Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1930-07-31

These are actual figures from Mime
sofa dairy herd Improvement assocla-
tons.
On Minnesota farms this year 1880
II four UNDERGROUND cows are equal
IN earning capacity TO 80 two-hundred
pound COWS. In 1929 more than one
hundred members of Minnesota dairy
herd improvement associations aver
aged 400 pounds of butterfat per COW.
They all averaged nearly 300 pounds
of butterfat per COW. The Mime
sofa Statewide Contrasting aSsoci-
alton offers the information needed
70 increase the production per COW
and to help maintain it throughout
the state.
What il means to creamery COM
munity-The patrons of a co-opera-
tive creamery having 1900 cows,
averaging 100 pounds of butterfat,
would receive return over feed cost
of about $4,000. The cost of the
feed for these cows would take care
of 1879 COWS, producing go pounds
of butterfat The annual return over
the feed cost on the 1879 COWS would
be S11100, or $4,000 more, with
butterfat at 40 cents per pound.
What it means to Minnesota.-There
are at present some 10000 cows under
test in dairy herd improvement as
sociations in Minnesota, or only 81
per cent of the whole number. Ii
100000 more cows can reach the
standard set by the dairy herd i'm
proyement associations, the increase
in return over feed cost will be
S2,SOO.OOO more yearly than is now
received with butterfat at 40 cents
a pound.
To put it another way: Minnesota's
annual dairy-cow feed bill is about
SCI. 500 900 annually. If this value
in feed were fed to 290-pound cows
instead of to 190-pound cows, the
number of cows would be reduced
from 100000 to 1,1S5,000. Dairy
farmers would receive S11,43O,O0O
more for feed and labor with butter
fat at 40 cents per pound than was
received from the 100000 cows in
1929 with butterfat at 80 cents pei
pound.
Is it new?-No, it is not new. II
Is nearly as old as the Babcock test
but it remained for a Wisconsin
county agent to put into the plan
of testing COWS by mail the thing:
that were necessary to make it {
success. 1t has been operating II
one Wisconsin county for the last sil
years, and now it is being rapid!
adopted in other counties in Wiscon
sin, as a method of obtaining individ
-ual COW records.
Financing-The project at the out
set is being financed by funds sup
piled TO the University by the Mime
sofa Statewide Contrasting associ
alton. A revolving fund has been Sc
cured from the Twin City business
men for the purpose. The association
is a non-profit, non-stock association
incorporated to put the project int
operation. 1t is assumed that tn
association will take active charge o
the project when it becomes goin
concern. Ii will then be on a self
supporting basis, and the testing fee
will pay all costs including those 70
the field service.
Securing the records.-Under tn
plan. the central laboratory, wher
samples are tested, is located at I'm
versity Farm The laboratory
equipped with the latest labor-savin
devices. and manned by efficier
testers and a clerical staff. Ono
each month, just previous to the ties
ing day for an individual. box cor
tanning sample cans. one for each CO
in the herd, is mailed out to the il
dividual member by parcel post II
clGded in the box is also the recor
sheet on which the owner will recor
the weight of the night and mornir
milking from each COW. This she'
is returned to the central office, wit
the milk samples the day folloWiI