THE FEED COST OF PRODUCING MILK. 



(In place of subject announced on programme as "Market Problems of the 



Milk Question.") 



Carl W. Larsen, 



Dairy Department, Pennsylvania State College. 



There are at the present time 933,640 dairy cows in Pennsylvania, 

 as compared with 943,773 ten years ago. In spite of this decrease in the 

 number of dairy cows, there has in the same period been a marked increase 

 in the demand for milk. The population has increased from 6,302,115 to 

 7,665,111 in the corresponding years. Millions of gallons of milk are 

 being made into products almost unknown ten years ago. The question 

 naturally arises, ''Why is this decrease?" Certainly the farmers of 

 Pennsylvania are not selling their cows unless there is more profit in other 

 lines of agriculture. Will this -condition continue, or what will be the 

 solution of the difficulty? There is no other product of the farm that is 

 more important or more necessary. Milk will continue to be produced. 



If dairying does not pay, why is it that almost without exception the 

 dairy farmers of a country are prosperous farmers? The dairy localities, 

 the dairy states and the nations in which dairying is carried on exten- 

 sively are usually prosperous. Some will answer that the dairymen made 

 their fortunes when feeds, labor, etc., were cheap. Others contend that 

 by working 365 days in the year and by having the women and children 

 assist with the milking and other work about the dairy, the combined 

 labor income has accumulated until they have more wealth than their 

 neighbors. 



I am not prepared to offer a solution for this important problem. 

 I suggest, however, that it will be met by both an increase in price and a 

 more economical production. Milk, on the average, is not paid for in 

 proportion to its actual food value when compared with many of our 

 other food products, and when the consumer learns this he will be willing 

 to pay a reasonable price for it. In actual food value a quart of milk is 

 equivalent to three-quarters of a pound of sirloin steak. 



One of the reasons why some dairies are unprofitable is because a 

 wrong system is being maintained for a particular locality. For instance, 

 an intensive system is many times practiced where the cost of feed and 

 labor is high and the price of milk low. A dairy farm, on which the 

 practice is to feed all of the grain to the cattle and at the same time pur- 

 chase additional concentrates also to keep the cattle in the stable nearly 



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