The Harlem News

Bull Associations
Help Farmer
With Small Herd

Many dairy farmers with small herds can't afford to keep a good registered herd sire. Even farmers with large herds, 20 cows or more, sometimes can't afford as good a bull as they would like to have.

The organization of cooperative dairy bull associations, in which several dairy farmers go in together and buy a good bull provides a means for both groups of farmers to carry out herd improvement through better breeding, says Dr. J. F. Kendrick, in charge of dairy herd improvement work for the United States Department of Agriculture.

There are now 166 cooperative dairy bull associations active in the United States. These associations have a total membership of 2,551 dairymen and own 734 registered dairy sires. Thirty-four of the associations were organized last year. The older associations have had remarkable success over a fairly long period, says Dr. Kendrick. The oldest has been in operation for 28 years and 36 have been functioning more than 10 years. The associations are divided into three or more blocks of dairymen, with one bull to each block of breeders. As many as five blocks is desirable, as in the smaller groups bulls must be purchased more frequently to prevent inbreeding. In an association with five or more blocks a bull will usually spend his entire life in an association. In this way the association members can get the complete utilization of an outstanding proved sire.