Pennsylvania is a big dairy state, but its cows aren’t all that productive.
The average Pennsylvania cow makes almost 21,300 pounds of milk per year.
That’s 12% below the national average and 31st in the nation.
Over the past decade, the state has fallen ever farther behind its peers and now ranks last in milk per cow among the top 10 dairy producers.
Farm advisers say Pennsylvania is lagging because its dairies have stayed small and failed to adopt cutting-edge management practices to the extent seen in other states.
How much milk a cow makes is a key factor in farm efficiency and profitability.
Getting a few extra pounds from the farm’s existing cows is cheaper than adding a cow to the herd.
And increasing milk per cow reduces the farm’s production cost per hundredweight — a concern as milk prices recede from last year’s highs.
“When I look at our lagging milk per cow, it is one of the things that’s driving our cost of production higher in Pennsylvania,” said Mike Hosterman, an ag business consultant for Horizon Farm Credit.
Thanks to breeding and management changes, U.S. milk yield has grown dramatically in the postwar era.
Pennsylvania’s per-cow production has doubled since 1975, and for a long time, it tracked closely with the national average.
But about 20 years ago, Pennsylvania slid into a turtle pace as other states raced ahead.
“This is not just a new thing,” said Joseph Bender, an assistant professor of clinical dairy production medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. “This has gone on for a while.”
Understanding why Pennsylvania milk production is growing slowly could help farmers accelerate in the state, and across the Northeast.
New York is the only state in the region — and one of only 14 nationally — that beats the U.S. milk-per-cow average.
Size v. Skill
As with so much in Pennsylvania dairy, the discussion starts with farm size.
The average Pennsylvania dairy has 93 cows. That’s a third of the national figure and one of the smallest average herd sizes in the country.
Urbanization, the Appalachian Mountains and regional market conditions — among other factors — have limited opportunities for farms to expand.
Though bigger farms aren’t necessarily the most profitable, farm size correlates strongly with milk per cow, Bender said.
Compared to small farms, large farms have clear advantages for making milk.
They can more easily afford new facilities and equipment. They can create more feed recipes for different groups of cows, providing tailored nutrition.
And because they rely on hired labor, they have the best opportunity to maintain a consistent milking schedule, and to milk three times a day instead of twice.
But it’s important to remember that large operations got big because they were good at dairy farming. The biology of cows is the same across farms, so management ultimately drives much of the difference in per-cow milk yield, Bender said.
“The most profitable operations aren't necessarily driven by size, but they're driven by volume of milk with strong components and a strong cost control,” Hosterman said.
Source: lancasterfarming.com
Photo Credit: gettyimages-jessicahyde
Categories: Pennsylvania, Livestock