Milk Production for Ohio Dairy Herds

Dr. Maurice Eastridge, Extension Dairy Specialist, The Ohio State University

It is always important to monitor the yield of milk and the composition of milk, especially for the individual farmer, because the income of the dairy farm depends on this source of revenue. The yields of protein and fat are the primary determinants of the price received by farmers. The proportions of fat and protein are useful in monitoring cow health and feeding practices within a farm. The income over feed costs (IOFC) and feed costs per hundred of milk are important monitors of costs of milk production.

The average production of milk, fat, and protein by breed for Ohio dairy herds in 2009 using the Dairy Herd Improvement (DHI; http://www.dhiohio.com) program (official test option only) are provided in the Table 1. Not all herds on DHI are included in the table below because of the different testing options offered by DHI, some herds opt for no release of records, lack of sufficient number of test dates, and given that some of the herds consist of other breeds than the ones shown. Over the past 15 years for official herds on DHI, the number of Ayrshire cows has dropped by about 30%, Brown Swiss and Jersey dropped by about 50%, Guernsey dropped by about 80%, Holstein dropped by about 65%, and the mixed breed has increased by almost two-fold, reflective of the cross-breeding that is occurring today in dairy herds. During the same time period, the number of dairy farms in Ohio has decreased by about 50%.

Table 1.  Number of herds, milk yield, milk fat, and milk protein by breed for Ohio herds on DHI during 2009.

Some dairy industry statistics for Ohio and the US are provided in Table 2. Over the past 15 years, the average herd size in Ohio has almost doubled. The average herd size of DHI herds has increased by 60%, slightly less than the Ohio average. Although the number of herds on DHI has decreased, the proportion of herds on official DHI test has remained about the same over the past 15 years (~15%). It is important to note that many others herds are on other testing options with DHI, which overall has increased the proportion of herds using DHI services compared to several years ago. The average milk yield per cow, whether for all Ohio, Ohio herds on DHI, or for the US, has increased 1 to 2% per year. As has been discussed for a long time, the average milk yield in Ohio is lower that for the US, about 1800 lb in 2009. Some of this has been attributed to forage quality issues in Ohio and a higher proportion of colored breeds (especially Jersey) in Ohio compared to most other states. The average milk yield for Ohio DHI herds is higher than the average milk yield in Ohio and the US.  Over the past 15 years, the average milk yield of Ohio DHI herds has been about 3400 lb higher than the average for all herds in Ohio. Even at $15/cwt, that would equate to about an additional $500/cow per year or $50,000 for a 100-cow herd or $250,000 for a 500-cow herd. But as we know, being average is not the benchmark in being able to survive in today’s dairy industry. The high DHI Holstein herd in 2009 averaged 33,225 lb/cow (150-cow herd) and the high Ohio Holstein herd in 1995 averaged 29,423 lb/cow (123 cows), each being 43% and 50%, respectively above the DHI breed average. With today’s high cost of production, the benchmark has to be set at being above “average”.

Table 2. Dairy industry statistics from 1995 to 2010.

¹Number of head x 1000.
²Herds on official DHI test only.