Effect of yearly milk per cow on profitability of dairy herds

Abstract

An analysis of Kansas Holstein herds in 1992 indicated that the yearly milk production per cow had a significant effect on returns to labor and management. The lowest quartile herds (13,445 lb per cow average) had a negative return to management. Herds averaging 20,614 lb per cow yielded $479 return to management. Records become increasingly important in managing the dairy operation, especially those that are readily analyzed and predict the degree of economic change when management is modified.