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ARS Home » Northeast Area » University Park, Pennsylvania » Pasture Systems & Watershed Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #355218
Research Project: Multifunctional Farms and Landscapes to Enhance Ecosystem Services (Bridge Project)

Location: Pasture Systems & Watershed Management Research

Title: Short communication: evaluating feed cost, income over feed cost, and the cost of production for milk and crops on 4 case study farms that double cropped winter annual silage and corn silage for 2 years in northern

Author
item RANCK, ERIC - Pennsylvania State University
item HOLDEN, LISA - Pennsylvania State University
item Soder, Kathy

Submitted to: Animal Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/11/2018
Publication Date: 3/15/2019
Citation: Ranck, E., Holden, L., Soder, K.J. 2019. Short communication: evaluating feed cost, income over feed cost, and the cost of production for milk and crops on 4 case study farms that double cropped winter annual silage and corn silage for 2 years in northern and western Pennsylvania. Applied Animal Science.35(1):74-82. https://doi.org/10.15232/aas.2018-01792.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15232/aas.2018-01792

Interpretive Summary: Planting a second crop, such as annual forages, after corn is harvested (known as double cropping) can increase total forage production, decrease livestock feed costs, and have environmental benefits. However, adoption of double cropping has been low in regions with shorter growing seasons. We evaluated the cost to produce milk and crops on four dairy farms in northern and western Pennsylvania, a region where double cropping was not common due to the shorter growing season. Double cropping did not result in an economic benefit for three of the four case study farms due to the high cost of production of the annual forage compared with purchasing the forage. Farms considering double cropping should calculate cost of production of their crops and not assume that double cropping will be profitable in every situation.

Technical Abstract: Double cropping has helped reduce environmental impacts, increase total farm forage yields and reduce feed costs. While double cropping was common in areas with longer growing seasons, it was not common in areas with shorter growing seasons. This study evaluated the cost to produce milk and crops on four dairy farms in northern and western Pennsylvania, a region where double cropping was not common due to the shorter growing season, relative to other parts of the state where double cropping is more common. Production and financial data were collected during farm visits. Cost of production (COP)/hundredweight of milk and per tonne (t) of crops raised, was calculated. Herd size averaged 292 cows, and farm size averaged 319 hectares (ha) with 14.1% of ha double cropped during 2016 and 2017. Yields of winter annual silage averaged 3.7 and 3.2 t/ha for 2016 and 2017, respectively. The COP for milk ranged from $13.19 to $27.34/hundredweight across all farms during both years. The COP for winter annual silage ranged from $138 for one farm in 2016 to $322/t for another farm during 2017, with an average across farms and years of $252.59/t compared to an average purchased price of $210/t of winter annual silage. The COP of winter annual silage was greater than the purchase price of winter annual silage for three of the four farms in the study.