UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



BULLETIN No. 1069 



Contribution from the Bureau of Animal Industry 

 JOHN R. MOHLER, Chief 



*Jp*^?Wl> 



JZ&" < &J-6, 



Washington, D. C. 



May 19, 1922 



RELATION OF PRODUCTION TO INCOME FROM 

 DAIRY COWS. 



By J. C. McDowell, Dairy Division. 



Purpose of the work 



Character of data used 



How the records were studied 



General averages of production, feed 



cost, and income 



Quality of cow-testing-association 



cows 



Relation of butterfat production to 



incomf 



CONTENTS. 



Page. 

 1 

 2 

 3 



Page. 



Prices and profits 14 



Relation of milk production to in- 

 come 14 



What a cow-testing association can 



and can not do 19 



Summary and conclusions 20 



PURPOSE OF THE WORK. 



Large yields of milk and butterfat per cow are the aim of most 

 dairymen and also of most breeders of dairy cattle. It is plain that 

 the income from a farm dairy depends ultimately on the earning 

 capacity of the individual units in the herd — the cows. The purpose 

 of the work here reported is to analyze a large number of records 

 and to show the relation between the productivity of cows and the 

 income received by their owners. The records used are those of cow- 

 testing associations. 



Such an association, as ordinarily conducted in this country, is an 

 organization of about 26 dairy farmers who cooperatively employ a 

 man to test their cows for production of milk and butterfat. As the 

 tester can ordinarily test only one herd a day. the 26 dairy herds 

 furnish employment lor each working day in the month. Records 

 i. a large number of cow testing associations arc a veritable mine. 

 of useful information. They cover a wide range of interesting dairy 



topic- and -how actual production under normal farm conditions. 



For the purpose of this bulletin t he records of individual cows from 

 06 cow-testing associations have been tabulated (<» show the relation 

 of production t<< cosf of feed and to income over cos< of feed and 



D12S4' 22 - -1 



