6 Alaskan Science Conference 



nuska Valley. The same will be true in the other farm areas 

 when more land is cleared and in cultivation. 



For many years replacement cows on dairy farms were im- 

 ported from the Continental United States. In 1948, the Bureau 

 of Dairy Industry loaded to the Alaska Experiment Station two 

 Holstein bulls and two Red Dane bulls, all were pure bred 

 animals of the highest germ plasm obtainable. They were 

 shipped to Alaska and housed at the Matanuska Experiment 

 Station. In the dairy breeding project the pure bred Guernsey 

 herd of cows at the Matanuska station were divided as nearly 

 as possible into two lots of equal age, weight and milk pro- 

 duction. One lot was bred to a pure bred Guernsey bull of 

 high germ plasm. The other lot were cross bred to a Red Dane 

 bull. The object of this project is to secure data on milk pro- 

 duction and vigor of the progeny for comparative purposes. 

 All heifer calves are retained through their first lactation period 

 so that experimental error will be reduced to a minimum. The 

 first heifer calves from this experiment have been bred but are 

 not yet in production. 



The second phase of the dairy breeding program is an arti- 

 ficial insemination project which is cooperative between the 

 Alaska Experiment Station and the dairy farmers of the Mata- 

 nuska Valley. 



Semen from the two Holstein and two Red Dane bulls is 

 used in inseminating the cows on the farms. To date more than 

 600 calves have been born since this program was initiated. 

 All of the heifers are being kept for replacements in the farm 

 dairy herds. Semen is also being shipped to dairymen in the 

 Tanana Valley and on the Kenai Peninsula. Calf breeding, using 

 substitute feeds composed mostly of locally grown grain has 

 been in progress for a number of years. The information ob- 

 tained is finding practical application by the farmers in feeding 

 the replacement heifer calves. Circular No. 12, Better Forage 

 for Alaska, has been published cooperatively by the soils, 

 agronomy and animal industry departments. 



Research on the value of artificial light in milk production, 

 regularity of heat periods, sterility and conception rate during 



