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Show Report of Utah County Dairy Herd Improvement Has Been Received From Washington By Lyman H. Rich Extension Dairyman, U. S. A. C. The Dairy Herd Improvement Report for Utah County has just been returned in summary form from Washington, D. C. for the year completing a twelve-month record from April, 1949 to April, 1950. This record for 501 cows shows an average of 10,821 pounds of milk and 410 pounds of butter-fat butter-fat and is the highest Association average ever to be completed in the State of Utah for this number of cows. I recall the organization of this Dairy Herd Improvement back in the year 1929 and when I went as County Agent of Utah County in 1930 this Asscocation was cooperating cooper-ating with Wasatch County. During Dur-ing the next 2 or 3 years in the depths of depression, butterfat was selling as low as 11c per pound and in a few cases as low as 8c. This was very discouraging, but the sufficient number of herds maintained membership in the Association As-sociation so that is was the only Association that carreid through the depression in the entire state. It did, however, take other counties' coun-ties' cooperation in order to maintain main-tain it. Two outstanding Testers in the early years were Howard Roberts and Del Gay. They were efficient and well liked by dairymen. dairy-men. The fruits of this continuous testing is coming to light and the dairymen are reaping the benefits. bene-fits. For 21 years the Association has operated continuously and this is a most excellent record. I note that there are two herds, Charles and Lee Warnick's with an average of 585 pounds of butterfat but-terfat and Merrill Warnick's with 520 pounds; these herds are the only two averaging about 500 pounds in the Association. The Utah State Hospital deserves deser-ves special mention because here we have 90 head averaging 396 pounds butterfat per cow which is a most excellent record. This herd has had the use of proved sires for the past 20 yqears. During the time of this record, butterfat was averaging just $1.00 per pound. Roughage cost average was $1.07 and grain cost $.92 for the year making the total feed cost of $199 per cow. The value of product above feed cost is shown to be $211 per cow which is a fine record. This means that a 10 cow herd will give the dairyman dairy-man a little over $2119 after feed has been paid for. |