The Future of Dairying

Northland Age, Volume 1, Issue 2, 16 October 1931, Page 3

The Future of Dairying

Dr. H. E. Annett, the wellknown agricultural scientist, in the course of a lecture on the future of farming to the Wellington Philosophical Society recently, said :

“The dairy industry has already reached the stage at which artificially prepared substances are affecting it severely. Wp all know something of the extent to which margarine is competing with butter. The manufacture of margarine today is a highly scientific industry, and the quality of the product is continually being improved. The raw materials for its manufacture consist of whale, ground nut, coconut, palm kernel, cotton seed, soya bean, and other oils. It is open to question whether the cost of these can be reduced below the present level.

“The recent developments in the soya bean industry are undoubtedly affecting the dairying position. Quite a good imitation of milk can be made from the soya bean. A vegetable casien, however, is being made from this soya bean milk, and it is competing in industry to an extent fvith casein prepared from milk. The utilisation of by-products from the dairying industry such as casein and milk sugar, is a very important matter. “Making allowance, however, for all these factors,” said Dr. Annett, “I am a distinct optimist regarding the agricultural future of New Zealand. The agricultural outlook for New Zealand is, as a matter of fact, extremely rosy.”