348 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



THE WORK OF THE IOWA STATE DAIRY 

 ASSOCIATION 



INCREASED PRODUCTION NECESSARY 



The necessity for the increase in the production of dairy prod- 

 ucts is more essential now than ever before. This is shown most 

 emphatically in a brief summary of the imports and' exports of 

 dairy products for the past five years ; figures for which have been 

 obtainted through the Dairy Division, U. S. Department of Agri- 

 cultur*^;. 



During the year 1913 the United States imported large quanti- 

 ties of dairy products from foreign countries in the form of cheese, 

 amounting in round numbers to 460,000,000 pounds. In 1914 the 

 amount of dairy products coming to this country amounted to 

 700,000,000 pounds, 90,000,000 of which was in the form of butter 

 and 610,000,000 in the form of cheese. 



1 Q 1913 we exported approximately 50,000,000 pounds of butter 

 and 30,000,000 pounds of condensed milk, but in 1914 we did not 

 export butter at all and the exports of condensed milk fell to about 

 10,000,000 pounds. 



Id 1915 the great change came; we did not import dairy prod- 

 ucts to any extent but became a great exporting nation. 



In 1915 we exported 120,000,000 pounds of butter, 80,000,000 

 pounds of cheese and 15,000,000 pounds of condensed milk. Dur- 

 ing 1916 we increased these exports to 275,000,000 pounds of but- 

 tei-, 125,000,000 pounds of cheese and 350,000,000 pounds of con- 

 douFed milk. During the year 1917 we more than doubled the ex- 

 ports of 1916. Our butter exports amounted to 550,000,000 pounds. 

 Our cheese exports reached the $510,000,000-pounds mark and our 

 condensed milk amounted to 600,000,000 pounds. 



The year 1917 was the banner year. It was one of excitement, 

 as a Q will remember. High prices prevailed and prasperity for 

 the dairymen seemed to be assured. The question was then, and 

 is now, "How did we do it?'' The answer is simple. We saved, 

 we conserved, we produced more. 



The figures for 1918 are only preliminary, but they reflect the 

 experit;nce of the industry rather accurately. In February, 1918, 



