The Glasgow courier., 1916-06-02
COMPUTE COST OF BUTTERFAT
ON ALFALFA FARM

ON ALFALFA FARM
A set of figures secured by the
dairy division of the United States
Department of Agriculture in an al
falfa districtabf Utah and given by F.
H. Bothell before the California
Creamery Operators Convention re-
Gently, is of value as they not only
show many valuations that hold good
in California, Nevada and Arizona,
but also suggest a basis for comput-
ing costs of butterfat on an alfalfa
farm.
This data, was secured from thir-
teen dairymen. who were in their Sec
ond years work Of testing in their
local cow testing association. AS
a result of their first years work they
had raised the average fat production
per cow in the 13 herds of 245.31
pounds per year. 1t is probable that
this average is considerably higher
than the average in the west, and
that naturally makes the cost per
pound less in this data than most
COWS allow. Still the above average
is within reach of every farmer who
will Systematically select the breed
his cows in the most approved man.
ner.
Figuring alfalfa hay at $500 per
ton, the average value in their To-
cality for loose hay on the farm, and
finding then for 1O1s months during
the year cows at Y ton monthly,
while pasture for the other month and
half cost at the rate of $500 per
month per COW, the cost of feed per
pound of fat was set at 12h cents.
The going wage on these farms was
$500 for ten hour day, the average
time given to each cow being 20 min
utes day or SO per cent per pound
of fat. When children aided in the
work they were figured at the rate
of two to one adult.
The building and equipment on
these ranches was mostly of a COM
mon sort, no better and no worse than
the ordinary dairy in California. An
annual depreciation charge of 10 per
cent plus 6 per cent interest on the
investment amounted to l cent per
pound of fat.
The product was sold as whole milk
to condensery, &c per pound of fat
being charged to delivery. Taxes on
the cattle, barns and equipment am
ounted to 3 cents per pound of fat,
miscellaneous expenses $0O4 and bull
service 5000. Bothell explained chat
this latter charge should have been
more as the farmers were using in
ferior bulls. The above figure was
on about $500 valuation. Taking
all of the above items into consider
alton, the total cost Of pound Of
fat was found to be S.268. With
the possible exception of delivery
charges these figures seem to pretty
accurately correspond with dairy fig
ures in California. With butterfat
at it's present level there would not
seem to be any great profit to even
good cows, but as all forms of cost
are enumerated SO, also, should the
various sources of income be included
In this case calves were credited
at $4.0O per cow. Manure was valu
ed at $500 ton as a fertilizer by
fertility authorities and 10 tons of il
a year were credited to each COW
While the skim milk was sold with
the fat it was assumed to be worth
1862 per hundred weight and fat a
$.275 per pound. Crediting every
thing to the value of butterfat fol
comparison sake, with the cost tn
total amount to $.459 per pound, O
a net profit per pound Of $.191 or :
net profit above all expense of $46.8I
per cow per year.
1t is estimated by California agri
cultural experiment station investi
gators that the COW producing Is
pounds of butterfat per year is on tn
deadline, that is, the cost of her fee
and keep just offset the value of tn
butterfat produced. 1t is also esti
mated that the average butterfa
yield per cow for the state is l6
pounds. There ought to be great
er difference than that between tn
average and the deadline. We hav
many profitable herds but there al
too many poor ones. Poor producin
and tubercular cows tend to keep tn
industry at low stage. If uniform
ly profitable herds are to be maintain
ed, there ought to be some extensi,
wedding out somewhere.
One of the surest ways to low cos
and high profits is by wedding O,
of 1ovu ~~oI,,oA:>-