C6—Lancaster Farming, Friday, December 24.1982
(Continued from Page C 3)
Quick Returns at Least Cost
If cash flow is your problem, the
last thing you need is more debt!
What you need is a good quick
return at least cost. The best way I
know of attaining this is by putting
good quality feeds through high
producing cows - make that a goal
in your farm plan.
The highest levels of production
may not be the most profitable, but
high levels of production generally
are more profitable. High
producing cows require the best of
care, and not every dairy farmer
has the ability nor the dedication
that is necessary to sustain high
levels of production in a herd. At
high levels of production, the herd
can fall apart quickly if it is not
cared for properly, and that can be
expensive.
High production can be thought
of as playing in the big leagues.
There is little room for error. In
other words, you have to learn to
play like a big leaguer; you have to
know what you are doing, or follow
the advice of someone who does.
Good cows also give a quicker
return on the feed dollar than do
heifers, unless you are selling a lot
of high priced breeding stock. For
most producers heifers are nothing
more than a necessary expense for
obtaining herd replacements.
Feeding more heifers than they
need is an unnecessary and added
expense.
Stunting heifers by raising them
in over-crowded, poorly main
tained, stuffy facilities, or under
feeding them and neglecting them
can be very costly. Holding heifers
off so they’ll calve at an older age
is also expensive.
If you are short on land,
FRANK A.
FILLIPPO, INC.
DISABLED &
CRIPPLED COWS,
BULLS & STEERS
Competitive Prices
Slaughtered under
government inspection
Call:
Frank Fillippo -
Residence - 215-666-0725
Elam Cinder - 717-367-3824
C.L. King - 717-786-7229
Dairy Pipeline
facilities, and feed, and if you need
to improve cash flow, you’ll
probably do better feeding fewer
heifers and more cows, even if you
have to purchase a few
replacements. True, it is cheaper
to raise replacements than to buy
them, but it may not be more
profitable.
By feeding two less heifers and
giving that feed to a good cow you
may be able to quickly improve
your cash flow situation by as
much as $l2OO, even after buying
some additional feed which the
cow will need. Needless to say,
reducing the size of the heifer herd
has to be done with caution. You
still need replacements, good
replacements, to take the place of
cows that should be culled.
This figure simply indicates that
good cows are more profitable
than heifers. It is expensive to keep
more heifers than what you need,
especially if you stunt them in file
process. With a $l2OO margin to
play with, it may pay you to just
milk cows and buy your
replacements, especially if you are
short on home grown feeds and can
find good healthy replacements for
a good price.
If you are over-crowded and
short on feed, and have more
heifers than you really need,
concentrate your efforts on raising
fewer, but growthier heifers.
Reduce the size of your heifer
herd. Give the extra feed to the
remaining heifers. You won’t save
any feed, but chances are, the
remaining heifers will mature
faster, calve earlier, produce
better and stay in the herd longer.
And, if they stay in the herd
longer that reduces your expenses
because you have less need for
replacements, and the heifers will
WANTED
Paid
reward you with extra profit
making lactations in their lifetime.
It could mean as much as five
times more profit per year of life if
the growthy heifer calved 6 months
earlier, maintained a 2000 pound*
production advantage each lac
tation, and stayed in the herd two
lactations longer than a stunted
heifer!
Concentrate on keeping the
milking herd healthy and
productive so they’ll stay around
longer. It requires about two
lactations for most cows to break
even in their lifetime; that’s a long
time! Thus, a four-lactation cow
will earn you at least twice as
much profit as a three-lactation
cow. A six-lactation cow will be at
least four to five times more
profitable, and will require only
half as many replacements.
The older cows are also more
productive as they reach maturity.
That generally means more profit
with each succeeding lactation. So,
as we try to improve short term
profits, let’s also invest in long
term profits, too. Breed for good
sound, productive cows. Develop a
good preventive herd health
program that helps heifers calve
earlier, helps cows to conceive
better, helps to keep mastitis
down, and helps to keep cows in the
herd longer.
Of course, you’ll also need a good
feeding program and the best of
care if you expect your cows to
reach their genetic potential.
MMI returns $1.65
million to members
STRONGSVILLE, Oh - Nearly
$1.65 million of equity refunds will
be returned to the dairy farmer
members of Milk Marketing Inc.
during the month of December,
according to Don Schriver,
director of membership relations
and public affairs for MMI.
The board of directors has ap
proved the cash returns to the
members at the recently held
board meeting in Strongsville, OH,
home office location of MMI.
“With this refund for 1982 the
total redemption from MMI to its
members will be more than $9.3
million since MMI was organized
in 1978,” said Schriver.
The current redemption will be
to members and inactive former
members who had been with the
Miami Valley Milk Producers
Association, Central Ohio
Cooperative Milk Producers,
MILK, Inc., Cincinnati
Cooperative Milk Spies
Association Inc., and Wayne
Cooperative Milk Producers Inc.
undo* a plan developed before the
1978 merger. All equities with the
total value of more than $lB million
from the predecessor cooperatives
will be redeemed by 1988, ac
- cording to Schriver.
“This is in line with board policy
to have a 10 year revolving plan for
member financing of the
cooperative. The ability to redeem
member equities is die result of
MMTs commitment to keep the
ownership in the hands of the
users. Redemptions are paid 100
percent' in cash,” explained
Schriver.
The December 1982 refund
figures do not reflect patronage
refunds for the year ending June
30,1982. Additional allocations will
be determined by the MMI board
of directors at a later date.