Imperial Valley press., 1941-05-22
All Clubs Make Strides
To Increase Doiry Ranks
Youths GROWING
Farm Cattle
In Project Work
By IL. LEE LANDERMAN
assistant County Agent

operated by many All cluo
boys and girls in Imperial
county are making definite pro-
gress toward increasing the total
number of farm dairies in the val
ley.
There are more than half hun
dred 4-H youths engaged in these
pursuits, growing dairy cattle as
their individual projects. The ami
mails included range from ordinary
grade heifers, Guernseys, Jerseys
and Holsteins TO some of the best
purebred Guernseys and Holtsteins
in western America.
Club members actively engaged
in the projects range in age from
10 years old with one or more calves
in the first phase of work TO grown
young men and women 10 and 20
years old. who have even develop
ed herds of their own. They have,
through club activities gained un-
usual practical experience as real
livestock breeders and growers.
All dairying projects offer ex-
ceptional opportunities for young
men and women to develop herds
of animals on a systematic, gradual
efficient basis of known production
ability. Such animals are allowed
to mature by natural growth and
increase into producing units, which
they do ina remarkably short time
under the conditions existing in
Imperial Valley Dairy projects have
thus distinct advantage over fat
stock projects tmeat animals)
which have to pay with their
lives each year to permit the own
er to start all over again fresh
each season with purchased feeders
such as beef, lambs and swine
feeders.
At Least 2 Heifers
The standard All project of dairy
calves calls for at least two dairy
heifers for raising yearly. A All
club member who raised two heifers
each year for even four years can
build dairy herd of his own in
short order and at very small rela-
tive cost.
Another advantage found by I'M
perial Alters is that of market
ability. There is an ever increasing
demand for springer" heifers ana
COWS in the Los Angeles milkshed
and San Diego areas, for replace
ment stock. More than $500 cows
are required annually to replace
animals culled or dead. With the
abundant feed supply locally, dairy
heifers have been and are being
produced to time of freshening at
costs ranging from $50 to $40 each.
Still other encouraging advan-
tages All club dairy members en-
JOY besides abundant feed supplies
and ready market are:
l. Imperial county is now TB
clean area.
2. It is possible to vaccinate
young heifers both for Bangs dis
ease and Mastitis, this reducing
chances of severe economic losses
due TO disease.
8. The outlook for dairying over
a long time view, as we'll as a short
term period, is bright.
4. So many dairy animals have
been slaughtered in Europe for
food, particularly in Holland, Bel
GUM, Denmark, France and Po-
land, that there may never again
be dairy animals exported to the
United States. Likewise, competition
OF foreign products is virtually
eliminated for an indefinite period.
Reconstruction in Europe follow
ing the present world conflict is
certain TO bring about a demand for
dairy animals elsewhere and the
United States now holds a corner"
on the supply. Even the famous
channel islands of jersey and
Guernsey, fountains of two of our
most important breeds, are pre-
sumably denuded of most livestock.
More Prominence
The agricultural pattern of I'M
perial Valley demands that dairy
ing be given more prominence, if
stability is to be realized. Feeding
of meat animals falls far short of
meeting the livestock need.
Where there were 1000 dairies
in the 1920's in Imperial Valley
there are now scarcely 300 odd.
Drastic measures must be taken to
rebuild this serious loss of dairy
numbers. All club boys and girls,
sponsored and encouraged by the
Imperial courty Farm Bureau dairy
department, the dairy council, local
creameries, chambers of commerce,
farm centers and service clubs can
meet and are meeting to some ex-
tent the need for rebuilding the
countys dairy population.
All club activities annually in
clude exhibits and displays and
performances at the Imperial
county fair Last fair % purebred
and grade All dairy project ami
mails were entered and shown.
On Saturday, more than 40 club
animals will be brought in by their
owners TO Imperial County Dairy