Dairy vs. Beef
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rkm
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We were in the dairy business for over 45 years. We don't have much to show for it. Through all the ups and downs it was a good life. More smiles than tears and a great way to raise a family.
jkwilson
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HOSS":3famcy2a said:
I used to work with a guy who quit a $45,000 job to raise replacement heifers on a contract with a big dairy that also gave him first chance on the bull calves as a side business of his own. He raises them, AI's them as requested and is paid so much per bred heifer raised, with performance bonuses. Some periods of hard work, but he was doing it as a side job and doing well enough at it before he quit. As far as I know, he's still doing it.
tncattle":q0tji4pf said:
I don't have any personal experience with this, but I believe a commercial dairy cow gives more than 5 gallons a day. I've heard as high as 8-10. But maybe that's just peak, and the average is 5/day for a given lactation.
Others will know and will likely chime in.
The average milk cow in the USA gives approx. 20,000 lbs. per lactation (8-10 months?).
They prolly only average producing for 3-4 lactations lifetime.
If I remember correctly, it takes around 2-3 lbs of feed to produce a lb of milk, including body maintenance.
They prolly only average producing for 3-4 lactations lifetime.
If I remember correctly, it takes around 2-3 lbs of feed to produce a lb of milk, including body maintenance.
FarmGirl10
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You guys are forgetting a major aspect...type of dairy cow. Holsteins milk is used for milk (alteast around our area anyway) while Jersey milk is used for yougort (sp?), cream, and butter. In our area we have a large yougurt plant, so the prices for that are extra high. My aunt and uncle have a large Jersey dairy...with really good genetics (they have a lot better size and wieght gain). These really good genetics are bringing them in extra money, they sell embryos...European dairies just love them. Alhough dairy breed calves aren't worth as much they also have calves to sell.
FarmGirl10":307ix27d said:
Good point. To my knowledge, dairies have always been paid according to butterfat percentage. The higher the fat content, the higher the paid price.
Butterfat production is genetic in general but the feed ration also has to be conducive to high fat production.
Also, the higher the milk production of a cow, the lower the butterfat percentage, as a rule.
Dave
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They also get paid for milk protein. There is a base price with a bonus for butterfat and protein above a certain level. On the down side they also pay for trucking the milk to the processor. Our average milk per cow in Washington has been the highest in the country for several years and if I remember correctly it is about 73 pounds per cow per day.
TexasBred
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tncattle":wd5dbbdq said:
TN, milk is purchased by the cooperatives by the hundredweight. At 8.6 lbs. per gallon it's easy to convert the price per gallon at about $1.72 per gallon. This is gross sales price. Deductions include hauling which can be over $1.00 per hundred weight, as well as penalties for high somatic cell count, low butterfat and low milk protein. Only business I know of where you sell your milk, have to pay them to haul it to their plant and still don't know what price you're going to get until it's gone for 30 days.
MoGal
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The dairy farm nearby its been a family business for years, and they also own the company that picks up the milk all around here. He told me a few weeks ago they had to go to all sexed semen because they were getting 70% bull calves.
His dairy runs a 3.2 to 3.5 butterfat on his holsteins.
I did read an article a couple months ago that said milk is supposed to get up to $6.00 gallon in the stores by this summer. Its already $4 so it probably will (and I realize that's not all profit to the dairy)
At the local salebarn a lot of the holstein cows were around 4 or 5 yr olds so that's probably about right for their lifetime of production on a dairy farm. I'm still kicking myself for not buying a 2 yr old open jersey cow that sold for 15 1/2 cents a pound.
Its a lot of work, they have a fella come in at 3 am but its raised their family and their grandchildren. Liked we talk, if a person has to go out and buy the acreage at $2500-$3500 acre you can't make it, but if you've already got the farm then you could get by. I'm sure some years would be lean, and some better.
His dairy runs a 3.2 to 3.5 butterfat on his holsteins.
I did read an article a couple months ago that said milk is supposed to get up to $6.00 gallon in the stores by this summer. Its already $4 so it probably will (and I realize that's not all profit to the dairy)
At the local salebarn a lot of the holstein cows were around 4 or 5 yr olds so that's probably about right for their lifetime of production on a dairy farm. I'm still kicking myself for not buying a 2 yr old open jersey cow that sold for 15 1/2 cents a pound.
Its a lot of work, they have a fella come in at 3 am but its raised their family and their grandchildren. Liked we talk, if a person has to go out and buy the acreage at $2500-$3500 acre you can't make it, but if you've already got the farm then you could get by. I'm sure some years would be lean, and some better.
FarmGirl10
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I come from an area that has a lot of dairies. North of me there's a county that pretty much every farm is a dairy. THey all seem to be doing pretty good, but they also do grain/hay farming so unless they have over 300 head of cows they don't need to buy much feed, just additives. Only now they have a problem, expansion is nearly impossible, land is going for $10,000 an acre. :shock:
The really successful dairies in our area do more than just sell milk and calves. My aunt and uncle sell embryos, one of my friends families have a milk trucking business (ten trucks on the road), and one of my mom's friends was getting in the red but his daughter wouldn't hear his talk about selling out, so they bought a cheese processing thinger-ma-jig and are making a boat load of money off of it.
So depending on what you do with your heard has a major effect on profibility.
The really successful dairies in our area do more than just sell milk and calves. My aunt and uncle sell embryos, one of my friends families have a milk trucking business (ten trucks on the road), and one of my mom's friends was getting in the red but his daughter wouldn't hear his talk about selling out, so they bought a cheese processing thinger-ma-jig and are making a boat load of money off of it.
So depending on what you do with your heard has a major effect on profibility.
TexasBred
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Just goes to show that dairying alone does not always pay so you have to branch out into something to compliment milking cows.
rkm
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It always helps if your wife has a good job. 8)
TexasBred
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hahaha...how in the world did I overlook the most important thing??
FarmGirl10
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You'd be suprised at how many dairies have women milking. Women relax the cows, from how I understand it, and they consistantly produce more milk. I don't think its a whole lot more milk, but its still more. And no this is not just one dairy, i've heard it from a lot of different ones.
TexasBred
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Dun and Farmgirl you're both more right than you realize. In this part of the country, the lady spends the money, the old man hangs out either at the sale barn or the local coffee shop and the illegal immigrants do the milking and everything else. Then they wonder why they have to keep borrowing money or sell out everytime the govt. has a buyout program.
