DAIRY STOCK SHORTAGE

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19124, 19 September 1936, Page 15

DAIRY STOCK SHORTAGE

HEAVY CALF KILLINGS UNECONOMIC PRACT [CES The policy pursued by many farmer!' in the Waikato during the last few years of selling their calves within a few days of birth for the bobby calf trade has given rise to an acute shortage of heifers and a consequent hardening of the price for heifers. A dairy expert stated that for years he had tried to warn farmers of the futiliiv of such a short-sighted policy, but the practice still continued and was proving a very expensive one. Another economic loss being suffered by farmers was due to the practice ot buying pedigree bulls, keeping them for a season, and then selling them as potters before ascertaining definitely whether their period of usefulness as herd sires had come to an cud. Heavy losses were recurring annually owing to the excessive culling of bulls, and the effect was reflected at the recent pedigree bull sales, where the supply hadbeen less than the demand and the prices 'for animals to replace those prematurely killed were inordinately high. There" was a general shortage of bulls and heifers this season, but the speaker considered that next season the discrepancy between requirements and the supply would be most acute.