These business plans demonstrate one path forward for the next generation of Missouri’s dairy farmers. This path forward involves labor-saving robotic milking systems and next generation confinement housing solutions to improve cow comfort and cooling and remove barriers to higher milk production. Irrigated forage production is used to mitigate feed risk. Three model dairy herd sizes (150-, 300- and 600-cow units) accommodate differences in farm equity levels and available land resources. Each plan uses an integrated systems approach combining capital investments, operating costs, production plans, rations, forage systems, housing systems and manure systems. Currently operating dairies seldom start a greenfield dairy by designing a completely new dairy system. However, this publication demonstrates those options for dairy farms transitioning to the next generation — especially if milking and housing facilities are functionally obsolete, fully depreciated and poorly located for expansion.
Topics
- Dairy business plan
- Robotic dairy
- Dairy production
- Dairy forage planning
- Dairy financial planning
Pages
- 55