DlO—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, January 29,1983
'm
Daily
1 - 1 Pipeline
By
Glenn A. Shirk
Extension
« Dairy
Agent
Adjustments, adjustments!
Whether the SO-cent deduction in
milk price will ever come to be,
and where the economy will
eventually take us, only time will
tell. One thing we can be sure of is
any SO-cent reduction in milk price
will reduce the income of a 60-cow
producer by about $4,000 to |5,000.
But, a 4 to 5 percent increase in
farm expenses would also have
about the same effect.
Recently, I’ve been hearing and
seeing such terms as “attitude
adjustment” and “goal mind.”
Both of these apply to the times.
Dairying in the ’Bos is different
than what it was in the 70s. But, I
am confident we’ll survive these
times providing we adjust some of
our attitudes and turn our minds
toward setting some goals.
What are your plans for coping
with a 50-cent reduction in milk
price? Add a few cows?
This may be necessary in some
situations. For other situations, it
could be a costly alternative,
especially if you have to expand
facilities, buy cows or keep too
many culls, or if you have to
L Y ■ ■ ■ -
i !
I FRANK A. |
I FILLIPPO, INC. |
-WANTED- |
i e
| DISABLED & j
i CRIPPLED COWS, 0
| BULLS & STEERS I
i e
I 0
! Competitive Prices |
I Paid g
i 0
j Slaughtered under 0
j government inspection fl
I Call: | !
Frank Fillippo- j:
Residence - 215-666-0725 £
Elam Cinder - 717-367-3824 !j'
C.L. King-717-786-7229 B|
purchase more feeds. Before
deciding on this option, consider
this:
Fat tests
If fat tests could be improved
three points, you’d automatically
improve milk prices by 51 cents,
with a 17-cent differential. Besides,
higher tests make milk taste better
and they make it more nutritious.
That increases its saleability,
providing we haven’t removed all
the “goodies” from milk before we
package it for sale.
Low fat tests also should concern
you for another reason. They may
be an indication that something is
not right with your herd. Perhaps
the ration is out of balance, cows
are out of condition, forage and
fiber intake may be too low, their
rumens may be upset and they
may be off feed.
Observe your cows. If they don’t
spend a lot of time chewing their
cud something is wrong. If allowed
to persist, these conditions may
result in such costly problems as:
reduced feed efficiency, breeding
problems, feet and leg problems,
poor immune response, eventual
loss of production and premature
culling
To help stimulate fat tests, while
also maintaining milk production,
be sure to have ample quantities of
good quality fiber in the ration.
Feed plenty of forages, and be sure
they are not chopped too fine. Feed
frequently, and blend rations when
appropriate. Avoid sudden
changes in the ration. Feed a
balanced ration, and use buffers
when necessary. Keep cows in
good flesh. Have a good dry cow
program to prepare cows for early
lactation. Avoid infections and
other stresses which tend to throw
cows off feed.
Longevity
The longer good cows stay in the
herd, the more profitable they
become. Increasing longevity by
1.5 to 2.0 months also can offset a
50-cent reduction in milk prices.
Let’s look at a few figures (I
always shudder when I put figures
in print, but they are useful for
illustrating a point.)
I used the 1961 Pennsylvania
(Turn to Page 020)
WANT TO INCREASE
YOUR DAIRY INCOME?
- Over 200 Doiryvnen In Pa. and Md. Have -
And Are Getting 2 lbs. to 5 lbs. More Milk
Per Cow Per Day.
INTERESTED?
Lactation Age at end
No. ofLact
Lower Level o( Production:
Higher Level of Production:
OHIA
SCC 2
Code
They Supplement Their Feed With
(Liquid Energy Blend)
PENN NUTRIENTS INC
Box 169-A, RDI, Rt. 422
Robesonia, Pa. 19551
Telephone: 215-693-5848
Produce Profit
perLact. perLect
13.000
14.000
14.500
15.000
15.500
16.000
15.000
16.000
16.500
17.000
17.500
18.000
Somatic
Cell Count
(SCO
71.000-
142.000-
283.000-
566,000-1.1 million
1.1 million - 2.2 million
LEB
Call or Write for Fast Action:
lifetime
Profit
($1,000)
(- 680)
{ 280)
$ 320
400
440
480
520
560
160
640
1,160
1,720
($1,000)
( 520)
40
480
560
600
640
680
720
640
1,280
1,960
2,680
Value of Lost
Milk at $12.50
percwt.
Milk Loss
per Cow
per Day
per Day per Yr.
$ .19 $ 57
.38 114
.56 172
.75 229
.94 286
1.5 lbs.
3.0 lbs.
4.5
6.0 ibs.
7.5
•EASILY INSTALLED*
|fe| A Vl5OO STATE STREET.
IPlilA CAMP HILL. PA 17011
*.W PHONE (717) 761-1863
Profit per
Yr. of Life
500)
227)
70)
32
107
166
215
500)
260)
10
128
213
280
335