June, 1940] 



Farm Management in Colebrook 



19 



P8VNI1/' 

 ®FA4ILK 



flOO 



700 



eoo 



500 



400 



300=^ — 



?00 



100 



I 15 I 15 I 15 I 15 I 15 I 15 I 15 I 15 15 15 15 1 15 i 



OCT. NOV. DEC JAN. FEB MAR. APR. MAY JUNE JUL. AUG. 5tPT 



Figure 9. Comparison of actual milk production with the rating and 

 with normal milk production for a herd with uneven production. 



Normal milk production is based on a normal lactation curve. In order to show 

 how production could; be evened out, a cui've was drawn based on a shift in fresh- 

 ening dates and change in feeding practices for part of the herd. 



production in the flush pasture season, the production was stable 

 for the other 10 months. 



When compared with the average daily production in the Haver- 

 hill area in 1929, there appears a substantial difference.* The Cole- 

 brook area is characterized by a marked increase in spring pasture 

 season and the Haverhill area by a marked reduction in late summer. 

 These differences result from the farmer's adjustment to his re- 

 sources and the market. The Colebrook operators with better pas- 

 tures and lower milk prices tended to carry flush production in June, 

 while the Haverhill farmers with a special Grade A market and a 

 long established rating system tended to plan a production that 

 would protect their ratings and maximize their returns. 



Eleven of the 38 operators in the Colebrook area had large sur- 

 pluses in the flush pasture season. Farm D represents an extreme 

 case. (Fig. 9). The production ranged from 150 pounds in the 

 first cjuarter of the year to 750 pounds in the flush pasture period in 

 June. On this farm 81 per cent of the cows freshened in March and 



"Bulletin 275, "Efficiency Studies in Dairy Farming" 



