Imperial Valley press., 1922-09-20
OUTLINE PROGRAM
FOR DAIRY WORK
in FARM BUREAU
Dairy Expert Tells Needs of
Valley Diaries to Get
Better Results
BY v. w. DE TARR
Assistant Farm Adviser

IN this county know there IS such 4
thing, and perhaps an equally large
number know that its purpose is to
assist the dairymen of the valley in
every possible way. Very few, how
ever, know just what this department
is and how it is organized.
The dairy department of the Imper-
ial County Farm Bureau is Just what
its name signifies. Its membership con.
sists of all the members of the Imper-
ial County Farm Bureau who are in
torestcd III the objects of improving
the dairy industry and who comply
with the bylaws of the department aud
pay such special dues us may be assess
ed.
Its officers consist of chairman,
vicc-chairman, secretary and tleasur-
or. The secretary and treasurer of the
Farm Bureau being the secretary and
treasurer respectively of this depart
mcnt.
Each Farm Center, which is interested
in dairying, has appointed a dairy
committee and the chairnfen Of each
of these dairy committees make up the
executive committee of the dairy de
partment. This executive committee
partmcnt when it is not in session.
The dairy Department of the Imperial
County Farm Bureau is new and at
present is not very active. There are,
however, Il number of dairy departments
in California which have been in exist
ance for longer time and some are
qune active. or example the follow
ing is the program of work for the
dairy department of the Los Angeles
Farm Bureau during 1922.
]. Conduct cow-testing association.
.. Conduct a county dairy COW COM
petition.
3. Conduct four onc-day institutes
for dairymcn in Los Angeles County.
/. tuberculosis control and cradica
tion campaign.
>. Contagious abortion control cam
paign. -..-s
6. Cost Of milk production studies.
Z. Cooperation in the organization
and promotion of California Clubs.
S. Holding quarterly Dairymen S
Days.
Must Weed, Feed and Breed
This program Of work suggests to US
some of the things that the dairy de-
partmcnt of the Imperial County Farm
Bureau may do to improve the dairy
industry in this county.
The means by which dairy production
may be improved are well known, and
may be summed up in the three words,
"wccd, feed and breed.
BY "wced' we mean to Gull out the
low producing COWS. The average pro
ductiou per COW in Imperial County has
been estimated at $50 pounds of butter
fat per year. Since there are many
cows that produce far more than that,
there must be many COWS that produce
less, and these low producers do not
pay the dairymcn returns. Some do
not even pay for their feed. The only
accurate means Of determining which
are the low producing COWS is by the
Babcock test, and the most satisfactory
way for the ordinary dairyman to have
his cows tested is through a cow-test
ing association. The dairy department s
program of work therefore might well
include a COW testing association.
After the boardcr cows have been
wecded out, the next step in improve
meut is better feeding. Every COW re
quires certain amount of feed to
maintain her body weight, and If she
receives only that amount of feed, she
will give little or no milk. If, how
ever, additional feed is given a gooG
COW she will produce more milk. There
fore the more you can get good dairy
COW to eat the morI milk and butter
fat she will give you in return.
OF course if you feed Il boarder COW in
this way, she will merely get fat and
give very little if any more milk. This
is the reason why wedding should come
before feeding. The dairy department :
program of work therefore, might well
include better feeding.
Must Have Good Bulls
After the wedding and feeding comes
breeding. 1t has been said that the
bull is half the dairy herd, and | be
lieve that every thinking dairyman will.
agree that this is true Having weeded
out the culls and improved the produc
tion of the remaining cows through bet
ter feeding, the next step in improve
ment vii be to replace the scrub on
grade bulls with purebrcd bulls whose
dams on both sides have records of over
400 pounds of butterfat per year. The
result of this should be that the heifers
which the dairyman raises should each
be better producers than their dams.
This means a steady increase in produc-
tion the longer Il dairyman remains in
business. The dairy department pro.
gram of work, therefore, might well
INCLUDE a better sire campaign.
From the above discussion it may be
seen that dairy improvement does not
come as the result of one day Is work
or one year S work, but rather as re
suit of definite program of work con
tinued over a number of years,
1t is the desire of the extension SER
vice that the dairy department of each
county farm bureau in California adopt
such a program of work, and it is hoped
that the dairy department of the I'm
perial County Farm Bltfeau will do
50 this fall.
G. j. Claussen, nurseryman of Braw-