Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1917-11-10
STATE COMMISSIONER BARNEY
GATHERS DATA REGARDING
DAIRY PRODUCTION.
SHOWS PRICE TOO HIGH
IN SOME LOCALITIES
Average Cost Of Production in State
Fixed by Department, Altho Varia :
ton in Herds Is Admissea-investi
cation Made in Order to Answ "
Many Inquiries.
peclal to Times-Republican.

Special to Times-Republican
Des Moines, Nov. 10.--It costs an
average OF ! cents per quart to pro-
duce milk in Iowa. This is the figure
arrived at by the state food and dair!
department after securing cost sheets
from various sourC. $.
The sta.e department did not go into
the matter OF what milk is selling for
as the investigation was confined to the
cost of production. However Win
milk being produced at an average
cost OF cents per quart 1t Is beihA
sold for Ia cents per quart in Des
Moines. Other cities in the state are
reported to DE getting high prices.
In Chicago milk is selling at y cents
per quart to the householder and in
Milwaukee it Is being sold at to 10
cents. The cost OF distribution In chi
cago is known 10 be far more than
in Des Moines.
Cost Lowest in June.
State Dairy Commissioner barney
points out that the cost or productlotl
is lowest in June when pastures are
plentiful and other feeds cheaper anu
the highest cost is in December. HehSe
the retail price Of milk is usually lower
in Nav, June and July and higher IN
The winter months.
The producers and distributors IN
the vicinity of Chicago have. Withlh
the past week, agreed upon winter
price OF 1922 per lse pounds" declares
Commissioner Barney in statement on
his findings as 10 the cost OF milk pro-
duction.
Paving this price the Chicago dis
tributors will deliver milk in chicago
at a price of u cents per quart.
There are forty eight quarts OF milk
in a hundred pounds or quart weighs
two and one twelfth pounds.
Variation in Herds.
From all the data ! have been able
TO secure it would seem that fair
average cost of producing milk in Iowa
IS between s2.75 and 81 per 100 pounds
continues Commissioner Barney.
There are; of course, many produc-
ers who are able 10 produce market
milk at a lower cost and others who
can not afford 10 sell their milk on
the basis Of this cost. So long as the
quality of the dairy herds and kind
of management they receive vary over
an extreme range from good to bad,
the cost of producing milk with an In
dividual herd or on any individual
farm will remain an Individual prob
lem. Better herds, cows that viii pro-
duce more milk in return for the food
consumed and labor expended are the
principal factors in producing milk al
a low cost.
This investigation has been made
for the purpose of answering the many
inquiries we have received during the
past few months" Commissioner Bar
ney explains. We have not attempted
to state what may be considered rea-
.onable profit for the producer or what
milk should sell for but to reach fair
conclusion as TO the cost Of producing
market milk
The yearly average Of all types OF
dairies. figures from which are avail
able, shows that IN the production OF
100 pounds of milk or 11.sS gallons, the
following items are required in feed.
labor etc:
Grain,44 pounds; silage, 1sS pounds;
hay, so pound bedding, SO pounds;
man hours, 2.4s hours, These items
were taken into confederation by Com
missioner Barney In making UP the
average cost He declares that horse,
labor, interest, buildings, equipment
and miscellaneous costs will be onset
by the Increase In stock, value OF rna-
nure and other items.