TESTING DAIRY HERDS.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 30 July 1927, Page 6

TESTING DAIRY HERDS.

THE GROUP SYSTEM. ADOPTION ADVOCATED. The introduction of the group herding testing system was advocated atthe annual meeting of the Taranaki Federation of Co-operative Dairy I actories at Hawera. yesterday by Mr. E. M. Bardsley, organiser of the BushHorowhenua Herd Testing Association, who is visiting the district with the object of forming a group in South Taranaki. ‘•So long as the robber and boarder cow is allowed to stay in your herds, so long will the average production be lower than it should be,” said Mr. Bardsley, and it is only by the systematic testing of the whole herd that you are able to detect the animals which should be culled. Also, without the test as a- guidance you may possibly cull a cow which in reality is worth keeping. The- way to increased yields and prosperity lies principally in getting rid of the robber and replacing her with a heifer of a tested cow by a purebred sire.” WIDE SCOPE OPEN.

Taking as a basis the improvement in production which liad been effected where systematic testing was in operation, it -had been estimated that on the same -amount of land land with the s-auue -number of stock the dairying community of the Dominion coukh_ by the sustained use of herd-testing, supplemented by good breeding and selection, earn on present price levels an additional -income of £7,1)00,000 annually. like herd-testing association operating in the South Auckland district .started in 1923-24 season with an average ol : 2071bs of butter-fat per cow, and in lour seasons raised t-lie average of its 62,060 cows to 2501b5. 'lhe difference of 48i.bs per cow between tile first -and the last seasons meant -an additional income in the last season of -about £200,000. lu the Bush-Horowhenua association where the speaker had been operating, the average itn herds being posted had been raised from 200 in 1923-24 to 2481 b-: per cow in 1926-2/. litis related to approximately 6000 cows. On the same basis as the other comparison, this meant that supposing 1* 4d Jiau been paid in 1923-24 and only the same amount was realised lor .1926-27, the extra revenue for the latter year would be about £25,000. Against this the cost for testing t-lie SUOO cows lor the single season would, at 5s each, mean only £2OOO. “Five shillings is the cost of testing 'by the -association, but of this -in the coming -season the farmer will probably only have to find 4s, as the Government subsidy uf £BOOO granted this week to assist group herd-testing associations wall allow of a subsidy oi approximately Is per cow under test, continued Mr. Bardsley. IN TERN A h MAN A GEMENT.

Dealing with the internal management of the group associations, Mr. Bardsley said that an association was organised in one or more groups comprising 26 or more herds according to size. Elacih group had its own testing officer, who visited any shed milking the required number of cows every. 30 days. The usual procedure was for him to- arrive for the afternoon milking, bringing with him all the necessary gear for obtaining samples, weights and tests. Included were special testing buckets for machine s-hecks which, enabled individual weights and samples to be obtained from each cow with the minimum of trouble. The extra time occupied in testing would not exceed 10 minutes for a herd of 50 cows. Weights and samples were taken again -at . the morning milking, and the testing of samples was- proceeded with in the shod, the whole of tlie work being carried out under the eye of the farmer himself. The forms were forwarded to the secretary of the association, who compiled the a-vearges and were returned to the farmer in a day or so, the information being regarded as strictly confidential. The speaker also gave an outline of the calf-marking scheme, whereby heifer calves from, high producing dams were registered and marked by way of tattoo in the ear, provided they were by a registered sire and the entry was supported by declaration. It was -safe to assume- that only heifer calves -by -pedigree bulls with a minimum butter-fat backing would be eligible for registration. Oa-lf-mark-ing would eliminate guess-work in the building up of a dairy herd. It would provide data as t-Q breeding which in a very few yea-rs would be of Inestimable value to tire .industry. At the conclusion of his address, Mr. Bardsley answered ia_ wide range of questions on the subject -and a general discussion ensued. It was reported subsequently that 1200 cows had -ben offered towards the formation of a -group in the district.

DISCUSSED AT KAKARAMEA

SUPPLIERS GENERA LEY FAVOURABLE.

At the annual meeting of the Kakaramea Dairy Company, the chairman (Mr. A. Pearce) advocated the general adoption of herd testing. He said that farmers at AVlienuakura wanted to start a group similar to those in the Waikato. Under this system, instead of the suppliers doing their own weighing and sampling, a man was appointed to go round and do it for them, two samples being taken, morning and night, once a month. The bottles were supplied, and the charge would bo about os a cow.

Mr. Hall saitl he was convinced they were all losing a lot of money by not testing. He knew that an average ol 3001 bs in the Waikato was quite common .and they were “beating us hollow in that district.” Mr. Tarrant said that while there was so much risk of cows getting mammi tis and vaginitis he questioned whether testing could he done by most of them. Air. AVatt said that Whenuakura farmers wanted 1300 cows for the group. Suppliers, were urged to seriously consider the question, and to get into touch with Air. F. Parsons or Air. Donald, of AYhennakiira. It is confidently hoped that the group would he formed. milk. - 15,108,122; pounds'of butter-fat, 012,072; pounds of cheese made (factory weights), 1,001.299 (741 tons 13 cwt. Oqrs. 31bs.); pounds of milk to make lib cheese, 9.09; pounds of cheese to 11b butter-fat, 2.71; average tost, 4.05; pounds of cheese from 1001 b milk, 10.99. Used for butter-making: pounds of milk, 335.643; pounds of butter-fat, 17,002; pounds of butter made (excluding starter), 20,537 (9 tons 4 cwt. 1 qr. 13 lb.); pounds of milk to make 1 lb. butter, 15,09; overrun, 20.79; average test, 5.00. Statistics required under “Dairy Industry Amendment Act, 1922’’: (a) Weight of butter made from each pound of butter-fat used for the manufacture of butter was 1,20791 b; (b) no unsalted butter was manufactured; (c) weight of cheese made from eaeli pound of butterfat used for the manufacture of cheese was 2.71421 -