Mr. ANDERSEN. The committee will come to order, gentlemen. Dr. Reed, we are glad to have you and your associates with us again. Before you give us your general statement, we will insert pages 190, 191, and 199 through 204 of the justifications. (The pages referred to follow:) PURPOSE STATEMENT The Bureau of Dairy Industry was established July 1, 1924, pursuant to the act of May 29, 1924. Its activities comprise 4 broad areas of research, as described below. 1. Breeding, feeding, and management of dairy cattle and the inter-relationship of conformation, internal anatomy, and mammary development to producing capacity. 2. Determination of the effect of nutrition on growth, health, reproduction, and lactation, and the physiological processes affecting the usefulness of dairy cattle, including the vitamin requirements of calves, methods of evaluating forages, effects of renovation and rotations on pasture production, and the usefulness of grass silage in the ration of growing heifers. 3. Compilation and analysis of genealogical and production data on approximately 1,200,000 cows in 40,000 dairy herd improvement association herds to evaluate the genetic makeup of individual animals, particularly sires, in order that the hereditary influence of sires possessing an inheritance for high producing capacity may be disseminated to the general dairy-cow population. 4. Determination of the physical and chemical properties of milk and milk products and the effect of variations in handling and processing procedures; the species of microorganisms in milk and their characteristics, action and control in dairy-products manufacture; and the development of new and improved methods of manufacture and use of milk products and byproducts. The Bureau also administers the Process Butter Act. Regulations are enforced involving the continuous inspection of the manufacture of process butter. The Bureau conducts research in Washington, at 6 field stations, and at 15 State Agricultural Experiment Stations. The staff employed on November 30, 1952, numbered 260 of whom 139 were stationed in the field. Appropriated funds: Appropriated, 1953.. Budget estimate, 1954. Appropriation Act, 1953... Salaries and expenses Reduction pursuant to section 411. Activities transferred in the 1954 estimates from "Salaries and expenses, Office of Administrator, Agricultural Research Administration" for services at the Agricultural Research Center_ Base for 1954_. Budget Estimate, 1954.. Increase.. $1,590, 055 1,815, 000 $1, 573, 000 -245 +17, 300 1, 590, 055 1, 815, 000 +224, 945 Summary of increases To expand milk production by developing better dairy cattle....... +124, 945 +100, 000 STATUS OF PROGRAM Current activities.-The Bureau conducts specialized research pertaining to dairy cattle, milk, and milk products. It cooperates with State and other Federal agencies, and with individuals, processors, and organizations in the dairy industry. Major phases of the research program include: 1. Research in dairy cattle genetics, including investigations to determine the relative usefulness of various systems of breeding in improving milking, reproductive, and disease-resistant qualities; feeding and management studies; anatomical studies to determine relationships between physical characteristics and milking ability; growth and development studies based on body weight and skeletal measurements; and methods of selecting profitable producers at an early age. Physiological reactions of dairy animals to extreme temperatures are also being determined to aid in improving dairy cattle in the South by breeding. 2. Research in dairy cattle nutrition and physiology to develop fundamental and practical information resulting in more economical dairy practices on the farm. The research includes studies on the causes of reproductive disorders in dairy cattle, methods of preservation of grassland crops, methods of evaluation of grassland crops as feed for dairy cattle, utilization of pastures, nutritional value of milk, and its products and studies on the basic nutritional requirements of dairy cattle. 3. Research in the basic principles of sanitary milk production and handling to preserve the palatability and nutritive and sanitary qualities of milk and to improve the quality and reduce the cost of manufacture of dairy products; to develop the domestic manufacture of dairy products; and to increase the utilization of milk products and byproducts in foods. The Bureau also demonstrates at regional dairy experiment stations the dairy practices applicable to such regions and conducts a national dairy herd improvement program in cooperation with the State extension services to improve the producing efficiency of dairy cows by applying the results of research in dairy cattle breeding, feeding, and management. The average production of the 1,200,000 cows in 2,100 Dairy Herd Imrovement Association herds is approximately double the average production of all cows in the national dairy herd. The Bureau enforces regulations relating to the manufacture of process or renovated butter. The purposes of this inspection are (1) to make certain that the finished product is fit for human consumption and (2) to make sure that the packages used correctly inform the public as to the nature of the product. Among the projects now being conducted, the following are selected as typical: 1. Evaluation of outbreeding, inbreeding of various intensities, proved sire breeding, and crossbreeding in improving the milk producing qualities of dairy cattle. 2. Determinations of the reactions of dairy animals to heat stress and causes of severe declines in milk production. 3. Studies on basic and fundamental causes of reproductive disorders in dairy cattle. 4. Studies on the preservation, utilization, and evaluation of grassland crops for dairy cattle. 5. Evaluation of milk and its products for B12 activity. 6. The cause and control of mastitis in the Beltsville herd. 7. To determine the cause for and to develop means of preventing the development of the common defects in body, color, and flavor in stored condensed and evaporated milks. 8. Development of methods of processing and determination of the conditions of handling and storing normal and concentrated milks in liquid or frozen condition. 9. Development of methods for the manufacture of foreign-type cheeses, i. e., Swiss, Roquefort, brick, and Italian types, especially from pasteurized milk. 10. Development of new forms of and new uses for milk byproducts in bakery products. Selected examples of recent progress 1. Respiratory apparatus for cows developed. In connection with the development of cattle suited to the hot and humid sections of the South, a suitable respiratory apparatus has been developed which will accurately indicate the volume and rate of respiration for use in measuring heat tolerance in cows. 2. Irrigation increases milk production. Milk production per acre creased from 8,000 pounds to 12,000 pounds by the application of supplemental irrigation to pasture land at the Lewisburg, Tenn., field station. was in 3. Milk production and reproduction superior during fifth, sixth, and seventh lactations.—A study of milk production and reproductive efficiency in the University of Connecticut herd showed that both milk production and reproductive efficiency during the fifth, sixth, and seventh lactations were superior to that of earlier lactations, thus indicating that selections for both milk production and reproductive efficiency can be effective in a positive and similar direction. 4. Indicator of bull fertility found.-Preliminary analyses indicate that the rate of sugar usage in bull semen is an indicator of fertility. Further studies of this relationship are under way to substantiate these findings. 5. Antibiotics ineffective in improving fertility.-Treatment of repeat breeder cows with antibiotics was shown not to improve fertility when these were compared with similar untreated repeat breeders. 6. Guide to nutrient evaluation of forages developed. A relationship between the digestible nutrients in feeds and their energy value has been established which will aid very materially in the proper evaluation of forages fed to dairy cattle. 7. Sole ration of dehydrated alfalfa found acceptable.-Dehydrated alfalfa as the sole ration for dairy heifers was found not to adversely affect reproduction as had been previously reported elsewhere. 8. Techniques for study of utilization of fibrous feed developed.-Improved techniques for the study of physiological characterists of the rumen microflora that are instrumental in utilizing fibrous feeds have been developed. 9. Popular forage preservant found of no value on wilted ensiled forage.-Sulphur dioxide has been used in some sections of the country to preserve the nutrients in nonwilted forage. Research now indicates that this treatment is of no value in the preservation of nutrients in ensiled wilted forage. 10. Evidence uncovered of unidentified vitamins. Real evidence has been obtained which suggests the existence of still unidentified vitamin factors in certain feeds which affect the rate of growth of animals. 11. Riboflavin found to promote usage of vitamin B12.-In research on the nutritional value of milk, riboflavin was shown to promote the synthesis of vitamin B12 in the digestive tract of the rat. Such information indicates that, with sufficient riboflavin in the diet, and with proper intestinal bacteria present, the dietary requirements for vitamin B12 may be lower than would otherwise be required. 12. Cobalt discounted as agent to enhance vitamin B12 content of milk.-The addition of cobalt to the ration of dairy cows was shown not to enhance the vitamin B12 content of the milk, as has been indicated by other investigators in the past. 13. Methods for extracting hormones developed.-Methods have been developed for the extraction and separation of estrone, estradiol, and estriol, hormones involved in reproduction and lactation, from solutions containing a mixture of very small quantities of these commonly occurring estrogens. The application of these techniques for the estimation of estrogens in blood and other biological fluids is being studied to determine their relationship to the sterility of dairy cattle. 14. DHIA butterfat production above the national average.—At the close of the calendar year 1951, 1,166,297 cows in 40,105 herds were on test in dairy herd improvement associations. The current average butterfat production of DHIA cows is 370 pounds compared to 211 pounds for all cows of the Nation. 15. Sire proving promotes increased average production.—In calendar year 1951, 2,414 sires were proved in dairy herd improvement associations. Their daughters produced an average of 10,179 pounds of milk and 417 pounds of butterfat as compared to 9.856 and 405 pounds of milk and butterfat, respectively, in 1950. Nearly one-third of the sires proved during 1951 had daughters whose average butterfat production exceeded 450 pounds. 16. Sires in artificial breeding associations produce high-yield daughters.-During 1951, 2,324 sires were used in artificial breeding associations, of which 39.1 percent or 909 had 5 or more daughters with DHIA production records. These daughters produced an average of 446 pounds of butterfat. 17. New method developed for producing vitamin B12.-A method has been developed for producing vitamin B12 in relatively large amounts from whey or skim milk by using the bacteria employed in making swiss cheese A public service patent on this process has been applied for since it may be commercially practical to manufacture this important vitamin from these surplus byproducts 18. Objectionable frozen milk flavors lessened.—Undesirable flavors that develop during the storage of frozen fluid and concentrated milks were found to lessen at storage temperatures below -10° F. 19. Milk spoilage agent uncovered. The presence of iron was found to greatly stimulate the formation of bacterial spores in milk. This points toward the cause of spoilage in condensed milks. 20. Swiss cheese manufacture improved.-Research shows that high acidity in swiss cheese curd during the first 24 hours of making hinders the growth of the bacteria which produce the desirable characteristic flavor during the ripening of this cheese. 21. Use of goat's milk improves flavor of Italian-type cheese.-It has been found that the characteristic flavor of Italian-type cheese depends largely on breakdown of fat. Fat-splitting enzymes from goat sources were found to produce a more desirable flavor in Provolone and Romano cheeses than do enzymes from calf or sheep sources. 22. Simplified fat test developed.-A simplified, accurate fat test in which a detergent is used in place of sulfuric acid has been developed to the point where it will soon be ready for trial in the dairy industry. This test may eventually replace the present Babcock test for fat. Receipts from sales of dairy products and animals (deposited in miscellaneous receipts Statement of obligations under allotments and other funds [Includes only those amounts which, by November 30, 1952, were actually received or programmed for 1953 or 1954. Since work for other agencies is performed on a service basis, at the request of those agencies and for their benefit, it is not practicable to estimate in advance the amounts to be received in most cases] Mr. ANDERSEN. Now, sir, we will be glad to have a statement from you. GENERAL STATEMENT Dr. REED. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Really, it is a privilege for me to come before this committee again. Briefly, I want to review the accomplishments of the Bureau of Dairy Industry and also to describe our needs for conducting a more adequate program of research on behalf of the dairy industry of the United States. I am fully aware of the great demands for funds to conduct many other programs of benefit to the public welfare and the need for making the appropriated dollar go as far as possible. In our organization we have endeavored, and I believe with considerable success, to expend our funds wisely. We have developed a program of research in our various divisions of work, in which we are emphasizing lines of research that promise the greatest immediate benefits to the dairy industry. I am sure you know, however, that the increased cost of almost everything that goes into our research program has made it most difficult to maintain the kind and size of program that I believe the dairy industry needs at this time. |