FARMERS' MONTHLY OF HAMPSHIRE COUNTY 



feed cost of producing- milk. The table | rather than merely to supply a dealer 

 is made up from herd averages grouped i with a certain number of quarts of milk 

 as follows: A, herds under 6,000 pounds [ a day he would find that .3.2 cows in 

 of milk per cow; B, 6-7000 pounds; C, group F would return as much margin 

 7-8000 pounds; D, 8-9000 pounds; E, over feed co.sts as ten cows in group A. 

 9-10,000 pounds; P, over 10,000 pounds | The following figures are approximately 



of milk per cow for the yeai\ 



a o 



O o 



«3 ^ 



$55.66 

 63.41 

 92.35 

 111.89 

 141.52 

 170.35 



* Obtained by subtracting feed costs 

 from value of milk. Value estimated at 

 $3.00 per cwt. (6.45 cents per quart) at 

 the farm. 



One of the striking points about the 

 above table is that feed costs per cow in- 

 crease as production increases. It hap- 

 pens that the production per cow in group 

 A is just about half that obtained in 

 Group F. This means that the feed co.st 

 of producing milk with cows averaging 

 5511 pounds was $110.67 or $2.16 per 

 cwt. The men in group F spent $53.60 

 more for feed for each cow and produced 

 5643 pounds more milk per cow. In 

 other words the good cows produced the 

 second 5643 pounds of milk at a feed cost 

 of less than ninety-five cents per hundred 

 pounds. The reason for this is that a 

 poor cow uses the greater proportion of 

 her feed to keep herself alive. The dif- 

 ference between the feed costs of produc- 

 ing one hundred pounds of milk with poor 

 cows and with good cows is sixty-nine 

 cents per hundred pounds or 1.48<? per 

 quart. The men who have a market that 

 pays a low price for milk cannot afford 

 to keep poor cows. 



Poor Cows Pay Poor Wages 

 It seems to be an axiom with the ma- 

 jority of dairymen that it does not pay 

 to make milk. The last column in the 

 above table shows that this statement is 

 founded on a half truth. These figures 

 show that it does not pay to make milk 

 with poor coivs. In groups A and B the 

 margin in that is left to pay for depre- 

 ciation on cattle, interest on investment, 



correct for the number of cows in the 

 different groups to equal ten cows in 

 group A: B equals 9; C equals 6; D 

 equals 5; E equals 4; F equals 3.2. If 

 one has to supply a certain number 

 quarts it would take the following num- 

 ber of cows to equal ten cows in group 

 A: B equals 8.5 cows; C equals 7.5 cows; 

 D equals 6.7 cows; E equals 5.9 cows; F 

 equals 4.9 cows. These figures are more 

 than estimates. They are based on facts 

 as brought out by cow test work. If 

 dairy farmers in this county would know 

 what they have for cows, the average 

 milk production per cow would not be 

 532 pounds below the average of group 

 A in the above table. Unless a man likes 

 work there is no excuse for keeping forty 

 per cent more cows than is necessary to 

 supply his market. 



Production Regulates Cost of 

 Producing Fat 



The following table shows the influence 

 of production on the feed costs of pro- 

 ducing butter fat. The following yearly 

 herd averages were used in making up 

 this table: Group A below 250 pounds 

 fat per cow; B, 250-300 pounds fat; C, 

 300-350 pounds fat, D over 350 pounds 

 fat per cow . 



The above table shows that eight herds 

 averaged below 250 pounds fat per cow, 

 fourteen from 250 to 300 pounds, ten 

 from 300 to 350 pounds, and eight over 

 350 pounds of butter fat per cow for the 

 year. As in milk production, feed costs 

 per cow increase with production. In- 

 creased production is due to breeding and 

 ability to handle large amounts of feed. 

 The cows in group D produced 154.8 

 pounds of fat more than in group A. It 

 labor and other overhead charges is less i cost $27.09 more on the average to feed 



Group 

 A 

 B 

 C 

 D 



Margin 



$61.55 



88.78 



112.92 



159.85 



than $63.41. Figures obtained in this 

 state show that these overhead costs with 

 labor amount to about sixty dollars per 

 cow per year. In groups A and B there 

 is no such thing as profit. The men who 

 Iceep this type of cow work for wages 

 and even have to take part of these in 

 the form of manure. Some of the herds 

 in these groups made considerably above 

 the average margin because they have a 

 special market. These herds are skating 

 on thin ice because if they should lose 

 this market they would be absolutely out 

 of luck. 



If a farmer is keeping cows for profit 



the cows in group D to get this increased 

 production but the increase only cost 

 17.5 cents per pound of butter fat. 

 Cows averaging 226.4 pounds of fat per 

 year in group A paid a margin of $61.55 

 over feed co.sts. The cows in gi'oup A 

 made no profit. 



The cows in gi'oup B producing 271.6 

 pounds of fat per cow would return a 

 slight profit after deducting labor and 

 overhead charges. In groups C and D the 

 margin per cow above feed costs increases 

 rapidly over preceding groups. To equal 

 ten cows in group A as regards produc- 

 tion of fat it takes 8.3 cows in group B, 7 



cows in group C and only 5.9 cows in 

 group D. To equal ten cows in group A 

 as regards margin over feed costs it takes 

 6.9 cows in group B, 5.4 cows in group 

 C and only 3.8 cows in group D. In 

 other woi-ds four cows each producing 

 381.1 pounds of butter fat in the year 

 will return qs much margin over feed 

 costs as ten cows that produce 226.3 

 pounds of fat each during the year. 



Why Keep Poor Cows 



The above figures prove that when 

 either milk or butter fat production is 

 considered a poor cow pays poor wages 

 to the man who cares for her. Yet there 

 are fourteen herds out of forty that 

 are not returning a new dollar for 

 an old one. Some of these cows were 

 raised on the farms where they now are. 

 Their being raised was more or less a 

 mistake. It probably happened that the 

 milkman was not taking all of the milk 

 when some of these poor cows were born. 

 Since the calf was a heifer and there was 

 plenty of milk she was raised. She was 

 so poor that cattle dealers would not pay 

 within one hundred dollars of what it 

 cost to raise her so she .staid. She 

 furnishes an excuse for the statement 

 that there is no money in making milk. 

 Or perhaps she was purchased by an 

 owner who believes that his function is 

 to keep a thriving city population from 

 starving. His milkman needed more 

 milk. He found a cow that was making 

 just the amount needed, say ten quarts. 

 She was fresh and did not cost much. 

 But like everything cheap she was really 

 dear. When she dropped in production 

 or went dry she would not bring half 

 what was paid for her. Even when she 

 was fresh she would not bring as much 

 as she cost. In short the reason that 

 poor cows are kept is that they will 

 not bring as much as they cost. An- 

 other reason that poor cows are kept 

 is that the man who milks them does not 

 know how poor they are. The milk 

 scales would tell him but he is too busy. 

 Membership in the cow testing associa- 

 tion will give him complete information 

 on every cow in the hei-d. If the men 

 who are keeping cows really knew what 

 their cows are doing the county average 

 would be more than 4,988 pounds of milk 

 per cow. 



We are sure that everyone will 

 join with us in sjTnpathizing with 

 Dwight Nutting of Granby, a 

 twelve year old Dairy Club member. 

 Dwight had raised a two year old 

 high grade Hol.stein from a small 

 calf to the time she should freshen 

 and begin to pay for herself. She 

 did fi'e.shen but Dwight had the 

 misfortune to lose both cow and 

 calf. Now he wants a pure bred 

 calf. 



