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Making the Most of Dairy Farm Records

How John Davis, A Young Michigan Farmer, Achieved Success

Department of Agricultural Economics, Michigan State University, East Lansing

ABSTRACT

In this age of mechanized farming there has been a tendency to place major emphasis on the attainment of high output per man, per animal, and per acre. Relatively little attention has been given to the importance of time spent in keeping useful records and in analyzing and planning the farm business.

Reducing the daily time required to care for a cow does not in itself increase the net income of a dairy farmer. The dairy farmer needs to determine the investments and costs of reducing labor requirements and the alternative uses of the labor saved before he can make a critical appraisal of this change. Likewise, attaining high production per cow is not in itself a guarantee of high net returns. Perhaps this high production was obtained by feeding grain at unprofitable rates. Meaningful records provide a realistic basis for analyzing the production records on an individual farm.

Dairymen Must Establish Useful Records