20 ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION 



the records yourselves, but you won't. So my plea is to get 

 somebody to do this for you. 



This condition exists not only in Michigan or Illinois, 

 but all over the country. Do you know what per cent of the 

 cows in the United States are on test. There are less than 

 one per cent out of twenty-four million cows. I am telling 

 you, you cannot tell what your milk is producing unless you 

 have the necessary facts and records. That is the big thing 

 in the dairy business. 



To you men beginning in this business, my plea is to 

 find out what your cows are doing. Know what your cows 

 are doing, each one individually, and until we have done 

 that, we do not know whether our business is on an efficient 

 plane or not. You absolutely all have to agree to that if 

 we are to stay in business today. 



Three and one-half per cent of our Michigan cows are 

 members of cow testing associations and it certainly has 

 made a difference. Right in the milk section, over 2,000 

 dairy cows have been sold during the past year because 

 they were unprofitable. 



About eight per cent of the cows, on test last year were 

 sold for beef. It goes without saying that it is the best 

 dairymen we have got in the cow testing associations, but 

 out of the three and one-half per cent of the cows in the 

 state on test eight per cent of these were sold as unprofit- 

 able. I ask you this question. If we had, say 50% mem- 

 bership in cow testing associations, what per cent would go 

 to the butcher? 



So we have got to turn the spotlight on our barn. You 

 say you cannot afford it. The thing to say is that you cannot 

 afford not to do it. 



Those who belong to cow testing associations are the 

 men who are going to stay in the business. There is no 

 question about it. We have got to put this thing on an effi- 

 cient basis and I do not know of any other way than through 

 the cow testing association. Any man who has got more 

 than six cows certainly ought to be a member of an associa- 

 tion. 



A county agent up in Michigan told me a few years 



