BETTER HERDS

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 54, Issue 3899, 10 May 1937, Page 4

BETTER HERDS

N.Z. HERD TESTING ASSOCIATION. ANNUAL MEETING OF DISTRICT MEMBERS. There was not a large .attendance at the annual meeting of the Te Awamutu district members of the N.Z. Co-operative Herd Testing Association cn Saturday morning, but those pre sent were soon thoroughly interested in the review of the past year and prospects for the future given by Mr S. F. J. Sheaf, the general manager. Mr A. S. Wyilie, who presided, briefly reviewed tlie year’s operations, which he said was very satisfactory. As a result of the guaranteed price for butter fat, and the bountiful season, district farmers had received more money than for several years past. The result was that many dairymen were actively co-operating in the herd testing movement. The Dominion average of butter fat was about 220 lbs fat, and it was apparent that anything above that represented surplus money for the dairyman, enabling him to still further improve his herds and farm.

Mr Wyilie told of the actual work of the Association. Testing for the previous year cost 4s 5d per cow, and there was no State subsidy. This year was expected to be completed with a small profit. Speaking of the proved bull scheme Mr Wyilie said it was introduced and adopted in 1934, and though no Government subsidy could be obtained the scheme had been developed. He was pleased to state that the Dairy Board had lately allocated £lOOO per year for three years to permit of developing tile scheme, and he predicted a very pleasing result. Mr Sheaf briefly traversed some other features of the Association’s activities. This season there had been an increase of about 260 herds and 16,000 more cows compared with the previous year. The herds under test were about 19,000, and he expected that the 20,000 figure would be exceeded next season. In 1933-34 the total cows tested was 122,000, and this season was only about 4000 cows below that record figure. Butter fat production per cow was almost equal to the record year of 1930-31. The Association a year ago had budgeted to meet expenses, a practice followed from year to year, and it was anticipated there would be a small credit, even though wages had been increased to conform to the Government’s standard. There would be heavier commitments for the new season, and it was estimated that a slightly increased levy per cow would be necessary. The situation was being carefully watched. Wages increases were the biggest factors, and unfortunately the Association had to pass on those increases. There was no Government subsidy now. The Federation would meet at the end of this month, and all members would know before the end of June what the new levy would be. CALF MARKING. Mr Sheaf went on to give details of the calf marking scheme, and regretted that it was not making the progress its value warranted. The calf marking scheme was closely concerned witli the sire survey scheme, and he gave details in explanation. Every member using a pedigree bull could take advantage of the sire survey scheme. To date over 7000 calves had been marked by the Association. At Pukekohe the prices for marked calves averaged £3 19s 6d, and at Matamata the average was £4 2s. Both Showed substantial improvement over the previous year’s figures, and obviously the marked calf scheme was proving valuable.

Speaking more particularly of the sire survey scheme, Mr Sheaf said that some regular testers had not shown increased production figures—in fact, for eight seasons there was no appreciable improvement. Tested cows’ figures were about 40 lbs above the figures of all cows in the Dominion. The endeavour of the Association was to acquaint dairymen with the advantages of regular and systematic testing. The Association had found that after herds had been improved to about 280 lbs fat it was difficult to further Increase it materially by using herd sires, as the latter did not influence the progeny sufficiently. Therefore it was obviously necessary to select the herd sires according to the production records of their heifers under test.

Tlie speaker displayed several very informative graphs to show the influence on production of selected heifers. They showed increases of 33 lbs of fat at maturity, over their dams’ figures, from 386 lbs fat to 420 lbs fat.' Special attention had been paid to tracing the production figures of heifers sired by certain bulls, taking into account the prepotency of proved bulls mated with daughters of proved bulls. Hb quite agreed with tlie statement that many farmers still make the mistake of selling sires before their daughters’ true worth has been proved under test. The Association was endeavouring to encourage members to get a survey of a sire’s real worth, and before long there would be provision for identifying all calves produced in herds of Association members. INTERESTING GRAPHS. Mr Sheaf produced one graph showing where thirty heifers had failed to reach the production figures of their dams—the latter high producers—and the obvious explanation was that the sire of the heifers was not capable of even maintaining the butter fat production, even though lie may have had fairly good backing. The good bulls can only be found by testing the daughters. Some bulls quite fail to transmit the butterfat backing, and this is more apparent when high figures are reached. Tlie chief endeavour, - said tlie speaker, was to find a bull that definitely transmitted its best .characteristics. Some had been proved, in tlie surveys, to be unable to transmit them; but as tlie scheme developed it should be increasingly valuable in finding strains that have the ability to transmit their best characteristics. An initial requirement would be a minimum of probably ten daughterdam pairs at the first lactation, reducing the minimum at the next lactation to seven and at the third to five. The bull is the greatest single factor in increasing or decreasing the average production of a herd. The speaker said allowance had been made for seasonal conditions, increased farm efficiency, and the in cidence of disease, in compiling the graphs, and he directed attention to

the investigational work of Mi Ward, as published in recent issues of the N.Z. Exporter. Figures had been prepared from 3000 daughter-dam pairs, and the work was being extend ed. He said it was obviously easier to improve a herd from 200 lbs fat than a herd from 350 lbs fat. The sire was the big factor. He showed a graph giving groups o£ herds tested over eight seasons. The lower producing herds’ figures increased very noticeably, and the higher producing herds decreased in the case of tlie top group. Only in two herds there was a noticeable decrease, due, lie claimed, to the sire’s inability to pass on his best qualities. OTHER ASPECTS. Only the continuous member can possibly get the best results, for tlie investigational figures could not be correlated otherwise. Bulls must be segregated from the herds. Mr Sheaf went, ou to refer to artificial Insemination, 'and gave the results of the Association’s investigations, adding that to develop it satisfactorily it was necessary to have a bureau of animal genetics and an institute of artificial insemination —the latter at Ruakur'a Farm. He stated that this would be introduced in the coming spring, and the results would be very carefully watched and reported upon. Experience in Russia and America would be acted upon. QUESTIONS. Replying to questions, Mr Sheaf gave fuller details of the sire survey work in tlie direction of permanent identification of animals. .Particulars of the Association’s financial position were given, and Mr Sheaf indicated that it was proposed, in some cases, to revert from cars for testers to the former system of horse drawn vehicles. This was occasioned by considerations of finance and economy. If cars are to be retained it may be necessary to increase the levy by probably 2d per cow under test. It was not proposed to discard 1 cars altogether. Investigation had shown that in some places horse drawn vehicles could be just as efficient as cars. It would be bad policy for the Association to supply cars for their testing officers and require the latter to bear the running costs.