The supply of labor for additional chore work on the typical farm is 

 1 400 man hours. Among the operators who were visited, 85 percent be- 

 lieved that the chore work for additional cows could be done with their 

 present labor force. On the average, they believed they could carry 17 more 

 cows without increasing their labor force. Assuming chore time require- 

 ments for dairy cows as shown in Table 14, they would have available 

 about 1.400 man hours a year that could be used to do additional chore 

 work. Many farms in the sample carried 30 cow equivalents or more per 

 man. The highest ratio of cow equivalents to farm workers was 36 to 1. 

 This was double the average for all the farms visited. Therefore, the farmers' 

 estimates that they had enough extra chore-time labor to care for an 

 additional 17 cows per farm appeared to be reliable. 



Short-Run Alternatives on the Typical Farm 



Within the framework of the typical farm organization, changes were 

 budgeted in the use of forage, barn space, and labor. All resources that 

 could be used to maintain milking animals were budgeted to that use. Hay, 

 pasture, barn space, or labor that were specialized and could not carry 

 milking animals were budgeted to carry replacements. Generally, resources 

 such as hay were bought to balance resources of barn space or labor that 

 might otherwise be left idle. In some circumstances, certain resources were 

 not used to raise replacements or carry cows but were left idle. More 

 specific assumptions were developed for each of the several alternative 

 conditions budgeted in the analysis. The method of partial budget analysis 

 was used throughout to test the change in net farm income associated with 

 changes in use of resources on the typical farm. The prices shown in 

 Table 18 and the physical relationships summarized in Table 20 were used 

 in developing the budgets. 



Alternative 1 involves buying all replacements instead of raising them 

 (Tables 22 and 23). There would be enough feed to carry 29 instead of 25 

 cows. No additional resources would be bought. Some of the specialized 

 resources such as pasture and stanchions that are usable, only by young 

 stock, would be left idle. The shift from raising to buying replacements 

 could be made with no additional capital investment. Under price situation 

 I, farm income would be increased by $160 to $437, depending on the 

 milk price zone (Table 24). Under price situation II, net farm income 

 would be increased by $536 to $796. 



As many of the farm resources, particularly building space, labor, and 

 forage are not used under alternative 1, alternatives 2, 3, and 4 were 

 developed to show the effect on farm net income when these resources 

 were more fully employed. 



Alternative 2 is based on a shift from 25 cows and raised replace- 

 ments to 35 cows and all purchased replacements (Tables 22 and 23). By 

 making this shift to 35 cows, the barn space that is capable of carrying 

 cows is fully utilized. However, there are still other unused resources, such 

 as barn space for 11 young stock, 880 man hours of labor, and pasture 

 suitable for young stock only. As there are more total animal units with 

 alternative 2, the need for roughage is increased, and 32 tons of hay equiva- 

 lent would be bought each year. Additions to net farm income under altern- 

 ative 2 would be as high as $1,948 under price situation I and $1,894 

 under price situation II (Table 24). An addition of $720 in capital in- 

 vestment would be needed to buy livestock. 



42 



