8 



BULLETIN 858, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



REQUIREMENTS FOR KEEPING A COW ONE YEAR. 



Since a large part of the feed required in the summer was supplied 

 in the form of pasture grass, much less feed was consumed in the 

 barn than during the winter. Attention is directed to the fact that 

 the rations fed in the barn by these dairymen contained a relatively 

 larger proportion of high-protein concentrates and legumes in the 

 summer than in the winter. When the pastures became short, those 

 dairymen who had alfalfa and clover fed them, while those who did 

 not have legumes purchased concentrates in order to maintain the 

 production of their cows. 



Table 4. — Quantities of various classes of feeds required and expenses incurred for 'keeping 

 a cow during each season and for the entire year. 



Item. 



Winter. 



Summer. 



Entire 

 year. 





740.0 

 3,540 



734.8 

 3,397 



737.5 



Average production 



pounds. . 



do.... 



do.... 



do.... 



do.... 



do.... 



do 



6,937 



Feed: 



Purchased concentrates 



. 707 

 659 



491 

 187 



1.198 

 848 



Total concentrates 



1,366 



678 



2,046 



Noncommercial roughage 



Commercial carbohydrate hay 



616 

 862 

 887 



116 

 278 

 536 



734 

 1,143 

 1,424 





do.... 



do.... 



dollars. . 





Total dry roughage 



2,365 



930 



3,301 



Silage and other succulent roughage 



Hauling and grinding concentrates 



5,224 

 1.06 



2,042 



.45 



1.36 



7,276 

 1.53 

 1.36 







720 



90.1 

 8.9 



720 



Labor: 



Horse labor 



do.... 



dollars. . 



do... 



disinfectants, and cow-testing 



dollars . . 



do.... 



do.... 



do.... 



74.4 

 7.4 



164.5 

 16.2 



Overhead and other costs: 



Building charges 



Equipment charges and dairy supplies 

 Herd charges: 



Taxes, insurance, veterinary, medicine 

 association 



Interest on cow investment 



Cost of keeping bull 



4.12 

 2.53 



1.55 

 2.55 

 2.32 



4.14 

 2.55 



1.56 

 2.57 

 1.97 



8.27 

 5.09 



3.12 

 5.14 

 4.29 



Total 



13.07 

 .60 



12.79 

 .60 



25.91 



"Depreciation on cows 



do.... 



do 



1.20 



do.... 









Total overhead and other costs 



13.67 



13.39 



27.11 



Approximately 16 hours less human labor was performed per cow 

 in the summer period than in the winter. It may be seen in Table 

 17, which shows the labor used in producing, handling, and hauling 

 the milk, that this difference is due to more work being done in the 

 winter when the cows were in the barn than in the summer when on 

 pasture. The labor required for handling and hauling the milk was 

 practically the same for both seasons. 



A more detailed account of the units of cost will be found in the 

 back part of this bulletin where the feed, labor, overhead, and other 

 costs required for all the milk produced by the herds during the two 

 years' study are reported in detail. 



