The Dairy Herd Improvement Association

Cowichan Jersey cows in Nanaimo, September 1957. Photo by Robin Lister

I was recently sorting through some of my dad’s slides and found a collection of square format slides from 1956 to 1958. Some of them were labelled and dated. My dad, Robin Lister, was the supervisor for the Dairy Herd Improvement Association for Duncan-Cowichan, BC from July 1956 to June 1958. 

Vancouver Sun, May 26, 1956, 29.

Dairy Herd Improvement Associations (D.H.I.A) had been know until 1953 as Cow Testing Associations (C.T.A.). Several ads for supervisors for the Provincial Dairy Herd Improvement Associations appear in the newspapers. They were looking for “actual dairy farm experience in B.C.” My dad grew up on a Jersey dairy farm and had been involved in 4H so he would have qualified. 

The Department of Agriculture’s Fifty-First Annual Report for 1956 describes the challenge of finding supervisors on page 46 under “Operations”. 

The continuing difficulty in securing sufficient suitable men for this work prevented expansion. Two short courses of instruction for intending D.H.I.A. supervisors were held at the University of British Columbia during the year, results in each case being most disappointing. One tester was secured at the course held in July and two from the course conducted in November.

Notes for the community of Cheam in the Chilliwack Progress

Further down the page it reports that “R. Lister to Cowichan to replace D. R. O'Brien (resigned).” My guess is that he was the one tester secured at the course held in July. His address was noted in the appendix as Box 1642, Duncan.

His job included milk testing for milk weight and measuring milk fat. It was not a federal program, it was a semi-provincial program for non-registered, non-purebred cows. The results were announced in the newspaper.

The Province, February 21, 1957, 4.

The January 29, 1958 edition of the Province newspaper stated that Robin Lister, and Harry Standen, along with four others were elected as directors of the Cowichan Agricultural Society. The Standen family are featured in some of the photos in this small collection. The photos also include scenic shots as well of friends and, of course, cattle.

While employed by the D.H.I.A, he lived in a cabin owned by Jack and Mabel Fleetwood who later became mainstays of the Cowichan Historical Society. It seemed fitting to donate the collection to the Cowichan Historical Society. I hope the photos help tell the story of the Cowichan valley.

Photo by Robin Lister

Gordon in the snow. Photo by Robin Lister