﻿COST OF MILK PRODUCTION ON WISCONSIN FARMS. 11 



farmers hired their milk hauled; most- .of those selling in Milwaukee 

 paid for hauling. Some of the labor of milk production vfras per- 

 formed by women and children, but such labor was converted to the 

 equivalent of man labor. 



There is considerable variation in the amount of work accomplished 

 in an hour on the different farms. Pressure of other work has much 

 to do with this factor. On the whole, the amount of work required 

 is proportional to the number of cows in the herd, small herds receiv- 

 ing very little more time per cow than the large herds. The higher- 

 producing herds, with one exception, where official testing was done, 

 required no more time than the lower-producing herds. The man 

 labor required to produce 100 pounds of milk was materially jess, in 

 most cases, for the higher-producing herds than for the lower-pro- 

 ducing herds. The lowest requirement reported was 1.23 hours, the 

 highest 5.85 hours. (See the broken line in Fig. 2.) 



The amount of time spent on cows is affected by a number of 

 things, the more important among them being the convenience of 

 the stable, location of feed storage, character of equipment, personal 

 characteristics of the owner, and distribution of production. The 

 amount of time devoted to cows on a given farm does not increase 

 materially with increased yield. Milking takes a little longer where 

 yield is high, as there is more feed to handle and a few more cans to 

 wash, but doubling production does not by any means double the 

 work required. Any tendency to increase labor requirements of the 

 higher-producing cows is offset by the effect of yield on the rate per 

 100 pounds. (See Fig. 2.) 



Most of the labor on cows on these farms was performed by the 

 farmer or his family, only 14 of the 48 employing hired men regu- 

 larly. Fifteen herds were handled by partnerships, or by fathers 

 and sons. Under these conditions it is difficult to determine an aver- 

 age rate of wages for the purpose of figuring the labor cost of milk. 

 Farm wages were high in 1920 ; many paid $75 a month and board 

 to hired men, a cost of about $100 per month. The monthly duty of a 

 hired man varies considerably, but runs between 250 hours (40 cents 

 an hour) and 300 hours (33^ cents an hour). In view of wages paid 

 other workers, 40 cents an hour would appear to be a reasonable 

 figure to use in calculating the cost of milk. On this basis the labor 

 cost of milk in 1920 was 94 cents per 100 pounds (2.34X40). Only 

 48 per cent of these 48 farmers, 54 per cent of the cows, and 56 per 

 cent of the milk would come within this figure. Hauling milk to the 

 factory or receiving station is not included, and a hauling charge 

 ranging from 10 to 25 cents per 100 pounds, according to amount sold 

 and distance hauled, must also be met. 



If feed is figured at market prices at the farm and the costs other 

 than labor are considered as fixed in the computation, we find, as will 

 be seen later, that the balance left for labor was not, on the average, 

 large enough to pay 40 cents an hour. But, even if it had been, half 

 the farmers spent more than the average amount of time on their 

 milk production, and therefore accepted less than the average rate 

 (40 cents an hour) for their labor; while those who. by doing their 

 work more quickly or because of the high production of their cows, 

 required less than the average time per 100 pounds, got more than 

 the average rate. Similarly, if labor and other costs are figured at 



