JERSEY V. FRIESIAN

Southland Times, Issue 23991, 5 December 1939, Page 3

JERSEY V. FRIESIAN

To The Editor

Sir*, —“Butterfat” in a recent issue brings my name into his letter. I advise “Butterfat” to study the following statement and then I think he will forever hold his peace.

If Bill Stone sends lOOlbs of 3.6 milk to a cheese factory he will, under the butterfat system, be paid at 1/4 per lb fat—s7.6d. His milk will make 2.7211bs cheese per lb fat, a total of 9.79561fc>s cheese for which he gets 57.6d—5.88d per lb cheese. Tom Jones sending lOOlbs 4.5 milk to the factory gets paid 72d. His milk makes 2.4Q11bS cheese per lb fat, a total of 10,8041bs cheese for which he gets 72d—6.64d per lb cheese. Surely anyone can see that under the butterfat system Tom Jones is getting overpaid for his cheese milk. If payment were made on the actual value of the milks for cheese making, Bill Stone (cheese being reckoned at 8d per lb) would get 78.3 d, equalling 21.7 d per lb butterfat, while Tom Jones would get 86.4 d for his cheese, equalling # 19.2d per lb butterfat. Therefore Bill Stone’s 3.6 per cent, milk is worth 2.5 d per lb butterfat more than Tom Jones’s 4.5 per cent, milk for cheese making. I was very pleased to read the letter of Mr F. Woodfield, secretary of the Southland Jersey 'Cattle Club, in your issue of November 16. I agree most heartily with him when he says that the continual “battle of the breeds” is of no use to any dairy farmer. May I express the hope that he will agree with me when I say that peace could easily be secured if the authorities would remedy the present very real grievances of the owners of Ayrshire, Friesian and Milking Shorthorn breeds in being paid solely on butterfat for milk for cheese making. The high-testing herd owners naturally endeavour to keep the present system of payment (i.e. on butterfat) for under that system they are being overpaid (in many cases markedly so). Surely it is not too much to appeal to the fair-mindedness and sense of justice of these dairy farmers and ask them not to oppose the introduction of a system of payment (i.e. on the caseinfat ratio) for cheese milk which gives equitable treatment to all.—Yours, etc., N.Z. FRIESIAN ASSOCIATION, J. P. KALAUGHER, Secretary. November 26, 1939.