PRODUCTION OF BUTTERFAT

Southland Times, Issue 25642, 9 April 1945, Page 4

PRODUCTION OF BUTTERFAT

INCREASE ON LAST . SEASON

(Special) AUCKLAND, April 7. In the drive for butterfat production South Auckland dairying districts are showing the greatest increase in the Dominion for the first seven months of the current season. In the aggregate, the butterfat output of this area represents 42 per cent, of the total Dominion production. Good pasture conditions are reported throughout the province and present rains will further sustain the milk yield. Factories generally report that outputs were well maintained during March.

Upon production from now until the end of the season in July depends the success of the industry’s intense effort to exceed last season’s output of butterfat by some 15,000 tons. To date this quantity increase over last season is being maintained with a percentage increase of about 15. But last season closed particularly well from a productive point of view. Hence the importance that attaches to the results of the next few months.

During February the Dominion output of butterfat showed an even better increase over the exceptionally good results attained in January. The February output at approximately 36,600,0001 b was over 26 per cent, greater than that of February 1944. Production for the month was particularly good in the Waikato and Bay of Plenty areas, as well as in the Wellington and Taranaki districts. For the seven months of the current season to the end of February production of butterfat was 14,700 tons over that of the same period of the previous season. The greatest increases for the season to that date were shown by the Waikato and Canterbury districts, output being approximately 18 per cent, higher than last year in each case.