Table 3. Milk response functions for high, medium, and low quality cows* 



* Expressed as annual requirements and pi-oduction. Forage requirements 

 were seasonally distributed in the linear programming model. 



** Source: E. R. Rutter, "Estimates of New Hampshire Pasture Production," 

 unpublished M. S. Thesis, University of New Hampshire, 1961. 



t Dairy Adjustment Research Committee, based on Jensen, E. et. al.: Input- 

 Output Relationships in Milk Production, USDA Tech. Bui. 815, 1942. 



t Unpublished data, Northeast Dairy Adjustments Research Committee, based 

 on U. S. Census of Agriculture data. 



The medium milk response function, developed by Jensen and 

 others starts at a milk production of 9,160 pounds at the 1,500-pound 

 level of grain feeding and rises with a steadily diminishing slope to 

 10,780 pounds of milk at the 4,000-pound grain level. This response 

 function reflects the milk production and response associated with 

 cows of average production of 1965 which are fed to their stomach 

 capacity. 



The high milk response function adapted from an unpublished 

 master's thesis at the University of New Hampshire starts at 10,200 

 pounds of milk at the 1,500-pound grain level and rises with a grad- 

 ual slope to 11,375 pounds of milk at the 4,000-pound grain level. 

 The more gradual slope indicates a lower response to grain feeding 

 in this response function. 



The three milk response functions used in this analysis were 

 independently determined. They reflect differences in feeding and 

 management as well as differences in quality of cows. The functions 

 were chosen primarily to reflect differences in their positions, with 

 less attention paid to their slopes. These functions may suggest that 

 higher quality cows exhibit less responsiveness to grain feeding; 

 however, this conclusion cannot validly be drawn because of different 

 sources of response data. 



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