8 
BULLETIN 858, IT. 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 
Home-grown grains. . . » 
707 
659 
491 
187 
1,198 
848 
Total concentrates v 
1,366 
678 
2,046 
Noncommercial roughage 
Commercial carbohydrate hay 
616 
862 
887 
116 
278 
536 
734 
1,143 
1,424 
do.... 
Total drv roughage 
2,365 
930 
3,301 
do.... 
dollars.. 
Silage and other succulent roughage 
Hauling and grinding concentrates 
5,224 
1.06 
2,042 
.45 
1.36 
7,276 
1.53 
1.36 
Bedding 
720 
90.1 
S.9 
720 
Labor: 
Human labor 
Horse labor 
hours.. 
do.... 
dollars.. 
do.... 
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, disinfectants 
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 
Appreciation 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. 
