement Association has reluctantly been forced to increase charges slightly for both herd testing and artificial breeding in the coming season, says chairman (Mr F. W. Wyatt) in the committee’s annual report.

With the exception of a slight adjustment at the time of the change-over to decimal currency, this is the first rise in testing fees since 1960, he says.

The association’s herd recording service shows a profit for the year to the end of May of $759, and the artificial-breeding service a

surplus of $9823. Mr Wyatt says that membership of the recording service continues to increase, a total of 807 herds having been tested during the season. The estimated total number of cows tested for the season at 59,000 is a further record for the association.

Adverse weather has been experienced at various periods throughout the association's territory, Mr Wyatt says, the prolonged dry spells in Golden Bay and South Canterbury being particularly severe; but in spite of this, over-all pro-

duction has been maintained at a high level, which reflects the farming capabilities of members and the quality of their herds. The estimated average production of milk fat per cow is 3601 b.

There is also a further increase in the number of cows inseminated to 44,259, says Mr Wyatt. A significant proportion of the inseminations carried out during the year has been with semen of beefbreed origins. The association will be widening the scope of choice of this type of semen for its members during the coming season. The recording fees for the new season will be:

Monthly test: herd fee $5, plus $1.75 per cow; minimum fee $4O. Alternate month testing: herd fees $5, plus $1.15 per cow; minimum fee $2B. Production ranking test: herd fee $4, plus 60c per cow; minimum fee $l6.