The No. 1 economic factor is the individual
One of the beautiful things about dairy farming in the United States is the variety. There are a number of ways to milk cows and be successful. So, when the question, “What economic factor matters the most?” was posed to a panel of dairy loan experts during the February 17
Hoard’s Dairyman DairyLivestream, the conclusion was simple it depends on the farm.
“Generally, you tend to stay in your band, but you can fluctuate between them,” Miller commented of data presented on dairy farm profitability by quartile. “Frankly, it’s only in a couple of areas. It’s in heifer raising costs, feed expense, to some degree equipment investment, and in the capital structure,” Miller went on to say about expense variables that impact a dairy farm’s profitability. In 2019, the top 25% of herds in the Northeast Dairy Farm Summary earned $925 per cow while the bottom 25% lost $325 per cow. In speaking of “band,” Miller made referen