FORTY-THIRD ANNUAL CONVENTION 127 



neighbor's farms, keeping the records of their cows, incliuhng 

 biitterfat, and milk production, the cost of feeds, together wiii' 

 studying the needs of the particular farm in general dairy herd 

 improvement. After this beginning these same farmers decided 

 it would be much better to employ an agent to visit, not tweb^e, 

 but 26 farms each month and keep their records. 



From this small beginning the work has developed and 

 Denmark has over 600 cow testing associations. In 1906 Helmar 

 Rabild, at that time a buttermaker in Michigan, organized the 

 first association in America. From this nucleus there have been 

 over 350 associations organized. Wisconsin leads in number with 

 about 60, Minnesota runs third with 28. 



In order to discuss the value of cow testing association work, 

 it will be necessary to show the improvement made in certain 

 coriimunities and in herds in cow testing associations. In the 

 winter of 1910- II, the Pioneer Cow Testing Association was or- 

 ganized at Albert Lea. The farmers took to the work rather 

 reluctantly and it was very difficult to complete the organization 

 with 350 cows. A little later after the tester had made his first 

 round, the number was increased to 455 cows, with an average 

 production of 189 pounds butterfat per cow per year, and a total 

 profit of $27.26 above the cost of feed. After a continuous 

 period of testing, in 1916 there were nearly 700 cows w^ith an 

 average butterfat production of 274.8 pounds butterfat, with a 

 total profit above the cost of feed, of $63.17 per cow, or an in- 

 crease of butterfat in five years of over 85 pounds butterfat per 

 year, and an increase in total profit above feed of $35.41. It 

 might be stated this increase in profit above feed is almost equal 

 to the total income of the average cow in the state of Minnesota. 



In bringing out some of the most valuable factors in the 

 cow testing association, let us consider first the better methods 

 of feeding brought about by having definite knowledge of the 

 production of each individual cow from month to month. What 

 W'Ould you think of a manufacturer who would invest several 

 thousand dollars in a manufacturing plant, equipping it with 

 modern machinery and employing a full quota of men, and then 

 only furnish raw ijiaterial enough to run it at 50% of its ca- 

 pacity? Such a man could not continue in business any length 

 of time on account of the excessive overhead expenses by not 



