6 University OF New Hampshire [Bulletin 340 



over one-third of these have only one cow and 60 per cent have three 

 cows or less. Assuming that these small herds of from one to three 

 cows are kept for the most ])art for home use and are non-commercial 

 herds, and that only the herds with four or more cows can be con- 

 sidered of commercial importance, there are 5,125 commercial iierds 

 in this state with a total of 57,450 cows. Of these commercial herds, 

 3,146 Avere made up of from four to ten cows; 1,448 herds, from 11 to 



20 cows; and 531 herds contained over 20 cows. 



These data suggest the advisability of adjusting educational and 

 action programs to the particular needs of the different groups. The 

 non-commercial operators should be urged to follow extensive, 

 methods of jjroduction and rely as much as i)ossible on farm-produced 

 feed. The utilization of milk for home use could be stressed. On the 

 other hand, programs for farms with from four to ten cows should 

 stress intensification of roughage yield })ractices and pasture improve- 

 ment and the building up of the herd to at least ten cows since this is 

 a better unit for commercial dairying than any smaller size. The em- 

 phasis in programs for larger farms might be placed on efficient or- 

 ganization as well as on intensive management practices, both of 

 which should result in better yields of high (quality roughage. 



The distribution of farms by size of herds indicates that with 

 modern milking machines available the requirement for hired skilled 

 dairy labor should not be very acute except on 531 farms with over 



21 cows. Operators with fewer cows and properly equipped with 

 milking machines should be able to get along with unskilled help. 



For reference purposes the distribution of farms according to size 

 of herds for each county is shown in Tables 4 to 23.^ 



Location of Herds v^^ith Reference to Dairy Opportunity Areas 



On each towm map the individual herds were located with respect 

 to the dairy opportunity areas. The distribution of herds by areas 

 and by size was then compiled for each county and the state. A study 

 of Tables 4 to 23 indicates that 55 per cent of the herds and 76 per cent 

 of the cows are located in favorable areas, that 30 per cent of the herds 

 and 13 per cent of the cows are in unfavorable areas, and that 15 per 

 cent of the herds and 11 per cent of the cows are to be found in mar- 



ginal areas. 



Since commercial dairying in the unfavorable areas is handicap- 

 ])ed and is gradually declining, the number and size of herds in these 

 areas is of particular importance. While nearly a third of the farms 

 reporting cows are located in these areas, the herds on these farms 

 tend to be small. Of the 3,940 farms reporting cows in unfavorable 

 areas, 3,273, or over 83 per cent, have from one to three cows ; and 

 1.962 or 50 per cent have only one cow. There are 4,415 cows in the 

 667 commercial herds of three cows or more. Ninety-three farms 

 have 1.364 cows in herds of ten or more, the only herds sufficiently 

 large to warrant the expectation of an adequate income for a family. 



About half of these farms in the unfavorable sections with ten 

 or more cows are located in declining areas, six in very isolated areas. 



' Data showing distribution of farms according to size of herds by towns is on file and available 

 for reference in the Dejiartnient of Agricultural Economics, University of New Hampshire. 



