﻿COST OF MILK PRODUCTION ON WISCONSIN FARMS. 



21 



for hogs. Of the 48 farmers reporting, 27 sold whole milk, 12 sold 

 to cheese factories and 9 sold cream. 



The computed cost of 100 pounds of milk and the value of the milk 

 produced on the farms studied is shown in Table 6. The value of the 

 milk fed to calves and of that used by the farm family varies ma- 

 terially. Neither value is generally considered of much significance. 

 The quantity sold is usually the figure used by farmers when they 

 think of quantities at all, except for records of individual cows. In 

 this study the quantities sold, fed to calves, and used by the farm 

 family were reported separately each month. The proportion of the 

 total quantity produced used on the farm varied from about \\ to 15 

 per cent. In the months of lowest production, in a few cases practi- 

 cally all of the milk was used on the farm. 



Table 6. — Cost of 100 pounds of milk and average value of milk produced on J t 8 

 Wisconsin dairy farms in 1920. 





Group A . 



Group B. 



Group C 



Group D. 



Group E. 



All farms. 





12 

 9,820 



8 

 6,940 



11 

 6,700 



8 

 6,290 



9 



5,570 



48 



Average production per cow, 



7,320 







VALUE OF MILK PRODUCED, 1920. 





$2,691.00 

 233.00 

 73.00 



$2,690.00 



305. 00 



73.00 



$2,713.00 



SI. 742. 00 



SI. 343. 00 S2.281.00 



Calf milk 



222.00 i 112.00 70.00 194.00 





64.00 39.00 99.00 71.00 







Total, at market price.. . 

 Average price per 100 pounds . 



2,997.00 : 3,068.00 

 2.33 2.38 



2,999.00 

 3.15 



1,893.00 

 3.15 



1,512.00 ' 2,546.00 

 2.67 2.65 



COMPUTED COST OF 100 POUNDS OF MILK, 1920. 



Feed 



$1.80 1 $2.07 

 .24 .32 



$2.19 

 .32 



$2.32 

 .34 



$1.82 

 .28 



i$2.02 





.29 









1.56 i 1.75 



.68 .84 

 .08 .14 

 $0.24] : $0.31] 

 .12.41 .20.56 

 . OoJ . OoJ 



1.87 

 1.00 

 .07 



$0. 30] 

 .28k 65 

 -07J 



1.98 

 1.39 

 .02 



$0.18] 



1.54 



1.21 



.18 



SO. 241 



i 1.73 



Labor at 40 cents per hour 



.94 

 .09 





SO. 271 





.25i.54 ! .18[.53 .20i.54 



Equipment and general 



.llj .llj .07j 





2. 73 3. 29 

 .02 1.00 



3.59 

 .45 



3.93 ■ 3.46 3.30 





.52 .29 ! .48 











1 This is 8 cents per 100 pounds larger than a strict weighted average. For prices used in computations 

 see page 7. 



OTHER CONSIDERATIONS. 



In separating one enterprise for particular study from a number 

 of closely related, interdependent enterprises it is necessary to make 

 some more or less arbitrary divisions of costs and benefits, to which 

 many may take exception. There is opportunity for argument on 

 every item of milk cost, especially in the feed and labor items. Com- 

 petition is the ruling factor, with farmers bidding against each other 

 and consumers paying as little as they are obliged to pay. It is not 

 so much a question of what milk costs as of what farmers are willing 

 to take for their milk. Just as a long period of rising prices was 

 necessary to attract enough milk to glut the market in the fall of 

 1920, so a period of low prices will be necessary to discourage the less- 



