Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1922-06-14
COOPER ATION in
CATTLE BREEDING
Organizations Of Cooperative Bull As
VS. sociations Will Show Improved
Quality Of Live Stock s#


in Northwestern Minnesota is the in
terest in livestock development. More
attention is being given to the, pro-
according to o. NJ. Kiser, Northwest
is giving farmers more profitable re
turns from livestock. 80 &.
Most of the inferior stock seen OF
our farms is the product of the poorly
developed sire and the sire OF scrub
breeding. The 1920 livestock census
report from the office of the Mime
sofa Department of Agriculture shows
that in the eleven Northwest counties
of Minnesota only % per cent of the
bulls used are pure. bred. This fact
alone, of one pure-bred to every So
scrubs, is evidence enough that if any
great progress is to be made in cattle.
breeding, the first step is the elimina-
ton of the scrub sires. ~
Cooperative cattle breeding rests Oil
the forming of cooperative bull as
ISOLATION in a community where the
farmers are interested in the improve
ment Of some one breed Of cattle.
These cooperative bull . associations
are formed by farmers for the joint
ownership, use and exchange of high
class, pure-bred bulls. The bulls are
purchased by the association from
among the best herds Of the breed
that the community has selected to
improve. These bulls are used in the
herds of the members of the assOcia-
ton regardless of whether the cows
are pure-breds or grades. BY the con-
tinued use Of pure-bred sire, the
most common COW within two or three
generations becomes the foundation
animal of high grade offspring. The
association bulls used on what pure
bred females that are owned by in
dividual members, soon increases the
number Of pure-bred females of
quality that will be desired by other
members Of the association or will find
ready outside buyers.
Cooperative bull associations have
existed in Denmark since 1874; in
1906 the number there had grown to
1895 with a total membership of 26,-
200, owning 1895 dairy bulls. The
first bull association in the United
States was started in 1908 by the
Michigan Agricultural College: On
July 1, 1919, there were IS active as
sOciations in p states, with total of
297S- members, owning 81 pure-bred
bulls. =: T.. -. ~
= The typical cooperative bull asso-
citation as organized in this country is
composed Of Is to 80 farmers Jointly
owning bulls. This divides the ter
ritory Of the association into five
Breeding blocks and assigns one bull
to each block. AS many as so to 80
cows may belong to the farmers in
each block.
A bull is kept in it's block until his
heifers are old enough to breed. A
general shift Of the bulls is then made.
No bull of, the association is elimin=
ated; all are retained for breeding
purposes. 4 sire becomes known by
the value of his get. Many a sire has
been sent to the butcher before his
real value became known; the bull
association makes it possible to try
out good sires through years OF SER
vice. A good sire should be useful
until he is at least 10 or II years old,
provided he does not become diseased
or physically disabled
Only high class bulls are owned by
the association, as collectively, It is
possible to buy better sire. The in
dividual farmer. without the means is
often compelled to purchase cheaper
and inferior bull. Over period OF
years. the individual member OF a
bull association will have less money
invested in sires than if he, as a nom
member, is compelled to do in making
new purchase on the average every
three or four years, besides having the
full expense Of the care of the AMI
NAL.
The greatest care should be taken
in selecting bulls, as inferior bulls
will completely defeat the purpose OF
the organization Some farmer cen
trally located in each block, should be
selected to take care of the bull, and
each farmer should pay his share OF
the purchase price. In addition, each
farmer pays his share Of all other
expenses, including the support Of the
bulls. His share of these expenses
should not exceed $40 to SIS annually.
In order to avoid mistakes in. or
ganization, operation and selection OF
bulls, community interested in such
a project should get the assistance Of
the county agent or livestock depart
ment Of the Northwest School Of Agri-
culture.
RJJYING S