Los Banos Rotary Club History
Veterinarian Sees Higher Production For Dairy Industry

Breeding, feeding and management will spell the difference between success and failure for the dairyman of tomorrow.

Speaking on the general dairy outlook for this sand other communities and the many changes that are taking place within the industry, Dr. Kenneth Powers, local veterinarian, in recent talks at the Rotary and Lions clubs, said that with the continued dropping of butterfat prices, the dairyman who does not reduce his costs and at the same time increase per-cow production of his hear, is doomed in failure, or at least a reduced living.

Citing examples of average and good dairying, Powers stated that last year the average dairy cow in the United States produced about 5,000 pounds of milk with 210 pounds of butterfat.

In Merced county there are many herds with an average of over 500 pounds of butterfat per cow. The average of all herds regularly tested by the Merced County Cow Testing Assn., which is about one-third of the cows in the county, is 377 pounds of butterfat per year. Which means that the average production of the other two-thirds of the county's dairy cows is only 188 pounds--far less than the 300 pound average that is considered necessary if the dairy is to make a good living for the owner.

One of the big factors in increased per-cow production, Powers stated, is the careful culling out of low-production cows, and development of high-producing young stock by using bulls that have proved their ability to transmit efficient production to their offspring. It is this need for proven bulls that in the last three years has mushroomed artificial insemination of cattle into the fastest growing agricultural business in the United States today.

Artificial insemination, Powers said, goes back to the 15th century, when Arabs used this method to develop a superior breed of horses. However, it is only in recent years that it has gained any commercial significance. It was introduced in California dairies in 1941, and by 1950 there were several organizations operating on a commercial basis in this state. In 1951, 85,000 cows were bred artificially; in 1952, 133,000, and in 1953 the total was well over 200,000.

Though it was first anticipated that artificial insemination would be used mostly by small dairymen who found it uneconomical to keep their own bulls, the largest users today are the bigger, more efficiently operated dairies, who recognize the value of proven sires in boosting the milk producing capabilities of their herds.

Powers explained, with the use of colored slides and motion pictures, some of the mysteries of artificial insemination, the technical process of keeping the male sperm alive and fertile until time of use. New methods of preservation are being developed, and he predicted that sperm from a really great bull would be kept frozen and available for use for as long as five years after the death of the animal.

Powers said the techniques of artificial insemination have been developed to the point where in California the conception rate is 65 per cent on first service, or about 7 per cent higher than by natural process.

December 27, 1953

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