Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1901-06-26
Dairy Indu.try in Missouri

sy hhNoShfy IA
The Missouri State Board of Agricul-
ture has been looking into the dairy
industry as it exists ia that state, and
from report on the matter we make
the following excerpts:
We cannot record such a condition
of dairying in this state at this time
as a pardonable state pride would per-
init, but we have abundant reason for
being encouraged on account of what
has been done and for the evidences
OF new era In dairy development that
is now dawning. - From the State
Auditors report we learn that there
were In Missouri on June i, 1900, about
2,172,872 cattle, from which we esti-
mate that there are 723,000 cows or
more. Making reasonable estimate
for the number that are used for
breeding purposes only, we think it
a safe figure to place the number of
cows in the state available for diary
purposes at 100000. A large number
of these cows are used for raising
calves and for the production of milk
and butter for home consumption, and
are dried OF and "roughed" through
the winter, thus producing a very
small profit to the owner above the
cost of keeping. A considerable num-
Der of cows are kept in private milk
diaries that furnish milk directly to
the consumer in towns and cities.
From reports received irom forty milk
daf ria ~, ay-tc ~ he
state and probably representing fair
average condition, we find that the
average annual production per COW is
400 pounds of milk, calculated at the
average price received per 100 pounds,
makes an average per COW OF about
S51.25 gross receipts. For about the
same number Of butter diaries the av-
erage annual production is 252.5 pounds
of butter per COW, calculated at the
average price received for butter, %
cents, makes s5S per head, not count
ing the skim milk. From about thirty
| creameries and skimming stations re-
porting more than 10000 cows, the av-
erage number of pounds of milk re-
ceived per COW is 1000 pounds, aver
age price paid for milk at 1873 cents
| per hundred makes s29.32 per head.
- From eleven cheese factories re-
porting about 100 cows an average Of
| 1914 pounds of milk per COW is made
| at rs cents per hundred pounds, the
| average price reported for milk, makes
only s26.35 per head. There are prob
ably more than two hundred creamer-
/ les and skimming stations in the state
| perhaps thirty or forty cheese fac
tories, and a large number of private
milk and butter diaries. From the re-
ports we have at hand, aided by the
| census figures Oh - e; :,
number of cows furnishing milk p'l
these purposes to be 10000. II thes'
produce an annual produc, worn !.
which is much below that fs>> :.
either the butter or milk dairfes :.
porting, but above the amount for the
creameries, we have total value OF
$4,500.000. We estimate that 100000
cows are kept on the farms primarily
for raising calves, but from which a
considerable quantity of butter is
pIOuuCtQ lOT hume consumption anu
the surplus sold to local trade or to
shippers. These cows produce upon an
average 100 pounds of butter that sells
for 121s cents per pound. which makes
total value of s5,000,oo0. To this
should be added the value of the skim
milk which is worth at low estimate
$3.50 per COW or 81 100000 making a
grand total of nearly s1l, 100000 worth
Of dairy products for the state. This
is certainly not a bad showing when
we take into consideration the fact
that practically nothing has been done
to develop the industry in Missouri
This calculation, ii will be seen, does
not reckon the value OF the manure
returned to the land OF the calves an.
nualfy raised which n, low estimate
would add not less than $4,000, 00l
to the amount,