Table 13. Forage-Dairy Cattle Balance on 62 New Hampshire Farms 



It ■in 



Farms with No Farms with Some 



Unit Purchased Cows Purchased Cows 



Hay equivalent yield per acre 

 Total hay equivalent harvested per farm 

 Hay equivalent sold per farm 

 Hay equivalent purchased per farm 

 Hay equivalent available per farm 

 Hay equivalent harvested per animal unit 

 Hay equivalent available per animal unit 

 Percentage of pasture acreage improved 

 Percentage of total pasture feed requirements 

 produced but not necessarily harvested 



because of seasonal growth Pet. 95 99 



Percentage of farms in various pasture 



classes based on relationship of seasonal yield 

 to feed requirements: 

 Surplus pasture 

 Sufficient pasture 

 Adequate pasture 

 Inadequate pasture 

 Total forage (harvested and pasture) avail- 

 able but not necessarily consumed because 

 of seasonal pasture growth, per animal unit 

 (includes net purchases) 

 Winter forage available per animal unit 

 assuming pasture deficit (if any) compen- 

 sated for by feeding cured forage 

 Percentage of monthly pasture needs provided 

 when monthly growth and livestock require- 

 ments are balanced 

 Total forage consumed per animal unit — 

 available barn forage and pasture forage 

 that can be consumed considering seasonal 

 pasture growth Tons 5.2 5.0 



requirements, farms with no purchased animals provided 81 percent of 

 their pasture feed requirements while farms with purchased replacements 

 provided 8.5 percent of their requirements. Thus neither of the two types 

 of farms produced enough pasture forage to meet the need for feed. 



Farmers nho bought some replacements were short of tillable acreage. 

 They averaged .53 acres of forage compared with 58 acres on farms with 

 no purchased animals. This difference in acreage coupled with lower yields 

 per acre of forage forced the purchase of forage. The profitability of this 

 adjustment cannot be tested in this study but it is not necessarily uneco- 

 nomic. In many areas of the state, standing hay can be bought at a nominal 

 price or obtained merely for the cutting. 



Through the purchase of forage, a somewhat superior pasture program, 

 and a smaller number of young stock, operators of the smaller farms who 

 bought some replacements were able to carry a slightly larger number of 

 cows than farmers who bought no replacements. It was estimated that the 

 total hay equivalent fed per animal unit on farms with purchased cows 

 was 5.0 tons per year compared with 5.2 tons on farms with no purchased 

 animals. 



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