The Sustainable Dairy Systems Manual, Spreadsheets,
and Training Project was developed to help Tennessee and Kentucky
dairy farmers make better decisions. The manual examines costs,
returns, investment, and labor requirements for alternative dairy
production systems.
The concept for the manual was suggested by a Tennessee Extension
agent. A 25-member work team of agricultural economists, agricultural
engineers, agronomists, dairy specialists, Extension agents, along
with farmer advisors from Tennessee and Kentucky have produced the
600-page manual. Feed requirements, engineering and other technical
specifications used in the dairy systems project were developed
primarily for use in Kentucky, Tennessee, and bordering states,
but may be adapted for other states or regions.
Farmers, agricultural organizations and rural lenders in Tennessee
and Kentucky were actively involved in the project. Special thanks
are extended to farm families for evaluating and providing feedback
on ways to improve the manual and software.
Typical Questions Addressed by Farmers During Pilot Testing
- Should we increase or decrease the herd size?
What will it cost and how will it affect labor requirements?
- What are the likely economic and environmental
consequences of changing forage and feeding systems? Will it pay
to graze alfalfa on my farm?
- Should we raise or purchase replacement heifers?
- How will building a different manure handling
system affect the cropping system? What are the environmental
consequences? What will it cost to build and operate?
- We are thinking about major changes. How will
they affect the system?
The software was designed for use by Extension
agents and other agricultural workers to teach improved decision making
by dairy farmers.
The Dairy Systems Manual and Software were not designed to be a "how-to-dairy"
reference. The manual and software were designed to provide refined
investment requirements and cost estimates for use in a comprehensive
farm and financial planning program.
Potential uses include the following types of decisions.
- Enterprise planning
- Partial budgeting
- Investment analysis
- Expansion plans
- Whole farm planning
 |
Southern
Region
SARE/ACE |
 |
| This project
was supported in part by Subaward Number RE353-091/8553373 from
the Southern Region SARE/ACE. |
For more information contact: Clark
Garland
Text Only Page
|
