TIE VALCFY SETTLER is published
every F'u.cay by the Hatanuaka Val
ley Farmersf Cooperating Associa
tion at Palmer, Alaska,
Kng, Editor: Irving Uowvillo
Subscription rates: ;i,00 .year
By hail: „;1,75 year
h a 11 e d . * nyvd i c r c: . 10 c o py
This paper is issued for the pur
pose of giving information and
news of hue Latanuska Valley Far
mers Cooperating Associations
work, problems, accomplislm.icnts,
also news of local and general
interest and to footer the co
op rntive spirit of the Farmers
of th.o hatanuska Valley.
The demand for fresh milk
and other dairy products in
Alaska has keen heavily increased
during the past two years by the
Army and Navy and by Civilians who
camm to the Territory for Defense
work. Altho dairy production has
steppc-c. up considerably it has
not met the demand.
:-i' e production of Grade* A
milk is very much a matter of
prbper\ Equipment and sanitation,
but the fCCHOi ICAL production of
milk of any grade depends on sev
eral factors.
Experimental combinations of
feeds have been used to stimulate
marked increases in milk product
ion. The ability of the animal
to convert the feed into milk
however is of utmost importance.
Unless a c.ow has the ability, no
amount or combination of feeds,
equipment, housing or handling will
secure economical milk production.
Only by a record of weights and
tests can a cows ability to pro
duce at a profit be told.
ho dairyman can afford to keep'
a cow that is not a high producer.
The average butter-fat production
of cows in Continental United
States is 180 pounds, Because of
the high C03t of feed and equip
ment in Alaska, such an average
cot/ will little more than pay the
fixed overhead of'feed, deprecia
tion and interest. Any a:, ant of
income above these nocesscwy ex
penses is knoW1 as labor income or
pay the dairyman receives tor his
work.
At the University of Alaska
Agricultural bx^orinent Sr.'-Sta
tion near Matannslca, 17 co; -s v;ere
milked during 1940. Some of these
were heifers and this proauction
was low. bight of the Mry.ost
producers averaged 7011.9 .b, of
milk containing 336.98 lb. butter
fat. The other nine cows produced
an average of 5795 lb. of milk ,
per cow containing 151.96 lb. of
butterfat. At vl.09 per lb. for
butterfat in Grade A milk the
total cash income per cow there
for, was ;;p-336.98 in the case of the
high producers and but sp. 3 ’’ . 96
for each of the low producers.
Deducting feed, dopreciatien, in
terest and other itff.is of over
head'from this total, there is
left^ for labor income during the
year, $rl48.71 pc?1 ccw for each
of the high producers and t~,16
per cow for each cf the low pro
ducers. the 8 high producers had
to board the 9 low producers
and the dairyman received nothing 7
for his labor. In other words
it would require almost 69 of
the cows producing 151.96 lb. of
butterfat to produce an annual
labor income equal to that'of one
of the high producing cows, At
the same time it costs about tbe
same to feed and care for a poor
cow a3 it does for a good cow.
Farming is a business and should
be conducted as such.
Cows look very much alike.
Loss than half of them be? ong to
the ’iLegion of Honor1' by inr
too many belong to the ‘'boarders
Legion".
TT AnTA"'
ii Uiitji
110 TRESPASSING AEttf,7EE ON TRACT
195. NEt of EESEC. 34 TWP.17
RANGE 2U ,-P.R.Archor
DANCE - BUTTE HALL - APRIL 13