|
| | ||
| ||||
| ||||
| ||||
| HOME | ABOUT US | CONTACT US | SUBSCRIBE | NEWSSTAND LOCATIONS | ||||
| ||||
|
|
| | |
Dairy producers dealing with higher feed costs Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Agri News staff writer
WORTHINGTON, Minn. -- Dairy farmers, like other livestock producers, are dealing with sharply higher grain prices.
Jim Paulson, Extension dairy educator in Minnesota, used Friday's Dairy Day in Worthington to discuss management decisions that may reduce feed costs.
"By the end of the day I want producers to understand what their feed cost per cow and feed cost per hundredweight (is) to know where they stand," said Paulson.
Forage quality and pricing, and how much feed is fed and actually consumed are all part of the equation.
"If farmers can look at the costs of feed, they will be able to look at their milk-to-feed ratio, which will be helpful in determining management decisions," said Paulson. "Normally we see expansions occurring when there is a ratio of three or higher and we normally see a contraction below three, particularly in the low twos.''
When farmers raise their own hay, haylage, corn and silage, it makes the milk-to-feed ratio a whole different ball game, said Paulson.
"Farmers have to take into consideration the cost of production of those products when they are calculating their feed costs."
A goal Paulson and other Extension educators have set for producers is to have feed cost per hundredweight per day to be about $5-$5.50 and they want 60 percent of the total cost to be from home-grown crops.
"Milk production obviously impacts feed cost per hundredweight," said Paulson. "If those cows are not producing as well as they should, the feed cost will go up. That is why we want to get every pound of milk we can."
This feed cost per hundred weight is not just limited to the lactating cattle on the farms, but it also includes the youngstock and dry cows on the facility as well. Overall, they are looking at making sure that the feed cost is less than 50 percent of the cost of production.
"Overall we want farmers to know where they stand when it comes to their feed costs to help save them money," said Paulson. |
| | |
| |
Copyright 2008 Agri News
All Rights Reserved
