American Agriculturist, October 25, 1924 
283 
Kill a Kow! 
Dairymen Rallying Around Plan to Cut Costs 
DITORS’ NOTE:—The letters on this 
page indicate that our folks are beginning 
to see what our “Kill a Kow” plan will 
mean to the dairy industry if enough 
farmers will support it. We can not for any rea¬ 
son see why dairymen should hesitate to get back 
of this plan for they win both going and coming. 
There are few dairies that do not have at least one 
cow that does not pay her costs of production. 
If she is fatted and killed for beef the farmer 
is money ahead and certainly the whole dairy 
industry is, for it is this class of cows that is 
furnishing the surplus milk and keeping milk 
prices down. 
We think that nearly every farmer knows which 
cow to kill, but if there is any doubt, why not 
weigh her milk for a little while and get your 
county agent, or your local milk dealer, or your 
State College of Agriculture, to test your milk 
for fat a few times? American Agriculturist 
will furnish sheets for keeping records free of 
charge upon request. 
A still better plan is to form a dairy improve¬ 
ment club, or join a cow-testing association. 
We will be glad to tell you how this is 
done if you will write to us. 
But while this work is excellent for 
giving you a record on your whole 
dairy, you do not need to wait in your 
plan to save money, for we repeat that 
most farmers know in their own hearts 
of at least one cow in the dairy that is 
not making good. Let's fat and kill 
her, and eat her this winter. 
For the encouragement of one an¬ 
other, let’s all join together in doing 
this. The agreement is on this page. 
If you do not want to sign the agree¬ 
ment, write us a letter and tell us that 
you are with us. We will keep your 
name confidential if you prefer it. 
There is nothing hard and fast about 
this agreement either. If for some 
reason you are unable to carry it 
out later, all you will have to do is 
write us and tell us so. 
We have no desire to put anything 
irksome on any dairyman. All we 
want to do is to use the combined 
strength of the more than 100,000 dairymen who 
take American Agriculturist to help their own 
business. 
Read the interesting letters below and then 
write us and tell us that you are with us. 
* * * 
Says It’s Sensible 
Your “Kill a Kow” campaign is the most sen¬ 
sible proposal yet to help the milk situation.— 
H. R. R., Orange County, N. Y. 
“Farmers Will Support It” 
We are with you on your plan for farmers to kill 
at least one cow this winter. Keep up the good 
work. I believe a lot of farmers will support this 
when they realize how much it will do. You can 
count on me —J. W. M., Pennsylvania. 
Neighbors Are Talking About It 
Our neighbors have been talking about your 
plan of killing and eating the poor-producing cow. 
If enough farmers will do this, I know of nothing 
that will do so much good. It has the double 
advantage of helping to raise the price of milk and 
at the same time lowering the costs of production. 
There are too many cows anyway, especially too 
many that are not paying their keep. We will 
[beef at least one this winter.—H. M. K., Cortland 
County, N. Y. 
Back to the Ways of Our Fathers 
I like the work American Agriculturist is 
.doing in trying to revive some of the customs of 
our forefathers. Your idea of getting dairymen to 
kill their “boarders” for beef is all right. 
Also, I agree with what you say about raising 
at home more feed both for cattle and for the 
farmer’s own table. Most of us are working too 
much for the middlemen. They were not neces¬ 
sary in our forefathers’ business at all. We have 
to use them some now, but not as much as we do. 
I, for one, will kill a beef this winter.—E. N. W., 
Cayuga County, N. Y. 
Has “Killed a Kow” Every Year 
I have been killing a beef every fall for years, so 
your plan is not new to me. But it is all right. 
Keep it up. There is too much milk and too many 
poor cows. 
Did you know it is possible to can meat so that 
it is just as fresh when it is opened? We have 
been doing it for three years now and can laugh 
at the butcher. 
We can also laugh at the baker, for the wife 
makes her own bread, and better than you can 
buy, too. If there was a flouring mill near here, 
we would try your scheme and get our own 
flour.—H. J. L., Sullivan County, N. Y. 
Editors’ Note: If there were enough sentiment of 
this kind, farmers could encourage someone to open a 
flour mill, or get some miller to put in the necessary 
machinery. 
It Pays to Kill Culls 
We recently sold our entire dairy on this, a 
50-cow dairy farm, because of the ruinous price of 
milk and high feed prices and I want to write you 
a word of encouragement on your “Kill a Kow” 
plan. 
We foresaw some years ago something of what 
all dairymen are now experiencing and worked out 
a policy which we have fairly well adhered to. It 
was this: to raise no calves until our culls were 
slaughtered. We have raised about 10 calves in 
the last 10 years, and have acquired by purchase 
in the same time probably 200 cows, some of which 
were resold. Last fall we purchased over 50 head 
for a price of $45 to $60 each in entire dairies and 
the cows which we culled out were sold for 
slaughter (and they were slaughtered), at prices 
of $15, $16, $18, $18, $18, and $25 and fatted 
two more for slaughter at home, or over 10 per 
cent, of entire purchases. 
Our policy has worked out well for us on two 
lines of reasoning from a study of our books and 
accounts. First our plan is to raise no calves. 
A careful account of cost on three choice calves 
raised this year shows they cost us $35 a head at 
1 year old without any charge for labor or over¬ 
head and they brought at auction on an average 
of $38 and we could have bought cows by putting 
$10 a head to their cost. Other accounts show us 
that fall calves raised to freshen at 24 months 
cost $65, spring calves raised to freshen at 24 
months cost around $80 and then we only have a 
fresh, untried and unjudged 2-year-old that pos¬ 
sibly did not freshen that soon, while in ordinary 
< 
and Raise Milk Prices 
years a straight mature young cow could have 
been bought for less money. 
Conclusion. —It’s not profitable for us but incurs 
a loss to raise calves. We don’t want to increase 
the number of dairy cows. No thoughtful dairy¬ 
man wants us to increase the number of dairy 
cows. 1 
Killing our culls increases our average per cow 
both on production and possible profit and onr 
neighbors don’t want them, for a cull is never 
cheap at any price and we refuse to sell them 
except for slaughter. 
Conclusion. —It’s profitable to kill culls. It 
raises our average of possible profit at home, 
and onr average possible profit from sales of 
cows for we enjoy a better reputation on our 
sales of cows and we get more [satisfaction from 
our business. 
I suggest you extend your “Kill a Kow” to 
“Kill a Kow and Most or More of the Calves as 
Well.” In sympathy with your fine efforts and 
the best interests of all dairymen, I pledge myself 
to kill something that might give milk.—II. D. K., 
Wyoming County, N. Y. 
The Farmers’ Interest in Government 
{Continued from page 281 ) 
property rights, and he would not wit¬ 
tingly do anything to thwart the in¬ 
centive that our Constitution gives 
to the untrammeled expression of 
individual initiative. 
Sometimes, the farmer becomes over¬ 
wrought on account of injustices that 
have been done him, but in the last 
analysis he thinks straight, and govern¬ 
ment reaches its even keel principally 
through the deliberate, thoughtful 
action of the rural voter. 
If I were to issue a warning to farm 
folks, it would be to avoid confusing 
economics with politics. The business 
of farming must win on its merits, and 
not through things that may be done 
for it especially by the State. Mean¬ 
while, the farmer should be vigilant in 
opposing grants to other industries 
that would hamper his progress. Equal¬ 
ity for all, and special favors for none, should be 
his slogan with respect to government. 
From the beginning of our national history, the 
progress of agriculture has been an inspiration. 
This development has been wrought in spite of the 
unorganized state of the farmer compared with 
other interests and classes. This industry is now 
upon the threshold of a new era of progress. It 
can not be aided by appeals to the class interest 
of the farmer. It can be helped principally 
through more thoughtful attention to organiza¬ 
tion by farmers, and the prevention of action by 
{Continued on page 297) 
Kill a Kow! 
I will be glad to cooperate, providing 
at least one thousand other dairymen 
will do the same, in selling or killing 
FOR BEEF PURPOSES at least one 
of the poorest producers in my herd 
between now and March 1, 1925, 
Name. 
Address.. 
Cut this out, sign it and send it to American 
Agriculturist, 461 Fourth Ave., New York, N. Y, 
No, he’s not proud of her as a milk producer! Instead he is exhibiting her as 
a candidate for American Agriculturist’s “Kill a Kow” campaign to aid the 
dairy industry. 
