﻿COST OF MILK PRODUCTION ON" WISCONSIN FARMS. 3 



Table 1. — General characteristics of the farms studied. 



Group A 



(Sheboygan 



County). 



Group B 

 (Columbia 

 County). 



Group C 



(Milwaukee 

 County). 



Group D 



Group E 



(Ozaukee 



(Marathon 



County). 



County.) 



8 



9 



59 



106 



49 



45 



9 



49 



3 



3 



$150 



$70 



$8, 800 



$7,400 



$4, 500 



$3,100 



(8) $1,27.5 



(9) $1,470 



9.6 



10.2 



60, 123 



56, 655 



6,290 



5,570 



49.2 



46.2 



50.8 



53.8 



All farms. 1 



Number of records 



Average area acres. . . 



Crop area do 



Pasture area do 



Horses, per farm. . . .number. . 



Land value, per acre 



Land value, per farm 



Buildings, value per farm 



Machinery, value per farm 2 . . . 

 Number of cows, per farm. . . . 

 l^Iilk produced, per farm, 



pounds 



Average milk produced per 



cow, pounds 



Winter production.. per cent.. 

 ■Summer production do 



12 



75 



55 



14 



3 



$200 



$15,000 



$4,600 



(9) $1,490 



13.1 



128, 606 



9,820 

 46.5 

 53.5 



8 



145 



98 



43 



4 



$120 



$17, 500 



$7, 800 



(6) $2,250 



18.5 



128,926 



6,940 

 59.4 

 40.6 



11 

 107 



74 



30 



4 



$150 



$16,000 



$8,000 



(5) $1,700 



14.2 



95, 215 



6,700 



58.2 

 41.8 



48 



97 



M 



28 



3 



$137 



$13,300 



$5,600 



(37) $1,590 



13. 1 



96,103 



7,320 

 51.9 

 48.1 



VARIATIONS OBSERVED IN THE FACTORS SHOWN. 



In size of farm: 



Largest acres 



Smallest do 



^n number of cows: 



Largest herd 



Smallest herd 



In average production, pounds 

 per cow: 



Highest herd 



Lowest herd 



150 

 17 



210 



72 



171 

 58 



79 

 26 



210 

 32 



18.4 

 7.4 



28.7 

 7.5 



28.2 

 5.2 



12.6 

 4.2 



23.8 

 3.0 



13,000 

 8,050 



8,370 

 4,950 



8,050 

 4,170 



9,350 

 5,220 



6,320 

 2,830 



240 



17 



28.7 

 3.0 



13,000 

 2, 830 



1 The rates in this column in all tables are weighted averages figured from totals. 

 ! Figures in parentheses show the number of farms reporting. 



The quantities of feed and labor used, the number of cows in the 

 herd, and the amount of milk produced were reported each month, 

 together with price of feeds and of milk. A financial record was 

 also kept, from which the data for figuring the other costs were ob- 

 tained. The observations were made by working farmers for their 

 own herds. Although they did not go into the more minute details, 

 the farmers were conscientious in their observations of the main ele- 

 ments. For this reason it would seem possible for any farmer with 

 little difficulty to check for his own farm any of the facts and con- 

 clusions here presented. 



FEED REQUIREMENTS AND CONSUMPTION. 



Naturally the kinds and amounts of feed supplied to cows for milk 

 production vary greatly. Not only are the kinds and qualities of 

 feeds on different farms numerous, but the number is multiplied by 

 all the kinds and grades that may be purchased. 



Henry and Morrison, in " Feeds and Feeding," tabulate analyses of 

 nearly 350 feeding stuffs used in the United States, Twenty-six dif- 

 ferent concentrates, nine kinds of dry roughage, and eight kinds of 

 succulent roughage, besides pasture, were reported as fed to a group 

 of cows in association work in Wisconsin. Of course, these different 

 feeds have different values for milk production — values which are 

 more or less accurately reflected in the usual schedules of prices for 

 the various components, materials, and mixtures. 



