STUDIES IN THE COST OF MILK PRODUCTION. NO. 2. 



Bulletin No. 286. 



TERRITORIES STUDIED. 



Studies in the cost of market niill^ production were begun by the 

 Michigan Experiment Station in Kent, Allegan and Ottawa counties 

 in 1913 and were continued throughout a period of two and one-half 

 years. The territory studied supplied milk for the Grand Rapids trade. 

 The results of this investigation were published in Michigan Experiment 

 Station Bulletin No. 277. 



Upon the completion of the work in the Grand Rapids field, requests 

 came from the patrons of two condensing districts to have milk cost 

 accounting studies made on their farms. One of these districts was 

 in Livingston county in the vicinity of Howell and the other was in 

 Ingliam county, centered about Webberville. The work was started in 

 both fields in the early spring of 1916 and the portion of it included 

 in this report covers the calendar period, March 1, 1916 to March 1, 

 1919, at Howell, and March 1, 1916 to March 1, 1918, at Webberville. 

 In both of these fields, the milk was sold for condensing purposes with 

 the exception of tlie last two years at Howell, during which time about 

 one-half of the farmers sold their milk to the Detroit city trade. The 

 Howell territory is an old dairy section, milk production and receipts 

 from dairy cattle being the chief sources of farm income. 



TABLE NO. I. 



Fields studied 



Years studied 



Number of years 



Number farms studied each year 



Total number cows 



Average number cows annually. . 

 Average number cows per herd . . 



Howell 



(Livingston County). 



March, 191fi to 



March, 1919. 



3 



25 



1239.6 



413.2 



16.5 



Webberville 



(Ingham County). 



March, 1916 to 



March. 1918. 



2 



2.5 



730.8 



365.4 



14.6 



