10 N. H. Agricultural Experiment Station [Bulletin 302 



employed. Such data was obtained for 190 farms and represents how 

 the average heifer was raised on each farm for the year surveyed. Feed 

 costs ordinarily represent about two-thirds of the total costs, the actual 

 percentage, of course, depending on current price relationships between 

 the cost factors. Costs other than feed include labor, pasture, bedding, 

 use of buildings and equipment, interest and miscellaneous. 



Ninety-three of the 190 farmers rented outside pasture for young 

 stock ; and in some instances when the pasture was near, both young 

 stock and dry cows were pastured off the farm. Many of these pastures 

 were 10 to 20 or more miles distant. The cash rent ranged from $2 to 

 $12.50 per cattle unit pastured and averaged $4.94 per cattle unit for 

 the 93 farms. 



The average heifer on these 190 farms was raised in accordance with 

 the following plan. The calf was weaned at eight days of age and then 

 barn fed or more frequently fed in a paddock until it had attained the 

 age of about 10 months before being turned out to pasture. Freshening 

 at the average age of approximately 2.5 years enabled the heifer to uti- 

 lize pasture for two full seasons, or 328 days out of the 921 total heifer 

 days. Thus 36 per cent of her time was spent on pasture. 



Nearly all farmers, 185, fed whole milk for an average period of 45 

 days (Table 5). Although this was mainly surplus milk for which a 

 low price would otherwise have been received, relatively large amounts 

 of high priced milk were used on some farms. The entire amount of 

 "15 pounds was valued at $1.76 per hundredweight. Of 55 farms more 

 than 1.5 tons of skim milk were fed to the average heifer over a period 

 of 169 days. For 28 of these farms no value was assigned to the skim 

 milk because the operators stated that this by-product had no sale value 

 under their conditions and would have been thrown away had it not 

 been consumed by heifers. Another group of farmers, 77, bought 

 dried skim milk, which was fed over an average period of 125 days. 

 The cash cost of the 176 pounds of dried skim milk was nearly 2.5 times 

 as much as the average sale value of 3040 pounds of fresh skim milk. 

 Four farmers fed no grain, whereas all others fed some form of concen- 

 trated feed for an average of 486 days, more than four-fifths of all the 

 time the heifer was barn fed. Succulents, including both green feed 

 and silage, were consumed by heifers on 122 farms. Green feeds such 

 as millet, oats and corn fodder were frequently used to supplement 

 pastures during the latter part of the season where heifers were pastured 

 near home. Dry roughage was fed during the barn feeding periods 

 on all farms for an average period of 556 days, apparently having begun 

 feeding small amounts at an average age of 37 days. Dry roughage ac- 

 counted for more than one-half the total cost of raising an average heifer 

 on the 190 farms, and dry roughage and succulents for nearly two-thirds. 

 Other feeds, of which concentrates and whole milk made up the greater 

 portion, amounted to about one-third. The total feed costs exclusive 

 of pasture to raise an average heifer to the age of freshening, 30.3 

 months, was virtuallj^ $67. This total cost was only $10 less than the 

 average price paid for all cows purchased during the year and only $4 

 less than the average price paid for 271 grade cows. On the basis of 

 feed costs, all costs would approximate $100 per heifer. Thus, for the 

 year in question, the purchase price of cows was less than the total costs 



