quired for the chore work is budgeted 

 too closely to the available labor, the 

 difficulty of arranging for days off 

 or of handling emergency situations 

 may be intensified. 



While this report stresses efficiency 

 of labor and output, it suggests that 

 these chore schedules be fitted into a 

 pattern consistent with the modern 

 concept of reasonable hours of labor 

 and provision for days off occasion- 

 ally. Labor in industry and the serv- 

 ices is mostly on a 40 to 44-hour week. 

 The dairyman, working at home and 

 with some leeway in the middle of the 

 day, might consider a 60-hour week 

 as somewhat in line with other labor 

 groups. 



Some part of the benefits accruing 

 from more efficient chore work should 

 be applied to the betterment of work- 

 ing conditions for dairymen and their 

 helpers. This is a difficult problem 

 to work out on the individual farm, 

 but it is thought that a trend by all 

 dairymen in the direction of greater 

 conformity to the work pattern of 

 modern life is essential to the long- 

 run welfare of the dairy industry. 



If we assume a program of 60 work 

 hours per week for each worker, the 

 operator of a two-man farm must 

 place his activities most of the year 

 on the basis of this limitation in avail- 

 able labor. It is recognized that 

 emergencies and special seasonal sit- 

 uations will arise in which the work- 

 ers will need to put in long hours for 

 short periods. 



Inflexibility of Cerfain Tasks 



A major characteristic of dairy 

 barn chores is the large proportion 

 of the total tasks and also the total 

 work load that must be performed 

 within definite periods of time. The 

 inflexibility of the routine and rigid 

 sequence of chores results in peaks of 

 labor requirements during each day. 

 On a large dairy, the winter chores 

 may be accomplished with 10 man 



hours of labor, but since most of the 

 tasks are done at the beginning and 

 end of the day, two men must be 

 available every day at these peak pe- 

 riods. In providing sufficient labor 

 for these peak periods, there occurs 

 on many farms a surplus of labor or 

 under-employed labor at other times, 

 particularly if the farm, as organized, 

 aft'ords no alternative productive em- 

 ployment. 



Due to these inflexible labor re- 

 quirements for specific chores and the 

 resulting peak labor load at the be- 

 ginning and end of the day, an ef- 

 fective schedule for chore work and 

 the efficient use of labor within the 

 framework of a 60-hour week is very 

 difficult to achieve. Attention has 

 been given throughout this study to 

 the possibility of developing greater 

 flexibility in labor requirements for 

 chores, in order that the operator can 

 use his available labor more advan- 

 tageously and also more easily ar- 

 range for days off. On many farms, 

 greater flexibility in chore labor will 

 also permit the operator to have more 

 leeway in accomplishing other produc- 

 tive work, such as work in the wood- 

 lot. 



Emphasis on Future Practices 



The emphasis in this study has been 

 to project the chore practices into the 

 future rather than merely reporting 

 present practices. It is recognized 

 that few can quickly attain all the 

 efficiencies. Present barn structures 

 cannot be completely ignored al- 

 though progress toward good prac- 

 tices often depends upon improve- 

 ments in layout by remodeling at con- 

 siderable expense. Then, too, most 

 operators cannot make all the adjust- 

 ments in practices overnight. The in- 

 dividual has to train himself and his 

 helpers to new procedures. Several 

 years may elapse before he can eco- 

 nomically cull out slow milkers and 

 substitute easy milkers. He has to 



