—Lancaster Farming. Saturday. November 2.1968
16
Dairying’s Dividing Line
An invisible line in dairying
divides the industry's expanding
and contracting sectors.
This line, as closely ns it can
be pinpointed, is the $20,000
gross sales mark.
On the $20,000-plus side of the
line were 68.600 commercial
dairy farms in 1864 27.500
more than in 1959.
On the minus side of $20,000
lay 298 300 farms 88,800 less
than in 1959. The greater part of
the farms missing from this sec
tor had gone out of commercial
dairying. But there were many
which vanished simply to re
appear as larger farms on the
other side of dairying’s dividing
line.
Here, in a little moie detail,
are some facts which emerged
about commercial dairy farms
from the 1964 agricultural cen
sus.
Farms with less than $2,500 in
gross farm sales. This group of
farms is not simply shrinking in
number. It’s vntually disappeai
ing
The 17,700 such fauns that
were in operation in 1964 rep
resented fewer than 5 percent of
all commercial dairy operations
and sold only 0 5 peicent of all
the milk and cream.
With heid sizes averaging sev
en milk cows and sales of dairy
products worth only $l,OOO per
farm, these operations were
existing on borrowed time—un
til they either got out or grew
up in size
Farms with $2,500 to $5,090 in
sales. Though commercial farms
in this group made up roughly
16 percent of the U S total, they
accounted for, only about 4 per
cent of milk and cream maiket
ings in 1964 Their numbers,
too, were dropping fast
Typically, herds numbered 13
milk cows and the value of dairj
products marketed came to
about $2,700 per farm
Farms with $5,080 to $lO,OOO
in sales. In this group were
roughly 28 percent of America’s
commercial dairy farms On the
average, herds included 21 milk
cows and daily sales per farm
were at about $5,400
Though better off than their
smaller counterparts, these
farms were still losing ground in
dairying They accounted for
only about 15 percent of total
milk and cream marketings in
1964, compared with 25 percent
in 1959 Their numbers shrank
by nearly a third during the
same period
Farms with $lO,OOO to $20,000
in sales. This group of farms
(which touched the borderline
of the expanding sector of com
mercial dairying) increased by
a scant 3 percent during 1959
64. In the longrun, however, the
number of farms in this group
will probably contract
Roughly one-third of all com
mercial dairy farms and one
third of all milk and cream sales
were represented by these $lO,-
000 to $20,000-sales farms Herd
sizes averaged 31 milk cows and
the value of dairy sales about
$10,600 per farm
Farms with $20,000 to $40,000
in sales. The ranks of such farms
swelled by 63 percent between
1959 and 1964, placing this
group securely in dairying’s ex
panding sector
Such farms repiesented about
14 percent of all commercial
dairy operations in the United
States and accounted for rough
ly 26 percent of total milk and
cream sales.
Herd sizes hypically ran to
about 50 cows and sales of dairy
products averaged $20,200 per
farm.
Farms with $40,000 or more in
sales. At this sales summit were
some 15,500 commercial dairy
farms about 4 percent of the
U.S. total. However, they ac- of sales will expand operations
counted for nearly 22 percent to increase Income, but probably
of total milk and cream market- a larger proportion will leave
ings in 1964. dairying as they lin'd better al-
With large herds roughly tcrnallve opportunities,
130 milk cows-Mind dairy prod- The story of the men who run
uct sales valued at $68,900 per commercial dairy farms is also
farm, these farms were at the worth telling.
top of the heap in commercial Census statistics indicated that
dairying. Their numbers gained the average commercial dairy
by 81 percent between 1959 and farmer's age was about 48 years,
1964. compared with about 49 years
What about the future? Com- for operators of all types of com
mercial dairy farms with annual mercial farms. Operators with
sales of $20,000 and over will larger herds tended to be'sub
continue to grow in number and stantially younger than those
will account for an increasing with smaller herds. About 13
proportion of U.S. milk output, percent of commercial dairy
On the other hand, there are farm operators were less than 35
likely to be somewhat fewer years old in 1964.
dairy farms with sales of $lO 000 About one-third of all com
to $2O 000, and sharply lower mercial dairymen worked off the
numbers of dairy farms with farm at some time during 1964.
sales less than $lO 000. Some What they earned from off-farm
faimers with these lower levels, sources (including government
Reo-J^Roge
DAIRY' FICDS
ami SUPPUMINJS
pay off in the milk pail where it counts most!
WHY DON’T YOU —be determined to earn mor? profit from your dairy cows? Decide to provide
your cows with better nutrition. Decide to use Red Rose Dairy Supplements and Red Rose Dairy
Feeds in your feeding program. Decide today! You’ll be pleased with the results Red Rose Feeds
give . . . and you’ll be pleased with the extra money they will earn for you.
Walter Binkley & Son
Brown & Rea, Inc.
Elverson Supply Co.
Henry E. Garber
R. D. 1, Elizabethtown, Pa.
L. T. Geib Estate
I. B. Graybill & Son
Refton Strasburg
THESE FEED DEALERS HANDLE THE COMPLETE LINE OF
RED ROSE DAIRY FEEDS AND SUPPLEMENTS
Lititz
Atglen
Elverson
Manheim
Pa. Broiler
Placements Up
Six Percent
Placement* of broiler chicks
in the Commonwealth during
the week ending October 20
was 842 000. The placements
wore Vi above the orevious
week and above the same
week a year earlier. Average
placements during the past 10
weeks were up 5% from a year
program payments) represented
about a tenth of their gross in
come, on the average. However,
off-farm earnings contributed al
most half of the total gross in
come of operators on the small
est commercial dairy farms.
Ownership patterns varied
markedly by the scale of the
dairy operation. Full owners
predominated in commercial
dairying, viewed as a whole.
Part owners, however, ran most
ot the farms in the dairy indus
try’s expanding sector.
E. Musser Heisey & Son
R. D. #2, Mt. Joy, Pa.
Heistand Bros.
Elizabethtown
A. L. Herr & Bro.
Quarryville
David B. Hurst
Bowmansville
Martin's Feed Mill, Inc.
R. D. 3. Ephrata, Pa.
Mountville Feed Service
Mountville
earlier. Setting! for broiler
chicks • was 1,847,000 *<-,
■bovethe previous week and
above the comparable period u
year earlier. The current 3
week total of eggs set is ir,
higher than the same period i>;
1067. Inshlpments of broile
type chicks during the past la
weeks averaged 13.500
12% from the comparable pet.,
od in 1967. Outshlpments au
aged 241,100 during the past it,
weeks. 23% higher than a >e.r
earlier.
22 STATES: Placements n
the 22 States totaled 42,384,000
down 10% from the preview,
week but up 3% from the same
week a year earlier.
placements during the past IQ
weeks were 3% above 1967
Settings were 64.927,000 up
3% from the previous week
up 5% from a year earlier The
current 3-week total of eggs set
is 2% above the comparable
period in 1967.
Just because it’s a well-bea f
en road is no sign it’s the right
one.
GOOD FEEDING
pays off here!
It’s in the milk pail where the results
of good feeding really show. How the milk
gets in the pail depends largely on the
roughage, grains and supplements you use
to help the cows produce it.
You know, it’s essential to feed balanc
ed, complete rations that contain all of the
necessary vitamins, minerals and nutrients
that are needed for production and main
tenance. It’s only natural that you will
want to use your home-grown grains. But
remember, mix them with Red Rose Dairy
Supplements to assure proper proteins.
Then, you can be sure that the cows in your
barn are eating just about the best feed you
can provide. If you use complete feeds
choose from the complete line of Red Rose
Dairy Feeds Tney’re available in many pro
tein levels.
Musser Farms, Inc.
Musser's Mill
The Buck
Chas. E. Sauder & Sons
Ammon E. Shelly
E. P. Sports, Inc.
Honey Brook
H. M. Stauffer & Sons,
Columbia
Terre Hill
Lititz
Inc.
.Witmer