IMPORTANCE OF THE DAIRY INDUSTRY 1 



still use far more than any other nation. For each person 

 we now produce over twenty-five times as much human food 

 from animals as is produced for each person in Japan. 1 



9. The Dairy Cow an Efficient Machine. From a given 

 qu; ntity of feed the dairy cow produces more human food 

 thi'ii does any other animal. According to Armsby's stand- 

 arcs, the amount of feed required to grow and fatten a 

 12( '0-pound steer would, if fed to dairy cows, produce about 

 thi ee times as much human food. 



But the dairy cow must be raised, and the growing heifer 

 is 10 more efficient than the growing beef animal. Both 

 industries require that cows and bulls be kept. Figures 

 showing the returns from the entire beef industry are not 

 available, but results of the entire dairy industry in one 

 county, including the feed for the entire dairy herds and 

 im luding milk and meat returned for human food, are given 

 in Table 4, as well as the results from an entire poultry in- 

 dustry. As producers of protein, hens are the nearest com*- 

 petitors of dairy cattle, but judged on an energy basis hogs 

 arc second to cows. Both hens and hogs consume a higher 

 class of foods so that when compared with cows they are 

 not quite so productive as the figures would suggest. 



10. Cows Effective Users of By-products. As population 

 increases, less and less grain is fed to animals because it is 

 all needed as human food. In Europe and other densely 

 populated regions cows are fed less grain than in America. 

 The dairy cow is the most efficient machine for changing 

 grass, hay, straw, cornstalks, and the by-products from 

 mills into human food. The cow will make a larger amount 

 of human food out of these products than will any other 



1 Calculated on the basis of animal units aside from horses. See page 

 218. 



