USDA DAIRY CHIEF
REVISITS VALLEY, IS
AMAZED AT PROGRESS
Dr. O. E. Reed, chief of the Bu
reau of Dairy Industry, USDA.
was amazed this week at the
growtr of the dairy industry in
the Valley since his last visit in
1947.
It was in the fall of 1947 that j
Reed helped to organize an ar
tificial breeding program to help
improve the quality of the milk- I
ing herd following a survey that
covered inspection of practically
every cow in the Territory. He
had come to Alaska on the rec
ommendation of the 1946 task
force committee that the most
important agricultural job in the
Territory was to build up the
dairy industry.
Two problems hindering the
development of this industry were
four*i by Reed in 1947. First, the
dairy farmers were not raising
their own replacements; they
were importing them from' Out
side at considerable expense. One
woman told him that the calves
weren't worth raising; and. even
if they were, they couldn’t be
raised economically. Her re
marks focused attention on the
second problem — feeding—and
the answer to the first—a good
breeding program.
With the arrival of two Red
Dane and two Holstein bulls lent
by the USDA in 1948, the arti
ficial breeding program was be
gun in the Valley under the di
rection of William J. Sweetman,
formerly of Dr. Reed’s staff at
Beltsville.
It was when Dr. Reed made the
rounds of the dairy farms this
week to see the offerings of these
bulls that he was truly amazed.
“In another four years”, he
said, “there’s no question that
Valley people will ever again
have to go Outside for their cat
tle”.
He admired Chet Liebing’s Hol
steins and Red Danes. Roy Newell
he said, with pride, will soon have
a solid herd of Red Danes. Louise
Kellogg is also going in for the
Danish breed. At A. A. Remple’s i
he was not surprised to see a pref
erence for this breed because Mr.
Remple had mentioned in 1947 his
admiration for them back in Eu
rope.
"I didn’t know you grew
bromegrass”, Reed remarked on
seeing Remple’s fine crop.
“I didn’t until those Experi
ment Station fellows talked me
into it”, Remple said with a grin.
It wasn’t at Remple’s farm only
that Dr. Reed found dairymen
trying to lick the feed program.
With the help of research on Al
askan feed being carried on by
the agronomists and soils men,
Reed was certain that they wrould
succeed. Already, he said, farm
ers are almost self sufficient for
hay. Noting the concentration on
silage in the Valley, he observed
that dairymen were quick to
learn that there is more milk per
acre out of silage than from hay
—and it’s better feed.
“I have great hopes for the
Valley as a big dairy center”, he
said. “With better cows, better
feed, and more production per
cow, perhaps the consumer will
have some relief from the high
prices they pay for milk”.
At the present time, however,
the bureau chief could not see
how the milk could be produced
for less.
Dr. Reed said he hopes to come
back in another few years to see
the landscape dotted with red
cattle as it is in Michigan today.
He imported from Denmark the
first herd of 20 Red Danes in
1935 and started breeding cows
in Boltsville and Michigan under
an artificial breeding program.
The Red Dane breed is particu
larly well adapted, according to
Reed, because these cattle are not
only good milk producers, they
also make good beef. With prop
er feeding a good Red Dane will
produce 10,000 pounds of milk
per year and 400 pounds of but
terfat.
“As soon as the Valley farm
ers saw the Red Dane calves come
in. they were sold on the breed. ,
There’s 20 percent more demand ;
for Red Dane sires than for those .
of other breeds”.
Miss Nancy Cameron of the
Territorial Department of Wel
fare, Anchorage office, was in the
Valley last Thursday making calls
on some of the wards of the Ter- j
ritory. I
Return from Extended
Stateside Journey
Mr. and Mrs. Harold Richards
superintendents at the Valley
Christian Home for Children
have returned to the Valley, fol
lowing a furlough trip started las1
December, which took them thrv
many states. They visited many
childrens’ homes during their trip
The main purpose of their trip
was to help raise funds for the
large building project to be car
ried out at the Valley Home. In
dividual buildings are contem
plated for family style living
Work will be started as soon as
materials are available. The
workers at the home erected i
new silo as well as doing repaii
work on several buildings this
summer. A new DeSota statior
wagon was a recent gift to the
home.
New missionary workers at the
home include Mr. and Mrs. Geo
Loveles, who have recently come
to the Valley from King Cove
Alaska, where they were doinj
missionary work.
School teacher, Mrs. Ethel Zim
FETA SIGMA PHI TO MEET
Mrs. Robert Crites will be hos
tess to the Beta Sigma Phi at
their next regular meeting to be
held September 17. at 8 p.m. Re
freshments will be served follow
ing the meeting.
has returned from summer vaca
i tion spent visiting her family and
friends in the States.
John Ticky has completed his
work at Port Graham and is back
j at the Valley Home. I
FARMERS' MARKET OPEN
ON SATURDAY ONLY
The Farmers’ Market will
sell produce on Saturdays only
for the remainder of the pro
duce season, Marketmaster
Florence Eby announced this
week. The Sunday market day
is being discontinued because
of the decreasing amount of
produce the farmers have to
sell.
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