Economic and Marketing Information for Indiana Farmers (Jul. 30, 1960) |
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Economic and Marketing Information FOR INDIANA FARMERS Prepared by the Agricultural Staff of Purdue University, Lafayette, Indiana July 30, 1960 do You Heed a Beef Bull on Your far ml by M. R. JANSSEN, Farm Economic Research Division, ARS, USDA and GENE McMURTRY, Agricultural Economics THE DAIRY BULL has disap- peared from many dairy farms iring the last 20 years, giving ay to artificial insemination. In mtrast, few Indiana beef herds se artificial insemination. What are some of the reasons >r this situation? First, close ob- jrvation and timely breeding are ecessary for successful breeding iy artificial insemination. This is dore difficult with beef animals hat are not confined for milking is are dairy cows. Second, the iairy herd is often small, and this means a high bull cost per cow. Also, dairy bulls have caused so many accidents that many farmers consider artificial insemination on a safety basis only. Last, the problem of handling beef animals with artificial insemination is more difficult on most farms than is that of breeding dairy cows. Yet the potential benefits of using artificial insemination with a beef herd may even exceed those found with the dairy herd. Cost of Keeping a Beef Bull Over a period of three years, it cost a group of farmers in Southern Indiana $94.20 per year to keep a beef bull. This includes all costs for feed, labor, pasture, housing, bedding, and veterinary expenses. It does not include costs of stronger fences, repairs to fences and buildings damaged by bulls, or risk of personal injury by the bull. It includes the differ ence between the market value of the mature bull and the initial cost of the animal. Use of artificial insemination will permit the producer to keep at least one cow in place of each bull. Owners not only have the reduced cost of keeping the bull, but may have the returns of additional cows. The returns will vary with the percentage of the calf crop, the weaning weight of the calf, and the selling price of the calf. Farmers have averaged 435 pounds of calf per cow for three years. Since all cows are counted whether or not they raise a calf, weaning weights are adjusted for percentage of the calf crop. If weaned calves sell for 22 cents per pound, the net returns will be $16 per cow. The additional return per cow in the herd will depend on the herd size. Mailing List Notice! It is necessary for us to revise our mailing list for those who would like to receive Economic and Marketing Information for Indiana Farmers. A post card is attached to this issue for you to fill in and return. Unless this card is filled in and mailed, we will have to drop your name from our mailing list. The cost per cow of keeping a bull is large for small herds but decreases until an additional bull must be kept (Table 1). In the same way, the returns of keeping an additional cow in the herd, in place of keeping a bull, decrease as the number of cows in the herd increase. Table 1. Costs of Keeping a Bull Within Various Herds, 1956-59. Costs per cow Returns of an Number Keeping additional Total of cows bull cow * costs 10 $9.42 $1.60 $11.02 20 4.71 .80 5.51 30 3.14 .53 3.67 40 4.71 .80 5.51 50 3.77 .64 4.41 * The average net return of keeping a cow in place of a bull is $16.00. Costs of artificial insemination vary somewhat, but $8 per service is the most frequent charge. Usually there is no further charge for repeat service. On this basis alone, a herd of fewer than 14 cows could be served more cheaply with artificial insemination than by keeping a bull. Benefits of Superior Bulls The main benefit of artificial insemination with a dairy herd is the higher milk production of the daughter. With a beef herd, the first benefit of a superior bull is realized when the calf is weaned. Beef bulls selected for artificial in-
Object Description
Title | Economic and Marketing Information for Indiana Farmers (Jul. 30, 1960) |
Purdue Identification Number | UA14-13-econ196007 |
Date of Original | 1960 |
Publisher | Purdue University. Agricultural Extension Service |
Subjects (LCSH) |
Farm produce--Indiana--Marketing Agriculture--Economic aspects--Indiana |
Genre | Periodical |
Collection Title | Extension Economic & Marketing Information (Purdue University. Agricultural Extension) |
Rights | Copyright Purdue University. All rights reserved. |
Coverage | United States - Indiana |
Type | text |
Format | JP2 |
Language | eng |
Repository | Purdue University Libraries |
Date Digitized | 03/11/2015 |
Digitization Specifications | Original scanned at 400 ppi on a BookEye 3 scanner using Opus software. Display images generated in Contentdm as JP2000s; file format for archival copy is uncompressed TIF format. |
URI | UA14-13-econ196007.tif |
Description
Title | Economic and Marketing Information for Indiana Farmers (Jul. 30, 1960) |
Purdue Identification Number | UA14-13-econ196007 |
Transcript | Economic and Marketing Information FOR INDIANA FARMERS Prepared by the Agricultural Staff of Purdue University, Lafayette, Indiana July 30, 1960 do You Heed a Beef Bull on Your far ml by M. R. JANSSEN, Farm Economic Research Division, ARS, USDA and GENE McMURTRY, Agricultural Economics THE DAIRY BULL has disap- peared from many dairy farms iring the last 20 years, giving ay to artificial insemination. In mtrast, few Indiana beef herds se artificial insemination. What are some of the reasons >r this situation? First, close ob- jrvation and timely breeding are ecessary for successful breeding iy artificial insemination. This is dore difficult with beef animals hat are not confined for milking is are dairy cows. Second, the iairy herd is often small, and this means a high bull cost per cow. Also, dairy bulls have caused so many accidents that many farmers consider artificial insemination on a safety basis only. Last, the problem of handling beef animals with artificial insemination is more difficult on most farms than is that of breeding dairy cows. Yet the potential benefits of using artificial insemination with a beef herd may even exceed those found with the dairy herd. Cost of Keeping a Beef Bull Over a period of three years, it cost a group of farmers in Southern Indiana $94.20 per year to keep a beef bull. This includes all costs for feed, labor, pasture, housing, bedding, and veterinary expenses. It does not include costs of stronger fences, repairs to fences and buildings damaged by bulls, or risk of personal injury by the bull. It includes the differ ence between the market value of the mature bull and the initial cost of the animal. Use of artificial insemination will permit the producer to keep at least one cow in place of each bull. Owners not only have the reduced cost of keeping the bull, but may have the returns of additional cows. The returns will vary with the percentage of the calf crop, the weaning weight of the calf, and the selling price of the calf. Farmers have averaged 435 pounds of calf per cow for three years. Since all cows are counted whether or not they raise a calf, weaning weights are adjusted for percentage of the calf crop. If weaned calves sell for 22 cents per pound, the net returns will be $16 per cow. The additional return per cow in the herd will depend on the herd size. Mailing List Notice! It is necessary for us to revise our mailing list for those who would like to receive Economic and Marketing Information for Indiana Farmers. A post card is attached to this issue for you to fill in and return. Unless this card is filled in and mailed, we will have to drop your name from our mailing list. The cost per cow of keeping a bull is large for small herds but decreases until an additional bull must be kept (Table 1). In the same way, the returns of keeping an additional cow in the herd, in place of keeping a bull, decrease as the number of cows in the herd increase. Table 1. Costs of Keeping a Bull Within Various Herds, 1956-59. Costs per cow Returns of an Number Keeping additional Total of cows bull cow * costs 10 $9.42 $1.60 $11.02 20 4.71 .80 5.51 30 3.14 .53 3.67 40 4.71 .80 5.51 50 3.77 .64 4.41 * The average net return of keeping a cow in place of a bull is $16.00. Costs of artificial insemination vary somewhat, but $8 per service is the most frequent charge. Usually there is no further charge for repeat service. On this basis alone, a herd of fewer than 14 cows could be served more cheaply with artificial insemination than by keeping a bull. Benefits of Superior Bulls The main benefit of artificial insemination with a dairy herd is the higher milk production of the daughter. With a beef herd, the first benefit of a superior bull is realized when the calf is weaned. Beef bulls selected for artificial in- |
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