Show Milk Takes Important Place in Nations Nation's t. t War mar Diet Dairy Industry Breaks All Production Pl Records ds to Meet Needs I By E. E 1 M. M HARMON Released by Western Newspaper Union Unions In a time when milk has become become become be be- come more important as a t dietary factor than ever before before be be- fore the U. U S. S dairy industry has taken a front rank in the war effort by smashing all records for foz production During During During Dur Dur- ing the first four months of this year pounds of milk were prod prof produced pro pro- f d pounds over last years year's mark for the same period That is enough increased production in quarts of milk to make a row of milk bottles bottles bottles bot bot- from San Francisco to Boston by way of Chicago and back through New York City V V Washington D. D C. C and St St. Louis to the Carlsbad Caverns Caverns Caverns erns in New Mexico In other words more than dairy cows on American farms are greatly exceeding last years year's record record- breaking breaking production With the single exception of April of this year milk production each month has been higher every month than r for the corresponding month of the previous year since January 1940 In January 1943 production was pounds over January of last year and pounds over the average for January in the years of 1935 to 1939 In February 1943 these cows produced pounds more milk than in in February of 1942 and In March production production production pro pro- exceeded that of March last year by pounds Due largely to the lateness of the season this year April production is pounds below last year but Is still pounds above the average for the years 1935 to 1939 Hard Dud Work Does Docs Job But dont don't get the impression that these record breaking yields are being easily accomplished labor Lab and end equipment shortages are making making mak ing mg what Is always hard work even i more difficult On the one and a quarter million dairy farms of the nation these producers their wives i daughters and d small children are toiling long hours to take the places of the big brothers and hired hands t who have gone to war On more than other farms where a afew afew afew few cows are kept as a sideline equal efforts are being madeL made L' L Always Important to health and well being of the nation milk and Its products become doubly so during r the war emergency The master l. l menus of the army call for fresh fluid Suld milk every day and for butter at every meal They call caU for frequent frequent fre ire quent servings of cheese ice lee cream and other dairy products Field rations rations rations ra ra- are made up very largely of milk in concentrated forms Executives and managers of factories fac N tories and offices are coming to real real- t ize the part that diet plays in efficiency efficiency effi em dency of workers and to insist on ona ona a greater utilization of milk and its products Jn In many cases by simply Installing a meal mid milk service ervice accident rates have been reduced as much as 30 per cent and the amount of work per employee materially materially mate mate- Increased The nutrition program of the thc National National Na Na- Dairy Council Is of fundamental tal importance in developing this national national na na- na health consciousness Born Dorn of research discoveries which pointed to the place of dairy products in correcting some of the nutritional deficiencies of the first World War this program is now In its year For nearly a quarter of a century the Dairy Council has spearheaded a nutrition education program in the schools and among the more than doctors nurses dentists d dietitians teachers and other ion forming leaders who largely determine determine de de- termine the food habits of the na na- tion It is fitting that the results of these efforts should come to their maximum fruition during this emergency emergency emergency emer emer- gency period when such information is so much needed to achieve war efficiency That the lessons on the value of I dairy products to human health are being learned is shown by the fact that total consumption of all dairy products In milk equivalent rose from pounds per person In 1935 to 1939 to pounds per person per year in 1941 and from that to pounds per person in 1942 Consumption tion of fluid milk and cream per capita rose fro from pounds in 1935 39 to pounds in 1942 Cheese consumption ion increased from 55 pounds to 6 64 4 pounds and ice cream consumption from a little over 7 quarts to 13 quarts per capita durIng during during dur dur- ing that tha t same period Consumption of milk in most other forms in in- creased This growing appreciation of the food values of milk and its products products prod prod- has resulted In n a realization by government that fighting forces must have adequate quantities of dairy products It has caused milk and its products to be given No 1 place among the protective foods Itis It Itis Itis is even made necessary the furnishIng furnishing furnish furnish- ing lag of vast quantities of dairy products products products prod prod- to our Allies All of this adds up to the greatest opportunity and the greatest challenge challenge challenge chal chal- lenge that has ever come to the dairy industry It means that the greatest contribution the skilled dairy farmer or dairy plant worker can make is to stay right on the production production production pro pro- line feeding soldiers and war workers Without foods of the right kind army efficiency goes down and the war w war r workers' workers efficiency cy declines To feed these fighting forces and our Allies the government requires dairy plants to set aside 30 per percent percent cent of all the butter made each month That will 1 be approximately Y Yr S r i f gf 1 f I L J 10 A i IX VY L n ir rI pounds of butter a R year Almost pounds of milk are required to make that much butter butter but but- ter or more than pounds of milk a day Stated Slated differently the milk that is required every day dayto to make butter butler for government needs would fill ll a train of pound capacity capacity ca ca- tank cars 53 miles mUes long But that is only a part of the government needs for lend lease and for the army Fifty per cent of all the American cheddar cheese is being called for by the government for wartime needs It is anticipated that this will amount to about pounds of cheese this year Another pounds of milk are needed to make this cheese That Thatis is pounds of milk a day If we were to take an average farm from tram the one an and a quarter million dairy farms of the United States and ask that they produce enough milk to meet the governments government's cheese needs for the war emergency for forone forone forone one day it would take that farm years to do so U U. S. S to Increase Purchases During the period of heavy production pro pros beginning May 1 the government gov government is requiring that the amount of butter to be set aside for lend lend- lease and the fighting forces be increased in ins creased from 30 O. O to 50 per cent Likewise the cheddar cheddar cheese required required re re- re for these purposes is increased in increased in in- creased from 50 per cent to 70 per cent However it Is assumed that this Is done to get the bulk of the government needs while supplies are I the largest and thus leave fairly uniform amounts for civilians throughout the year It is not anticIpated anticipated antic antic- that the total governmental I needs will exceed 30 per cent of the butter and 50 per cent of the cheddar cheddar ched ched- dar cheese for the entire year Evaporated milk is being called caned for by the armed forces to the extent extent ex ex- tent of cases a year That calls for more pounds In addition fresh fluid milk is on the army master menus every day and ice cream is served from 8 to 12 times a month Milk is also served frequently in cocoa and various other other oth oth- er forms Of defatted milk powder there Is practically no limit to the needs of the government both for th the fighting forces and for lend lease Manufacturers Manu Manus are required to sell 90 per percent percent percent cent of all their spray process milk powder to the government Many of them dispose of all of itin Itin it itin in that way Altogether about pounds of defatted milk powder powder powder pow pow- der was made last year from about 7 billion pounds of skim milk Probably another pounds of defatted milk powder could be made if the price were high enough to encourage diverting I It from livestock feed and If milk drying machinery could be made available In spite of every effort along the production line it will not be possible to provide civilians with all of the dairy products they want Ice cream production has been reduced to 65 per cent of that made last year in order to make the additional milk solids available for our fighting forces That means there will only be 8 85 5 quarts per civilian this year as compared with 13 quarts last year After Alter the necessary butter has been set aside for army and lend lease needs there will only be about 12 pounds each for far civilians this year compared with 17 pounds in former years Taking out the army requirements requirements re re- re for cheddar cheese civilians civilians civil civil- ians lans will probably have to reduce their cheese consumption from 6 65 5 pounds last year to less than 5 pounds this year I These curtailments represent a distinct sacrifice on the part of con con- sumers sumer sumers VV f S 1 I Li LiS U try f i r. r DAIRY PRODUCTS manufactured In in the United States States 1942 1942 r ai fr r Shaded areas show amounts required requited for Lend Lease and Fighting Forces in 1943 SOURCE U US U.S. S. S DEPARTMENT T OF F AG AGRICULTURE 1 Percentages Percentages-of butter and cheese requirements are higher in I. I heavy producing months and are aro expected d to be e reduced in inthe V the low producing period L |