The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1898-04-20
Can a Farmer Produce Milk at Three
Cents Quart.

At recent meeting of milk shippers,
in Pennsylvania, the above question
was quite seriously discussed. Several
milk producers present stated that they
could not produce milk at profit at
three cents quart.
On this question of what farmer
can afford, there seems to be almost
universal confusion, so that one is al
most tempted to ask: "Does any one
know what quart or pound of milk
costs to producer"
No doubt, it is true, and the business
of farming in all its branches, dairying
as well, is conducted by nine out of ten
men with but little real business knowl-
edge or method. But it must be good
business, for what other business on
earth could exist under such wide
spread wastefulness of management?
Let US look into this production of
milk at three cents quart. Whether
or not farmer can produce it at that
price, depends, first, on the sort of
COWS he has. A COW that produces
1926 quarts yields within a fraction of
5000 pounds. A good cow should pro-
duce 5000 pounds of 3.75 to per cent
milk. AT three cents quart the cash
value of 5000 pounds of milk is $69.75.
With coed farm management it seems
to us that such cows should be kept in
Pennsylvania for S35 to $40 head.
Calling it $40, we have profit above
the cost of feed of $29.75. The labor
cost should not exceed one good man
to fifteen COWS. What the cost of la
Dor is in Pennsylvania we cannot say,
but at this rate herd of fifteen such
cows should leave some margin of
profit. But there are several questio
for these men to consider when they
say they cannot afford to produce milk
at three cents quart. Such as the fol-
afford it?" Ills it because my cows are
too poor in qualityP" certainly ought
not to expect to make any profit if l
will not make practical effort to have
COWS that average at least 5000 pounds
year Of four per cent milk" "Am l
making any real intelligent effort to
keep better cows?" "Have l been
studying this question as a business
farmer ought?" "Have 1 taken pains
to breed and raise better cows, or have
I depended on buying COWS bred by
men who know less about breeding a
good COW than l do"
"Maybe the difficulty lies in my not
being better student of feeding"
"The best agricultural intellects in the
land are devoting great deal of study
to this question:" 81 wonder whether
l know as much about it as / ought to
to make money on milk at present
prices?" "And then there is the ques-
ton Of managing my own farm so as
to raise more Of my COW food, and put
it up in the most palatable and milk
producing FORM"
81 notice by sample copy of Hoard's
Dairyn,an received that some of
these advanced dairymen say that this
is big question to consider. They talk
about raising peas to take the place of
cotton seed meal, etc., and there is the
silo and all those matters"
81 wonder if know as much about
this milk business from the farm end
as should know if l am going to COM
pete with some of those fellows who
are content if they get two cents
quart for their milk, and many of them
don't get that!"
81 wonder if the fault is in the price
per quart or in my cows, my methods
and myself" Dairyman.