The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1937-11-11
Importance OF Having Good
Cows Stressed By Go. Agent
Improvement In Stock Of Dairy
Cattle Means More Money
For Ashet
INV County Agent C. ]. Rich)

domesticated - would give only
enough milk for their calves. This
is true today of cows of come OF the
beef breeds. We very plainly see,
then. that it has been the natural
tendency of cows to produce milk
only for their young.
But we can easily infer that when
man found that the milk of cows
was good for him, he did not want
to keep cows that would give milk
for only short time. So he was
right up against the problem of pro-
ducing cows that would give milk
for a longer period of time. But ne
did not go on "sit down" strike
and say: Better cows cannot be
produced" Instead he went to
work, in cooperation with nature, IN
an effort to breed up race or
group of cattle, the females OF which
would continue to give milk over a
period of time if given proper feed
and attention.
It took a hundred years or more
Of careful selection and breeding TO
approach this goal and to establish
certain standards or characteristics
that mark a group of cattle. This
work was being carried on by diff
erent men with Slightly different
IDEAS in mind as to certain char
acteristics of minor points of shape,
color, size, etc. In this way our diff
ferent breeds were produced.
The question is often asked as to
which is the best breed OF dairy
COWS. The answer, as generally
given by those who have impartial
" studied the question, is that there
is no best breed. All of the breeds
have good qualities. Perhaps a wise
thing for farmer to do is to choose
the breed that is kept by the great
est number Of farmers in his COM
rnunity or county. Another wise
thing for him to do is to choose,
purchase, and keep only good lndl-
vidual animals. If a farmer knows
he has good coWs-coWs produc-
ing 10000 pounds or more OF milk
PER year, he will be much more IN
terested in giving them the proper
feed and attention than if he has
COWS capable, even with the best
feed and attention, of giving only
5000 pounds 70 5000 pounds. of milk
Per year.
This increased interest in better
cows is a perfectly natural thing,
for he knows that more profit can
be made from a certain number OF
10000 pound cows than from that
same number of 5000 pound cows.
He knows also that it will not re-
uuire twice as much labor and feed,
other things being equal, to keep
the 10000 pound cows. He knows,
Or should know, that cow weigh
ing, for example, 1000 pounds
needs a certain amount of fed to
keep up her body whether she is
producing two gallons or four gal
Ions of milk per day but that the
four-gallon cow needs enough feed
over and above this body mainte-
nance ration to produce two gallons
of milk. It is very easily seen that
the four gallon cow would not need
twice as much feed as the two-gallon
cow but would be giving twice as
much milk.
Let's compare a 10000 pound
cow and 5000 pound cow as to
gross income. If the milk OF both
the 5000 pound cow would produce
COWS average 4 percent butterfat
400 pounds of fat. With butterfat
at an average price it is clearly
seen that the 10000 pound cow Will
turn in twice as much gross income
as the 5000 pound cow. But for
the sake of definite figures, let's say
that the average price of butterfat
for the ySar is 35c per pound. The
200 pounds of fat produced by the
5000 pound cow would sell for $40
while the 400 pounds of fat pro-
duced by the 10000 pound cow
would sell for $40. Ten 5000
pound cows would bring a yearly
income of $1,000 while ten 10000
pound cows would bring a yearly
income of $1400.
Other minor factors enter into this
consideration. But do they change
the evident fact that good cows are
more profitable than poor ones?
The average cow in our state pro-
duces around 1000 pounds of milk
per year. Many produce as low as
1000 to 5000 pounds, and some
even less.
It is very evident that better cows
given the proper amount of good
feed and attention would mean
many thousand dollars more in
come to the farmers of our county