RECORD DAIRY YIELD.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19502, 4 December 1926, Page 12

RECORD DAIRY YIELD.

I VALUE OF THE INCREASE. LOW PRICES BALANCED. ' A SAVING OF OVER £200,000. COMPARISON OF THE SEASONS. Improved methods of farming in the Auckland province have been responsible for effecting a saving of over J!200,000' to tho dairy farmers this season. It is true that on net results so far the far- ( mors have lost by comparison with their returns for the first five months of, last season, but were it not for the increase in production, due to the greater 'application of science and experience on the farms, they would have bean over £200,000 worse off. fn other words, greater, production has helped to offset to a large degree the effect of the lower prices obtaining this year for the new season's butter. Altogether 568,807 boxes of butter, representing 26,733,9291b. of butter-fat, were received into store by the Auckland Farmers' Freezing Company during the first five months of last season. Taking the London prices for December as the market value of this produce," the average return to the farmers was -Is s£d a lb. butter-fat, or a total 0f"£1,949,000 The December prices are taken because in November of last year the London market was practically bare of New Zea land butter, due to the shipping/ strike The high prices which were quoted in November, 1925, were famine rather than true market values. The position was eased toward the end of November and jin early December, and the quotations for the latter month, although they .showed a declining tendency, du<s to approaching heavy arrivals, can be taken as being nearer the true economic level. Current Season's Production. In the first five months of tho current season, 650,929 boxes of butter were received into the grading store,' the total representing '30,593,6631b. of butter-fat ' The average of tho prices obtained on the : London market for the new season's butter so far is 153s to 155s • peir cwt., | the - butter-fat equivalent being approximately Is 3d per lb. Latest reports indicate that the market has an upward, tendency following ,on the reduction of stored stocks, but even if no further im- ; provement is shown, the return to the suppliers on the figures quoted would be £1,912,000. On a comparison with tho correspond-, : . ing period of last year, the returns show/ a decline of £37,000 against the cur-; ' : rent season. Had production remained at | the same level as that of the first' five [months of last season the Loss to the dairy farmers would have been' £241,000 \ Looked at another way, the increase in production this season of 3,859,7341b of butter-fat used in the manufacture of butter has placed a sum of £204,000 in the pockets of Auckland dairy farmers. ' Making up the Loss. Approximately 130,000 boxes of the new season's produce from Auckland have reached the London'market or are due to arrive there within the next few days Very littlo of this butter will have been sold at the low rates which have been obtaining, and the question asserts itself: What price will it be neceissary to obtain to wipe out the apparent loss of this season and place the farmer on the 6ame footing financially as he was fast year ? Is it too much to hope that a shade over 180s a cwt. can be obtained i for 300,000 boxes of the butter wjbiich has : already passed through the 'grading works? An additional Id per lb., butterfat on last December's prices for this quantity of butter would,extinguish the. debit and leave a credit balance, Tho three factors which have been responsible for the increase in the output this year are the favourable nature of the season from the. point of view of the weather, herd testing and judicious cull ing and the more extensive use offer' 1 ' tilisers. ' Culling and feeding the pastures are being carried out more and more sach year. That the expenditure of the time and money involved is worth while becomes self-evident from' the figures which have been .quoted. >