“Believe it is possible to solve your problem. Tremendous things happen to the believer. So believe the answer will come. It will.” –Norman Vincent Peale
There is no denying dairy producers are facing tough problems. Because the price of milk has been low for so long, the cash shortfall of a dairy is taking its toll and challenging dairy families to keep a positive outlook of the future.
In these continuing days of low milk prices, producers are constantly searching for ways to reduce the cost of milk production while at the same time maintaining quality milk production. An article in the November 2016 issue of Farm and Dairy, titled Tips for reducing dairy farm expenses, addresses this issue. What it takes, says the author, is careful examination of the situation, and making some tough decisions. Here is a short summary of the article.
#1. Do not cut anything that cuts milk production; it is bad economy. Your income over feed costs is the margin for paying your other bills. Know your total feed costs.
#2.Don’t do anything that will hurt the pregnancy rate. Lower days in milk usually results in higher milk production and lower feed cost per cwt of milk.
#3. Calculate monthly feed costs. Determine the ratio of milk income to feed costs. A goal is to have the feed cost per day per milking cow to be half the amount of the milk income per day per milking cow.
#4. The best way to lower feed cost per cwt of milk is to increase production. Higher and more efficient production comes early in the lactation.
#5. The best way to lower purchased feed cost is to have have higher quality forage.
The author of the article, Jim Paulson, of the University of Minnesota Extension, cautions: be careful what you cut. Look at all the ingredients of your feed. If it made sense at $25 milk, it will probably still make sense at $14 milk. Healthy diets balanced for the level of milk production has a huge impact on profitable milk production.
See the complete article at: https://www.farmanddairy.com/columns/tips-for-reducing-dairy-farm-expenses/382044.html
“If you think you can do a thing or think you can’t do a thing, you’re right.” –Henry Ford
