Missouri Dairy Business Update
Volume 2, Number 3
March 2002

Mt. Grove

1) On our dairy, the best thing that we have done in the last 5 years that has helped us make money is:

• Bale Wrapper
• Improve Forage Quality
• Cow Comfort
• More Specialized
• Custom harvest & Corn Silage
• TMR & Sand Bedding
• Feed Quality & Proper TMR
• Improve Silage Quality/change Feeding system
• Expand

2) On our dairy, the one thing that has kept us from making more money is:

• Heat Stress
• Dry Matter Intake
• Cow Health
• Efficiency
• 1/3 housing old
• Heat Stress
• Heat Stress
• Untested Forage Quality
• Communication

3) My biggest problem is:

• Too many bull calves
• Repro
• Efficiency
• High SCC
• Milking Facilities too small
• No Room to expand
• Labor Management
• Labor

4) In ten years I want

• 6 To be milking more cows
• 0 To be milking fewer cows
• 0 To be milking no cows
• 1 To be milking same no of cows
• 0 No answer

5) It costs_____ per head per day to feed our cows.

• Range of $2.85 - $6.00
• $2.80
• $4.25
• $2.85
• $2.59
• $5.00 - $6.00 (Guess)
• More
• No Answer
• No Answer

6) On our farm, we need one full time person for every ____ cows.

• Range of 35 - 80
• 60 cows
• 50 cows
• 80 cows
• 30 cows
• 40 cows
• 35-40 cows
• 50 cows