CORRESPONDENCE

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLI, Issue XLI, 11 May 1921, Page 8

CORRESPONDENCE

PAY-OUT ON BUTTER-FAT

(To the Editor.;

Sii\ —The present system of paying out on butter-fat test is as near as dairy factories can get to a fair and equitable pay-out when butter alone is being manufactured, but has its limitation when cheese is being manufactured. Take for an example a farmer whom we call A, who has a high testing herd ranging from, say, 4.5 at the beginning of the season" to 8.0 and over at the close, whilst B, his neighbour, whose herd is a mixed one of, say, Shorthorns, Holsteins, and crossbreds only gets from 3.5 to 4.5, perhaps a little snore, for the same period. It will, nevertheless, be argued that B has the compensating advantage of a largerl quantity of milk, but expei-ts tell us that owing, .to the greater quantity of butter-fat in A's milk more butter-fat will be absorbed by the cheese than would otherwise be the case, consequently the factory will be the loser and the pay-out for the year slightly diminished. Now, sir, the sajne thing happens with the late summer and autumn milk received by the factory for cheese-making.. More butter-fat is in the milk during this time than during the early spring and summer months, consequently more is absorbed by the cheese than is necessary to make a first-class article. Experts will tell you that the early months make a firmer and better ; article than the later months, which turn out much softer cheese owing to the presence of too much butter-fat. It is, to use. a homely illustration', like a housewife using more butter in making her cake than .is necessary. It may be asked how this is to be remedied. I would suggest a plan which I think, will overcome the difficulty, namely, that the Dairy Division be approached for permission to i skim, say, 25 per cent, of the milk | received each morning, and mix the re- [ sultant _ skim milk with the other 75 per cent, of whole milk, thus reducing the butter-fat content without affecting I the solids to any appreciable degree. I This plan would also solve the high- [ testing herd problem and contribute a few extra points to the pay-out for the season. It would make an interesting subject for a paper at the annual conference next month. I recommend it to your dairy farmer readers.—l am, etc., 1 OVERRUN.