UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

 BULLETIN No. 501 , 



OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY 



Contribntion from the OfiSce of Farm Management 



W. J. SPnXMAN, Chief 



Washington, D. C. 



PROFESSIONAL PAPER 



February 20, 1917 



A STUDY IN THE COST OF PRODUCING MBLK 

 ON FOUR DAIRY FARMS, LOCATED IN WIS- 

 CONSIN, MICHIGAN, PENNSYLVANIA, 

 AND NORTH CAROLINA 



By 



MORTON O. COOPER, Scientific Assistant 



C. M. BENNETT Agriculturist, and 



L. M. CHURCH, Assistant 



CONTENTS 



Page 



The Scope of the Study 1 



Locations and Descriptions of Farms 



where Cost Records were Obtained . . 2 



Methods of Procuring Data 4 



Factors Involved in the Cost of Producinn 



Milk 4 



Feed and Bedding ........ 5 



Labor 10 



Use of Buildings ........ 12 



Use of Equipment ........ 12 



Use of Bull 13 



Interest 13 



Depreciation •. 13 



Factors Involved In the Cost of Producing 

 Milk— Continued 



Miscellaneons Items ....... 14 



Overhead 14 



Credits Other Than Milk 14 



Quantity of Milk Produced .... 16 



Net Cost per Unit of Product . ... 17 



Data from Other Sources ...... 19 



Discussion of Result3 21 



Relation of Individual Cow to Cost of Pro« 



ductlon ........29 



Summary .....«.......S3 



Literature Cited 34 



WASHINGTON 

 GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFHCE 



1917 



