HERD-TESTING

Manawatu Times, Volume LIII, Issue 6667, 21 July 1928, Page 4

HERD-TESTING

MANAWATU ASSOCIATION. “Herd testing has been much discussed and many references have been made to this useful work, especially during the past winter show, when the Dominion Herd Testing Federation held their annual conference in Palmerston North,” stated a prominent farmer of Manawatu who is much interested in the herd testing movement. f ‘All the incorporated associations are now federated in order to make herd testing uniform throughout New Zealand. At the annual meeting of the Manawatu Association, the decision to federate was carried almost unanimously; this decision, in the minds of many,, is a very progressive movement. As a result the Manawatu. Co-operative Herd Testing Association will during the coming season again extend its operations, including the calf marking scheme as adopted by the federation. This will bring the status of tho local association .to the level of that .in the Waikato. There is no reason whatever why we should not bo able to record the same progress and the same remarkable increase in production of butter fat here in the ■ Manawatu as has been done in the South Auckland district during the past five years. Start of Association, ' “Five, years ago the • local association started under tho name of the ‘Bangiotu Dairy Farmers Union Herd Testing Association’ with a few. enthusiastic members, forming one group with 1600 cows. The existence of the Dairy Farmers Union was thus justified through bringing members together. As a result of ■ many meetings a .start was made in 1923-31 season. In the past season, under the new name— The Manawatu Association, there Were 10 : groups with approximately 14,100 cows, under test. In the coming season that number will increase probably to the 20,000 mark. The members are to be congratulated on their present position it being now the second largest association in tho Dominion. Credit is duo to the.members of tho ( executive for their services freely given, especially the president, Mr,,W. H. Gimblott, who has during these five years given so much time and thought to this -important work.... ] - Extending ThA Work.' ,;' ;: .' “It is the hope of the executive to extend its area from the south of Wanganui to Wellington. Steady progress means sound-; business. In this en-' deavour. tho co-operation of every member is necessary and many local bodies can also assist in this direction. Palmerston North will be its centre. Tho Manawatu and West Coast Dairy Factories Association have promised every assistance and many dairy factories are now subsidising their suppliers to the extent of Is per cow towards thd. cost of testing and showing thoir ap-. proval. *’ " ‘ . •. •; . .Marking of < Calves. “Every member must now clearlyi.uderstand' the ■position.' . All Who tested, their herds; con, if they wish to do so, have-their.'heifer-calves from now onwards tatooed -in the car with' tho registered ibrand of tho federation, Which includes a number, which will be recorded by tho association. Any calf so marked will, by the number, bp identified for all' time together with the records 'of its giro and dam. Tho qualifications for marking are. as follow: i The sire must;; be a registered bull; the dam’s production must ho as a cow 360 Tb. butter' fat or over, as a threc-year-heifer 2751 b, and as a tWo-yCar-hififer 2501 b., If will thus ,be seen that' an ' increased* demand will come ' for. rcgifetcredibulls and particulars of production on both sides should be available. . . - - . ' Information Desired. - ; “It will bo as well perhaps to quote again the president ’s statement to one of the breeders/' societies quite recently which all herd testing ■ associations will thoroughly/endorse: ‘I- consider that herd testing iis lone of the finest assets ' the brdeded of purobfod stock can have since' it creates an almostunlimited demand for purebred bulls. Breeders must remember, however, that the dairy fanner is nowadays looking beyond pedigree; and that.ho demands information -with regard, "to. performance. A good pedigree . isdesirable, but-good. production bn tTiopart'of the ancestors is ! essential. I "regard tho providing’ of an adequate ’supply of bulls from- proven ancestry as one of the most urgent issues confronting breeders to-day. Nevertheless, I have heard breeders openly - disparaging herd testing, and I wish to point out that anyone who does so immediately falls under suspicion as to his ability stock of the required quality. It is lamentable that on many points of farm and herd management some breeders are actually behind ordinarydairymen in a, progressive area. ‘ The status of tho purebred, can never be : raised to the position, it should occupy until such anomaly is removed.’ . • , insert ’ A ' Opinion; * ‘ There are still some - who . think the testing of theiri herds is not necessary; others state that a test once a month and on one day only is not a true record. The answer to these ideas is given, by Mr. P. O. Veale, re-, search chemist and bacteriologist at the Hawora laboratory, who says: ‘ When the herd- is tested on one day only, there is tho possibility, or rather the certainty that it will bo observed on a day upon which it will perform cither slightly above or slightly below its true average butter-fat test. " Thus the result of a single period should not bo expected to correspond closely with (factory returns based upon true composite samples; although such fortuitous corresponding of results is fre-

quently obtained. However, over a whole season, with regular sampling at intervals the law of probability will ensure that the number of times when positive variations are obtained will be about equal to that upon which corresponding negative variations occur. Thus, over a whole season there is no reason why the return of butter fat per cow based upon either one or two days’ observations, should not coincide to within a few pounds of butter fat with the actiial production notwithstanding the existence of daily variations in test.’ Course of Instruction.

“This statement, ■ from such a reliable authority must dispel any doubt, if any still exists, as to the accuracy of production figures supplied by herd testing. Valuable assistance has been rendered by the course of instruction for herd testing officers at the Massey Agricultural College. This course end: ed on Saturday. It is very satisfactory to know that this instruction concluded with certificates of competency being issued in nearly every case to ' those attending. All the officers in employ of- the Manawatu Association who 1 attended were successful. They also received careful instruction in the way of tattooing qualified heifer calves from Mr. G. M. Hume, secretary of the federation. The. results that, must eventuate from this side of the dairy farmers’ business are so important that it is anticipated, that the time will soon come, when marked cows ‘, and calves only mil be required. Every farmer knows and has known- for centuries, the old, old-story: To get milk and butter fat cows must bo fed. The only way to know and to succeed as a dairy farmer is to test. V Increased Production. “The, statement of the: chairman of the Manawatu Drainage Board at the bridge opening ceremony at Eaiigiotu recently is recalled, he saying that ‘as he stood ,and looked- north ho could see many thousands of acres of the most fertile .land in the world, ’ Wo venture to predict that the . production per acre with dairy farmers, on this same land, with. .systematic . testing will. increase by at .least 50 , per’ cent. What has been done by Messrs, Shailer 'at Oroua Downs, on country that was, not long since thought of little . value—where herds of 26 averaged 4061 b of butter fat,, and herds of■ 35 averaged 3961 b of butter fat-r-sbould be easy to obtain on the lan,d .above but there is, only -Ope .way to .reach this magnificent,standard. .One. group that is consistently ■ had one herd wills rather a.low average; > otherwise the whole: group would have averaged 306 'ibf butter fat per cow. Applications have already been received for marked Calves at a good figure. Rearing calves under this system, will be a very profitable side lino/paying the testing fees many times aver.*”