without heat system is also shown in Tahle 6. Variation in gross farm in- 

 come was greater with the crushed field cured, baled system. A hay-in-a- 

 day type system reduced the variability in income due to year-to-year 

 weather differences. Moving the date of cut from June 1 to June 15 and 

 from June 15 to June 30 reduced average gross income by $636 and 

 $1,161, respectively, with the crushed field cured, baled system. Results 

 were similar as date of cut was advanced from June 1 to June 30 with the 

 other forage harvest system. 



100 Cows and Selected Hay Harvesting Systems 



The gross income distribution with 100 cows was quite similar to 

 that with 75 cows (Table 6). The system with the shorter cut-to-storage 

 time reduced the income variability over time. For both harvest systems, 

 gross income declined as date of cut was moved later than June 1. 

 Moving from June 1 to June 15 with the crushed, field cured, Ijaled sys- 

 tem lowered income by $2,937. Going from June 15 to June 30 lowered 

 income by $3,535. The hay-in-a-day system showed changes which lower- 

 ed gross income by $3,155 and $2,420, respectively. 



Number of Cows Varying and Selected Hay Harvesting Systems 



When the size of the herd was allowed to adjust in the model to the 

 production of eatable forage, the average gross income increased as 

 date of harvest moved from early to late June. (Table 6) . For the crush- 

 ed, field cured system the June 1 to 15 increase was $4,772; and the 

 June 15 to June 30 increase was $2,264. The income increases for the 

 barn dried system was $5,692 and $2,158 respectively for these time 

 periods. 



Influence of Date of Cut and Weather 

 Pattern on Net Farm Income 



The level of net farm income and the change in net farm income 

 associated with the advancing date of cut were the most relevant con- 

 siderations in assessing alternative management systems. The an- 

 alysis showed average net farm income and variations in net farm income 

 associated with 52 weather patterns, by date of harvest, for each of 3 

 herd sizes, and for each of 2 hay harvesting systems. No effort to analyze 

 income differences between the 3 different herd size situations was made 

 because this study was not designed to investigate scale economies. 

 Therefore, the net income analysis will be presented by herd size 

 options. 



75 Cows and the Crushed, Field Cured, and Baled Hay Harvest 

 System 



Table 7 illustrates the variations in net farm income associated 

 with the 52 weather patterns for the 3 dates of cut. Considerable varia- 



38 



