The Yale expositor., 1917-09-06
MOVEMENT GROWS IN STATE
409 Members, Owning 5,642 Cows, Are
Enrolled-Weed Out the Cows
Which Prove Unprofit-
able.
BY J. A. WALDRoN,
Extension Agent in Dairying, Michi-
gan Agricultural College.

o,o2J COWS, enrolled as members OF CO.
operative contrasting associations in
Michigan. Today there are 40S dairy
men, owning j,6I2 cows. who are mem
bers of such associations. This rep
resents growth in these bodies of III
most 100 per cent within the past u
months. The figures are Il few taken
from the annual reports of these or
CARNATIONS made 10 the college ON
July /.
TO observing dairymen, this record
of progress in cooperative cow-testlng
work speaks eloquently. 1t Is tes-
timOnial to the fact that these pro-
ducers of dairy products have found it
worth while to know exactly just how
each of their cows is perfOrmin2-bu
more than this, the progress made is
lesson in the value Of cooperation.
While uniting primarily only to i'm
prove their herds and to employ test
ers to separate the paying from the
losing animals, these men have also
taken up other matters of Importance
To the dairy business and of interest
TO their communities.
The successes achieved by Cow Test
| ing Association No. l, in Berrien cOun-
~, are an illustration. and should fur
nish inspiration to those districts
where this work of organization has
! not yet been taken up. The association
was formed by &. l.. birmingham of
| the dairy division in. December, 1915,
and it began work on April 9, 1916,
with 26 members. owning $50 cows,
| and young man, Clarehce b. Cook,
| i'm charge. Seventeen OF the "a herds
enrolled were grade, or purebred
Guernseys. for this section is probably
! the foremost Guernsey district In the
state An immediate result of the
COW testing associations labors among
the Guernsey men was the formation
! of Guernsey Breeders association,
which has proved to be n big factor in
promoting the development of the cat
tie business in the locality.
But how about the results obtained
| by testing. since it will be assumed
that this is the primary interest with
a COW testing association? In this
field the report of the association
shows Sc cows were sold during the
year because their records under test
showed they would not finish the year
with profit for their owners. A to-
| tai of POS cows. however. finished the
year with a full Il months record to
their credit.
The average production per COW for
the entire association was 6,765 pounds
of fat The highest net profit on any
one animal was S10S.00, while the
most profitless COW was kept at a loss
of $31 90. The highest net profit per
COW i'm any one herd was $65.53. An
other herd was kept at a loss of Ais
per COW.
The records showed further that
one COW, purebred Holstein, which
previously had made a record of al
most % pounds of butterfat in seven
days, made only 166 pounds of butter
fat during the year, and was kept at
q loss of S31.9S.
In still another herd, the difference
between returns yielded by the best
COW and the poorest COW was $11209.
The highest butterfat production was
made by n grade Guernsey producing
5SS pounds of butterfat, while the high
est herd average was 424.5 pounds Of
fat. These figures show few of the
possibilities and pitfalls Of the dairy
business thought out by the cow-test-
ing records. They have been given
wide publicity in the community
where they were secured.
These association records have
also been used TO good advantage I'm
the district in the selling of purebred
and grade Guernseys. grade Guern-
sey which led the association in but
terfat production sold at a public sale
for 5000, when In all probability she
could not have brought more than S125
at the same sale without her produc-
ton record.
The association has been as effective
additionally in stimulating dairy work
In other localities. Branch county's
association owes its start to Berrien
No. l. Three men in Branch county
purchased purebred cattle with cow
testing records in Berrien and were so
impressed with the associations activ-
tiles that when they went home they
Immediately petitioned their county
agent 70 organize an association in
their community, giving the movement
n new impetus in this region. This
association in Branch county is con-
tinuing In operation.
II might be well TO. state here that
dairymen interested In this work and
DESTROYS Of seeing something of the
sort taken up In their localities might
do well to take up the matter with
their county agent and the department
Of dairy husbandry of the college.