BEEF TO DAIRYING

Manawatu Times, Volume 60, Issue 196, 21 August 1935, Page 12

BEEF TO DAIRYING

English Producers' Change A marked swing-over from beef producing dairying is taking place In some English districts, according to a London correspondent. The correspondent reports that all down the western side of England an agricultural revolution is taking place. Through the Midlands and along the Welsh border, and down into the stock-producing districts of Devon, farms that used to produce beef are being equipped for milk production. Landlords are finding it difficult to let farms where there are no dairying facilities. The rcaton is the economic condition of the beef industry, a condition that lias persisted for three years. Few beef producers are coming out on the right side, and many arc making losses year after year. First-quality beef can hardly be produced at less than 40/- per cwt. allowing nothing for profit, and yard-fed beef costs something like 45/- to turn out. The subsidy of 5/- per cwt. lias, of course, been helpful, but four-fifths of it lias been lost in the fall in prices since the subsidy was introduced. Even with the subsidy few beef animals are bringing a return of more than 41/-. Farmers would not be going to the trouble and expense of changing over from beef to milk if beef production were not unattractive in spite of the subsidy. The result is a tremendous increase in milk supplies—about 10.000,000 gallons a month compared with last year—largely due to unattractive beef prices, and this now threatens disaster to both the dairying industry and tile Milk Board. “Fut beef right, and the troubles of the milk industry will be righted too,’’ is the opinion of farmers expressed by farmers for the past IS months. Beef and milk are interlinked, and unless a means can be found to “put beef right,” not only- is the bec“ industry in jeopardy, but the dairying industry also, and this means about 05 per cent, of the entire agricultural production. The Fat Stock Commissioners reported that about 30 per cent, of the home beef supplies wore r.ow made up of beef from cows and bulls thrown out by the dairying industry.