but would not result in the lowest cost of producing milk. The relative ad- 

 vantage of this adjustment would vary by size of farm, being greatest for 

 the small farm and least for the large farm. 



Joint ownership of farm machinery by two or more farmers would be 

 a method of reducing costs of investment on each farm, as many of the 

 machines could readily do the work on two or more farms. But this type 

 of ownership is not common in New England. Apparently other problems 

 associated with cooperative ownership and use of farm machines more than 

 offset any economic advantages, except for a few operators who have special 

 aptitudes for cooperation. 



It is evident that most dairy farms should be equipped with certain 

 foundational machinery and equipment such as a tractor, manure spreader, 

 and mowing machine. These types of equipment are used in repetitive jobs 

 and often are not suited for custom hiring. For small farms of 18 cows or 

 under, many of the other cropping operations could be profitably hired done 

 at present prices for custom work. For larger farms, opportunities for eco- 

 nomically using custom-hired equipment become fewer. But for many jobs, 

 even on larger farms, use of custom-hired machinery and equipment is eco- 

 nomical and capital requirements can be materially reduced through their 

 use. 



Other Bulletins in the Series on 

 Production Efficiency on New England Dairy Farms 



I. A Preliminary Appraisal of Cost Reduction Opportunities, I. F. Fellows, 

 G. E. Frick, and S. B. Weeks. Storrs (Connecticut) Agricultural Ex- 

 periment Station Bulletin 283 (1952). 



II. Economics of Scale in Dairying — An Exploration in Farm Manage- 

 ment Research Methodology, I. F. Fellows, G. E. Frick, and S. B. Weeks. 

 Storrs (Connecticut) Agricultural Experiment Station Bulletin 285 

 (1952). 



III. An Economic Evaluation of the Barn- finishing Method of Harvesting 

 Hay, V. E. Ross and I. F. Fellows. Storrs (Connecticut) Agricultural 

 Experiment Station Bulletin 277 (1951). 



IV. Adjustments in the Organization of Machinery and Equipment, G. E. 



Frick, S. B. Weeks, and I. F. Fellows. New Hampshire Agricultural 

 Experiment Station Bulletin 407 (1954). 



39 



