The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1918-03-28
DAIRY SITUATION
NOT HOPELESS ONE
investigator Finds Reports of Ex-
tensive Slaughtering Are
0verdraWn.
MANY CENTERS BUY COWS
Huron and Osceola Counties Among
Those In Market-U. S. Must
Supply After-War De-
mand.
BY J. A. WALDRON.
Field Agent in Dairying, Michigan Az
ricuIturaI College.

hICHlBdnI III tDeSe uuyS Ol kuleluO-
scopic changes 1t is ticklish to at
tempt predictions of the future. A
calm review of conditions as they
seem TO be, however, furnishes us
with food for thought.
An opportunity has been afforded
the writer during the past winter to
become familiar with conditions in
several parts of the state, and while
much has been said and written about
the great numbers of dairy cows be-
ing slaughtered, feel that these re-
ports are not universally true and
that accounts of this killing have been
very much overdrawn. In the south
western part of the state, especially
in parts of Berrien county, where the
milk produced is marketed largely In
Chicago, and in the districts close by
Detroit, dairy cows have been killed
off. These, however, have for the
greater part been cows that under
test failed to show profit. have in
| mind, as an illustration, certain
cOw-testing association of about $50
cows, of which SO were sold in the
month of December. This was a move
In the direction of efficiency, for 30 of
these animals showed by their records
that 1t was costing more 10 feed them
than they were producing. This has
undoubtedly been the case in many
other instances where COWS have been
disposed Of.
The marked increase In feed prices,
as much as $50 to 200 per cent on some
things, and the tardy increase in the
price of dairy products has, however,
caused the standard up to which
dairy COW must measure to return a
profit 10 be raised. Since maximum
prices on bran and middings have
| been established there has been a ten
dency toward lowering in the prices
of these products and the stabiliZing of
prices of other feeds. The prices of
dairy products have increased since
early fall and good cows are as rule
| giving fair returns. These profits in
many cases are as good as usual-that
| Is, where the cows are good cows, fed
! ratlons balanced TO meet their needs
and are given good care.
There are communities in Michigan,
in fact, where there is and has been
| all the past winter demand for dairy
cows. These localities, included in
which are Huron, Osceola and num-
Der of other Michigan counties, are in
general farther from the large cities
where land is just trifie cheaper
| than the communities mentioned
above. In one or two instances con-
! denseries have been established in
! these communities, Offering thus a
better market for dairy products than
existed in these centers before.
These facts, and the world shortage
Of dairy cows, the increasing demand
| for dairy products for export pur-
poses and the Importance of milk and
butter in the feeding of young children
should encourage the dairyman to be
hopeful for the future and should
make him feel the value of the SER
vice he is rendering in the present
| emergency. The situation is such as
| should cause men who are In the
dairy business TO hesitate before send
| block.
More so than ever before, the keen
| dairyman will also realize that there
is great difference between dairy
cows, and that this difference can be
capitalized. OF the 22,O00,0O0 cows In
the United States probably 100000
have not been producing profit over
the cost of their feed. A great waste
of feed is one OF the results of this.
These slackers should be eliminated
so that the feed consumed by them
may be fed TO cows that will give good
| returns for 1t. Consequently the milk
scales and the Babcock test have
never had more important or useful
part to play in the dairy herd than at
The present time. We would not at
tempt to place a value on fast horse
without first trying him out while
holding a stop-watch on him. No
more should we milk and give good
feed to cows without determining
whether or not they are producing n
profit. The milk scales and tester are
the dairyman's stop-watch.
Purebred sires also should hold an
increasingly important place in the
herds of today. The sire is half the
herd and should always be considered
as such.
The care given dairy COW may also
determine whether she is TO be prof
It or loss. She should be looked upon
and treated as a highly efficient SER
want and should be given good condl-
lions under which TO work. This does
not mean expensive equipment-it
means comfortable, dry and clean
quarters during the winter, kind treat
ment at all times and dark retreat
from the heat and flies during the
summer.
lihprol sunnlv of a nronorIv nro-