B—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, September 23, 1972
LABOR EFFICIENCY ON DAIRY FARMS
% OF 1967
Labor used or milk cows
uo;
i\ .x - -
Total dairy output* ,*»****’*'
100 ' " | "IXn
80 \
Dairy output per man-hour
£QIIIL 1 1 1 1
1960 1963 1966 1969 1972
*FABM OUTPUT OF BUTTEH, BUTTEKFAT AND MILK
Dairymen
Increased
Obtaining dependable labor
remains one of the more pressing
problems for dairy farmers in
Southeastern Pennsylvania as
well as throughout the nation.
The U.S. Department of
Agriculture report on the August
dairy situation notes, however,
that the current situation is less
troublesome now for the U.S.
dairy industry as a whole than it
has been in recent years.
The unemployment rate, ac
cording to the report, was 5.6
percent in August, meaning . . .
fewer off-farm job opportunities
for dairy farmers and farm
workers. But dairy farmers still
have to compete with wages
being paid in nonfarm industries.
And as dairymen increase herd
size, hired labor becomes more
important.
Dairy farmers have sharply
increased labor efficiency, which
helps reduce labor requirements.
Milk output per man-hour last
year rose 8 percent, and was
more than double the rates of the
early 1960’s (see chart below).
Although due in part to less
efficient farms going out of
business, productivity was also
raised by substantial inputs of
capital and increased milk
production per cow. Since the
mid-1960’5, investment increased
about half on representative 40-
cow dairy farms in Wisconsin and
New York.
Also, through improved
breeding, feeding, and
management, milk output per
cow increased a third during the
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Enjoy Effects of
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past decade, contributing to
increased labor productivity.
In 1971, dairy farmers spent
around 11 minutes of direct labor
daily per animal to care for milk
cows, about half the 1950 level.
These figures are based on the
average number of cows milked
during the year, and exclude time
spent in raising feed and caring
for herd replacements.
Labor productivity gains in
dairy farming compare
favorable with other agricultural
enterprises. Output per man-hour
in dairying more than doubled in
the past decade, while the in
crease for all farm work was
around 80 percent. During the
past 10 years, only cotton and
poultry increased efficiency
more than dairying.
Participation in herd testing
programs has helped raise milk
output per cow. At the beginning
of 1972, around 3.3 million milk
cows were enrolled in the
National Dairy Herd Im
provement Program (DHI) and
other testing programs. This
represented about 27 percent of
the total U.S. dairy herd, com-
pared with 16 percent a decade
earlier.
In 1971, milk cows under DHI
and other testing programs. This
represented about 27 percent of
the total U.S. dairy herd, com-
pared with 16 percent a decade
earlier,
In 1971, milk cows under DHI
programs averaged 13,000
pounds of milk, 35 percent above
the 9,609-pound national average.
Increased use of artificial
insemination, which makes
higher quality sires more widely
available, has contributed to
increasing output per cow and
consequently to rising labor
productivity. In 1970, almost half
of all dairy cows and heifers were
bred artificially, up from about a
third in 1960.
Price increases have also
helped dairymen somewhat,
although not nearly as much as
improved labor efficiencies.
Last year, consumer ex
penditures for dairy products
came to $16.8 billion, up 3 percent
from 1970. Volume changed little,
and price increases for dairy
products were less than the
average for all grocery store
foods.
Per capita disposable income
rose 7 percent in 1971, making it
possible for consumers to buy
dairy products with only 2.3
percent of their income, down a
third since 1960. Dairy products
BROWN & REA
ATTENTION:
DAIRY
FARMERS
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Crimper we are able to supply
you with improved more
palatable coarse textured feed
for your Dairy Herd and Horse
feed needs.
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home grown grains so that you can
incorporate them into your feed
mixture.
For Complete Information Call or
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BROWN &
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ATGLEN, PA.
accounted for 14 percent of
consumers’ expenditures for all
foods.
The average wage earner had
to work 72 minutes per week in
1971 to earn the dairy products in
the market basket of farm foods,
down 3 minutes from 1970. The
amount of labor required to
purchase dairy products has
declined in recent years, as wage
rates have risen faster than retail
dairy prices.
Of the consumers’ $16.8 billion,
$6.8 billion was the farm value of
these products, and $lO.O billion
represented the marketing bill.
Both the farm value and
marketing margin have been
increasing in the past decade.
Almost three-fourths of con
sumer expenditures for dairy
products in 1971 were for use at
home, with the remaining one
fourth ($4.6 billion) spent for
away-from-home consumption.
Food consumption away from
home has grown dramatically
since 1963, much faster than at
home consumption.
So far this year, consumer
purchases of most dairy products
have been running well above
year-earlier levels. During
January-July, commercial
disappearance of milk in all dairy
(Continued From Page 9)
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ANIMAL FEEDS
PHONE; (215) 593-5149