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An Evaluation of Management Practices Used by Southern Dairy Farmers¹

Department of Agricultural Economics, University of Georgia, Experiment 30212

ABSTRACT

Objectives were to examine the effect of using selected dairy farm management practices and other factors on average milk yield per cow and to evaluate characteristics explaining differences among dairy farmers in adopting practices. Data were obtained from 2712 operators of southern dairy farms. They were classified by management practices used including Dairy Herd Improvement records, artificial insemination, forage testing, balanced rations, and concentrate feeding methods. Feeding part of the concentrates at milking and part at other times showed increases of 190 to 259 kg yield per cow over feeding all the concentrate at milking. Compared with herds in which no identified practice was used, herds in which records or artificial insemination were used had 467 and 358 kg more yield per cow, respectively, and in herds in which all the practices were used the milk yield (per cow) was 1066 kg more.

Factors affecting dairy farmer use of management practices were herd size, yield per cow, type of ownership, and education. A typical dairy farmer using all the management practices had a larger herd producing above the average, was younger than average, was in a farm partnership, and had a college education.

¹ Supported by State and Hatch funds allocated to the Georgia Agricultural Experiment Stations. This is a contribution to the Southern Regional Dairy Marketing Research Project S-166.

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