TARANAKI DAIRY HERDS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 19149, 15 October 1925, Page 18

TARANAKI DAIRY HERDS.

GROUP TESTING STARTED. Our Northern Taranuki correspondent writes:—"For many years past, herd testing has been in vogue in various parts of Taranaki, and each season has seen increasing numbers of cows placed under test as farmers are realizing more and more that they cannot afford to keep unprofitable cows. It. •was felt by many, however, that the system in vogue whereby the farmer look the weights and samples himself and sent them to a tester, was not satisfactory. There was the risk that it would not be carried out with regularity, especially in busy seasons, and where there was a shortage of labour, while, moreover, the records might be open to doubt, if samples were taken by the owners. This year, in North Taranaki, a Co-operative cow testing association has been formed on lines similar to those that have proved so successful in the "Waikato, whereby testers visit each farm on one day of the month, weigh the milk, take samples, and test every cow in the herd. So far two groups have been formed in the district between New Plymouth and Warea, One group comprises 28 herds with 675 cows, and the other, 24 herds with 602 cows.