Oxford Democrat., 1921-05-31
AMONG THE FARMERS,
"sPEED THF PI.Ow.'
Before the Apples Blush.
Before green apples blush,
Before green nuts embr0wn,
Why, one day In the country
Is worth month In town.
-Christina G. Rossetti.
Cost of Producing MIX.

-Christina G. Rossetti.
Cost of Producing Milk.
What does 1t cost to produce hun
dred weight OF milkp This is peril
nent question to every dairy farmer
The records of 13 farmers who kept ~
account during 1920 show that for pro
ducing each 100 pounds of milk the fol
flowing average amounts of materia
we're used: Tbirty.seven pounds o.
grain, 90 pounds of hay, 10 pounds o.
silage and green feed, and two and three
fourths hours labor. The grain cos
wss Sl.31, hay IA, silage and green feeG
81, pasture .18, labor 9S and Other OK
penses less credits for manure and calveI
equal to 30, making total Of IS S5 pei
hundred.
During the winter months the amount
consumed, per 100 pounds of milk pro
duced, was Al pounds of grain, SS pounds
of hay, and 113 pounds of silage anG
green feed. During the summer months
the amount was much less, averaginf
2S pounds Of grain, pounds Of hay anG
90 pounds of silage and green feed.
These figures are based on the average
cost Of keeping cow which as shown
by the records, was total of $2S5 S8
with credits OF $32 making q nat cost ol
$203.S8 These cows produced an aver
age of 5298 pounds of milk, at cost ol
IS IS per cwt.
This is slightly more than was re-
ceived for the milk. It is evident ther
that II the production of these cows II
to exceed the market price for hay and
labor some change must be made
Either of three things might be done
Increase market prices, reduce the cost
per animal or increase the production
per animal. The question Of marketing
is cooperative proposition and has to
be handled collectively. The other two
factors the individual himself can
change.
A glance at the individual records
mentioned shows wide variation In
cost. The men who produce milk
most economically fed about 80 to 35
pounds of grain for each 100 pounds oi
milk produced, while four of the Is men
fed more than 40 pounds to get q like
amount.
If we consider three pounds of silage
equal in feeding value to one pound OF
hay, and for purpose of comparison re.
duce all rougbsge fed to this basis, we
And that the amount per COW ranged
from 1859 to 6030 pounds. The first
man fed 90 pounds of hay equivalent fol
each 100 pounds of milk produced; the
second fed 130 pounds. The two herds
ed about the same. Three men fed
less than 30 pounds of hay for each 100
weight Of milk produced while two meu
fed over $50 pounds.
This difference was due to methods oil
feeding and to the amount Of milk pro-
duced per COW. In herds which pro-
duced less than 1000 pounds per cow the
cost averaged IS 0S per 100 for feed and
labor only. In herds producing between
1000 and 5000 per COW the milk cost 81
per 100 and 10 herds producing 5000 OF
over the cost was $S SO.
The amount of labor required per COW
varied from 122 to 1877 hours per year OF
from 10 to Is hours per COW per month
One man produced 100 pounds Of mill
for every one and one-third hours spent
Six men required less than three hours
for each 100 pounds of milk, while OF
four farms it required more than foul
hours to produce the same amount.
II Is an easy matter to check up s
any time the average amounts of differ
snt feeds which enter the production o
q 100 weight of milk on any farm BY
weighing the feed and milk for one day
With conditions rapidly changing and
prices of farm products back to . pre-
war basis 1t is very necessary to study
the cost of each item with view to put
ting production costs at the lowest poin
pOssible-M. D. Jones.