Wisconsin Dairy
Modernization Survey
UW-Extension
2008
Newburg WI
January 28, 2009
Mark W. Mayer, Dairy & Livestock
Agent, Green County
David W. Kammel, Biological
Engineering, UW-Madison
30 Counties
Represented
104 Surveys
Received
99 Surveys In Data
Set
General Farm Information
Pre
Post
Modernization Modernization
Herd Size (Milk Cows)
82
203
Average Milk Production
/Cow
20,245 lbs.
21,684 lbs.
Acres of Land Owned
351
421
Acres of Land Rented
187
308
Acres/Cow (owned & rented)
6.56
3.59
Full Time Labor Equivalents
for Dairy
2.34
4.32
Milk Cows per F.T.E.
35
50
Parlor Construction &Type
Milking Stall Type
Milking Parlor Construction
2
Retrofit Construction
8
New Construction
31
34
40
Flat Barn
11
Herringbone
Parabone
Parallel
55
Rotary
n = 92
New vs. Used
Milking Parlor Stalls
New
Used
Combination
Home Built
Milking Equipment
New
24
25
1
53
10
n = 89
Used
Combination
39
28
n = 91
Labor for Parlor
Labor Supplied for
Parlors
Farmer
Contractor
37%
63%
Average Time For Parlor
Conversion:
17 weeks
Range of Time to Convert:
4 to 104 Weeks
Labor Provided for Parlor
New Construction vs. Retrofit
New Parlors
Farmer
Contractor
Retrofit Parlors
Farmer
24%
76%
55%
Contractor
45%
Time for Parlor Conversion
Frequency
Construction Time
Weeks
20
18
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
4
8
12 16 20 24 28 32 36 40 44 48 52 104
Weeks
Parlor Construction &Type
Retrofit Construction Stall Type
New Construction Stall Type
Flat Barn
Herringbone
Herringbone
Parabone
Parabone
Parallel
Parallel
Rotary
11
3
6
10
8
30
n = 55
3
18
n = 34
Parlor Cost per Milking Stall
2008 Dollars
Parlor
Stall Type
Retrofit
New Construction
Construction (n=55) n= 31
Flat barn
$3,360
NA
(n=6)
Herringbone
Parabone
Parallel
$9,657
$18,769
(n=8)
(n=3)
$3,845
$6,016
(n=30)
(n= 10)
$7,478
$22,361
(n=11)
(n=18)
Cow Housing Facility
2 row FS barn
16
4
6
3 row FS barn
21
1
4 row FS barn
6 row FS barn
11
19
8 row FS barn
Bedded pack barn
n = 78
Compost bedded barn
Manure Handling and Storage
Manure Storage
Manure Handling System
Skid Steer /Tractor Scrape
Daily Haul
Automatic Scraper
Flush
Other
Short Term Storage
Long Term Storage
29
52
87
11
31
8
1
n = 107
n = 112
Manure Storage and Bedding
Bedding System for Milk
Cows
Manure Storage Liner
Concrete
Earth/Clay
Synthetic
Sand Free Stall
Mattress Free Stall
Compost Bedded
Bedded Pack
4
26
47
19
4
51
27
n = 77
n = 101
Replacement Housing
Calf Housing
Heifer Housing
Calf barn
Free Stall Pen
Outdoor Calf Hutches
Bedded Pack Pen
Indoor Calf Hutches
Compost Bedded Pen
1
14
43
17
44
68
n = 101
n = 86
Milking System Throughput
25
Mean = 22.7 cows/person/hour
Std Dev =11.56
PRE
Frequency
20
Mean = 44.1 cows/person/hour
Std Dev = 19.79
15
Change = 21.4 cows/person/hour
P = 0.000
10
5
0
0
10
20
30
40 50 60 70 80
Cows Milked/Person/Hour
90
100 110
POST
Pre and Post Labor Requirements
Average Per Cow/Day
2
Pre Modernization
1.59
Minutes/Cow/Day
Post Modernization
1
0.65
0.79
0.75
0.49
0.4
0
**Feeding Milk Cows
*Handling Cows
**P= <.001
*P= <.01
**Handling Manure
Pre and Post Labor Requirements
Average Per Cow/Day
4.07
Minutes/Cow/Day
4
Pre Modernization
3.5
Post Modernization
3
2.09
2.5
2
0.8
1.5
0.32
1
0.51
0.32
0.5
0
**Milking
**Maintaining Stalls
**P= <.001
*P= <.01
*Milking Setup/Cleanup
Reduced Labor Requirements
Minutes Per
Cow / Day
Total Reduction
Per Cow / Year
Milking Setup/Cleanup
.19 x 365
=1.16 hours
Milking Time
1.98 x 365
=12.05
Feeding Time per Cow
.94 x 365
= 5.72 hours
Handling Cows
.26 x 365
= 1.58 hours
Maintaining Stalls
.48 x 365
= 2.92 hours
Handling Manure
.39 x 365
= 2.37 hours
Totals:
4.24 minutes/day
25.80 hours/year
Economic Impacts from Reduced
Labor Per Cow
Reduction/Cow/Year
Dollar Impact
Milking Setup/Cleanup
1.16 hours @ $12/Hour
= $13.92
Milking Time
12.05 hours @$12/Hour
= $144.60
Feeding Time per Cow
5.72 hours @ $12/Hour
= $68.64
Time Handling Cows
1.58 hours @ $12/Hour
= $18.96
Maintaining Stalls
2.92 hours @ $12/Hour
= $35.04
Handling Manure
2.37 hours @ $12/Hour
= $28.44
Totals:
25.80 Hours/Cow/Year
$309.60/Cow/Year
Cow Benefits Observed
Overall Cow Health
85%
Less Feet & Leg
Problems
82%
Lower SCC
78%
Increased Production
74%
Lower Culling Rate
Increased Conception
Rates
73%
66%
Ranking of Cow Benefits
Overall Cow Health
4.86
Less Feet & Leg Problems
4.65
Lower Cull Rate
4.58
Lower SCC
4.53
Increased Production
4.34
Increase Conception Rates
4.27
3
Less Important
4
5
6
More Important
People Benefits Observed
Reduced Labor Per Cow
96%
Improved Working Conditions
for Milkers
93%
Improved Health/Safety of
Workers
88%
Allowed Business to Continue
Increased Profitability
Provided Entry for Next
Generation
Increased Family Time
86%
82%
80%
78%
Ranking of People Benefits
Improved Working Condition
for Milkers
5.26
Improved Health and Safety
for Workers
5.16
Allowed Dairy to Continue
5.13
Provided Entry for Future
Generation
5.1
Reduced Labor Per Cow
4.92
Increased Profitability
4.85
Increased Family Time
4.61
3
4
5
6
Educational Resources Used
Visiting Other Farms/Tours
99%
Extension Meetings/Seminars
86%
Farm Visit by County Agent
86%
Magazines and Newspapers
81%
Farm Visit by UW State Specialist
73%
Farm Shows
67%
U.W. Publications, Newsletters, CD's
65%
Phone/Email CountyAgent
Phone/Email State Specialist
64%
46%
Ranking of Educational Resources
Visiting Other Farms/Tours
5.48
Farm Visit by UW State Specialist
4.62
Farm Visit by County Agent
4.52
U.W. Seminars and Meetings
4.42
Phone/Email to State Specialist/Co Agent
4.12
UW Publications and CD's
4.00
Farm Shows
3.94
Magazines and Newpapers
3.91
3
4
Least Useful
5
6
Most Useful
Professional Resources Used
UW-Extension Agent/Specialist
93%
Milk Equipment Dealer
89%
Other Dairy Producers
86%
Builder/Contractor
85%
Ag Lender
76%
Veterinarian
66%
Nutritionist
Financial Consultant
Professional Design Consultant
64%
33%
30%
Ranking of Professional Resources
Other Dairy Producers
4.78
Builder/Contractor
4.73
Ag Lender
4.57
UW-Extension Agent/Specialist
4.53
Nutritionist
4.52
Milk Equipment Dealer
4.36
Financial Consultant
4.03
Veterinarian
4.00
Professional Design Consultant
3.53
3
4
5
6
UW-Extension Impacted Decisions
with Dairy Modernization
Yes
No
78%
22%
n = 99
Average Planning Time:
23.02 Months
Range: 3-120 Months
How Did UW-Extension Help?
(27) Assisted in Parlor Location and Design
(20) Organized Tours and Farm Visits to Observe Modernization on other Farms
(15) Presented new Ideas and Options for Parlor Design and Construction
(12) Design and Layout of Cow Housing Including Cow Flow and Stall size
(9) UW-Extension Dairy Modernization Presentations (Meetings and Pasture Walks)
(5) UW Publications (Low Cost Parlor CD and Retrofit Parlor Paper)
(5) Received reinforcement of ideas and plans
(4) Assisted in the Permitting Process
(4) Assisted in Preparing Budget for Modernization Project
(3) Assisted in Manure Handling and Storage plans
(3) County Agents and State Specialists answered all our questions
(3) Assistance with Ventilation
117 Responses
Economic Investment
Since 1993 (2008 Dollars)
• Milking Parlor Facility
– $17,144,281
• Dairy Cow Housing
– $30,529,855
• Dry Cow Housing
• TMR Feeding
– $1,981,566
• Feed Storage
– $4,153,360
• Manure handling
– $1,722,057
– $2,149,120
• Heifer Housing
• Manure Storage
– $1,610,210
• Calf Housing
– $1,480,703
– $4,536,318
• Total Investment for 99
farms in Survey
$65,307,470
Dairy Modernization Impacts
Pre
Post
Modernization Modernization
Average Herd Size
Change
82
203
+121
Average Production
per Cow (lbs)
20,245
21,684
+1,439
Milk Production per
Farm Annually (lbs.)
1,660,090
4,401,852
+2,741,762
Annual Hours of
Labor per Cow
51.8
26.0
25.8
Milk Cows / F.T.E.
35
50
15
Modernization Economic Impacts
Change
Average Increased Milk +1,439 lbs x $17/cwt
Income per Cow
Dollar Impact
= $245
Ave. Increased Gross
Milk Income per Farm
203 cows @ 21684 x .17= $748,315
82 cows @ 20245 x .17 =- $282,215
= $466,100
Increased Annual Milk
Income for the State
+2,692,274 lbs. x 99 farms
x $.17
= *$45.3 Million
Increased Economic
Activity from more
Cows per Farm
121 Cows x $17,000
= $2.06 Million
Economic Impact from +11,766 cows x $17,000
more Cows in the State
**UW Department of Agriculture and Applied Economics
= *$200 Million
* Total for 99 Herds
Biggest Challenge in Modernization
(16) Working with the Contractors/Serving as General Contractor
(10) Deciding what system & number of cows would work best for my farm
(10) Budgeting & Financing for Expenses
(8) Milking in Existing Facilities During Construction
(8) Design of Milking Facility & Housing
(6) Cost Over runs
(5) Finding Good & Knowledgeable Contractor
(4) Manure Storage & Handling
(4) Confidence & Motivation to do it
(3) Permitting Process for Building/Expanding
(3) Getting Honest Opinions from Equipment Dealers
(3) Did too much of my own labor
(3) Changing the Management System of Feeding/Breeding/Housing
What Would You Change?
(14) Wish we would have done the expansion sooner.
(11) Wish we would have made the parlor/freestalls bigger
(6) Start expansion at another site to allow for additional future expansions
(5) Spend more time planning and seeking help in design
(4) Start with new building and equipment right away
(4) Would not start building in the fall, start earlier in the year
(4) Design of Parlor
(3) Add a dry cow and calving facility
(3) Change from mattresses to sand for bedding
(3) Hire a more experienced and honest contractor
Would You Still be in the Dairy
Business if you had not
Modernized?
46%
54%
Yes
No
n = 94
Programs and Grants Utilized
30
27
27
13
8
5
5
4
2
2
0
5
10
15
20
Number of Producers
25
30
35
Wisconsin Dairy
Modernization Survey
UW-Extension
2008
Full Paper Available on the Dairy
Modernization Web Site at:
http://www.uwex.edu/ces/dairymod/cost/index.cfm
Questions!
How Could Assistance from UWExtension be Improved ?
87
Don't Know/ No Response
3
2
2 2
3
Were so Helpful
Keep Doing what your doing
Bring real life dairy experience
More awareness of expanding dairies in the area
Work with NRSC and Government to speed up grant processes
n = 99