Protection Farms -- mature units

[Guest guest]

Dear Pancaratna prabhu, thank you for continuing this

dialogue. More below:

 

Hare Krsna dasi comments:

>

> > 1. What is the cost of 1 unit (gallon, liter or

> whatever) of milk from a

> > cow in

> > a *mature* protected herd?

>

> You have rightly pointed out that ISKCON farm

> records are insufficient to

> use as a base for this calculation. However, perhaps

> we could understand

> what you would mean by "mature"? What is the

> criteria for judging a

> protected herd to be mature?

 

First, ISKCON farm records are the best we've got, and

I hope will yield the figures I am after.

 

For herd maturity the criteria I am using, worked out

with Symasundar UK, is that of the optimum numbers of

cows that one milkhand can milk twice a day.

I outlined the 12:60 model in my discussion document

(don't know if you read it), but I have refined it

further to a 24:120 model.

 

The former stipulates that if 3 calves are born each

year, then 3 mothers will give milk. If they give

extended lactations of an average 4 years, then there

will, after 4 years, be 12 cows giving milk: 3 in yr1,

3 in yr2, 3 in yr 3, 3 in yr4. This should yield an

average of 8 litres per year per cow. So 12 cows

milking times 8 litres = 100 litres per day. At $1 a

litre price on delivery then that is a $100 day milk

income.

 

So, above is a continuous loop of 4 year milk cycles

with 3 cows in each of the 4 years. This will be

mature at year 4.

 

Also is a continuous loop of animals being born and

dying. You should remember that I teach Geography, so

this is all to do with population dynamics.

If 3 calves are born each year, then after 20 years

the first 3 cows will now be 20 and will be ready to

die, if not already dead. So at year 20 (average

(depends on species and breed)) the herd will mature

as the new 3 calves will replace the oldest cows, so

the population will not increase more, but stay the

same. The population should be 60 cows - 3 cows in

each year form 0 to 20.

 

There is a big diference between the time the maximum

milk yield occurs, at year 4, and the time the maximum

herd number occurs, at year 20. If the price of milk

is worked out for herd maturity - meaning the cow

compartment of 30 mothers (not including males, who

are costed seperately paid for by grain and crop

production) then the maximum cost, at year 20, is

figured in even in the earlier years; wheras milk

yield maximises at year 4. So from year 4 to year 20

there is financial surplus, as the costs are for herd

maturity, but the herd is still maturing. This excess

could be used to place in the charity to assure the

mature cow herd, so that if the farm ever fails then

the mature herd is assured for the rest of its life,

even without further production.

 

The 24:120 model takes into account the workers needs.

It would take one milker to milk 12 cows, yet s/he

will need a holiday and weekends, but 2 workers is not

efficient. So if two units are combined to a mature

herd of 120 then there would be 24 cows to milk. This

could be done with 3 workers on a rotational basis - 2

working each day, so that they all work 4 or 5 days

and have 2 or 3 days off.

 

2 workers per day would recieve $50 each to milk 12

cows each and deliver the milk or process it to cheese

(this needs further calculation). Therefore 2 * $50 =

$100. The milk at $1 a litre delivered price would

fetch almost $200 (24 * 8), leaving $100 ($200 - $100)

to pay the expenses of the cow compartment (not oxen)

and capital and running expenses.

 

I hope this answers your quiery.

 

Mark

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

Dandavad. Prabhupada kijaya!

 

Mark wrote:

 

> Also is a continuous loop of animals being born and

> dying. You should remember that I teach Geography, so

> this is all to do with population dynamics.

> If 3 calves are born each year, then after 20 years

> the first 3 cows will now be 20 and will be ready to

> die, if not already dead. So at year 20 (average

> (depends on species and breed)) the herd will mature

> as the new 3 calves will replace the oldest cows, so

> the population will not increase more, but stay the

> same. The population should be 60 cows - 3 cows in

> each year form 0 to 20.

 

I am confused by your math. The new calves would not all be female so they

could not replace the female cows. I assume therefore that there are

actually six animals born of which three are female. Also, since your three

cows are milking for four years and the heifers are generally not bred until

they are 3 years old, how can you add 3 calves each year? I would like to

see a a spreadsheet showing the actual development of the herd over time. I

made my own (see attached). By my calculation, based on the following:

 

a) Start with 3 cows (3 years old), 2 heifers, 1 bull calf, 1 bull

b) Breed heifers when they are 3 years old

c) Breed milking cows every 5th year (4 year lactation)

d) retire cows after 12 years

e) cows die after 20 years

 

I end up with, after 20 years:

 

7 MILKers

1 Heifers

3 retired cows

3 deceased cows

 

2 Bull

3 Bull calf

6 Oxen

1 retired ox

1 Deceased bull

 

 

 

Total 27 animals, of which 23 are living

 

The maximum number of milkers is 9 in year 12 just before the original 3

retire. It takes about 40 years in this model to bring the herd strength to

21 milkers out of 63 total animals

 

21Milking cows

8 Heifers

1Bulls

6 Bull calves

23 Oxen

4 Retired cows and bulls

 

63 TOtal

 

Of course not all cows and bulls will live this long and some may live

longer, but I believe this is a workable spreadsheet to calculate herd

growth. I would like to have some experts look at it.

 

Also, this spreadsheet assumes all cows are bred whenever they are capable

of conceiving. As such there will be unlimited growth of the herd, which

starts to grow exponentially at a certain point. Therefore, some limits to

breeding must be put into the model for it to be truly workable. This would

depend on the optimum herd size.

 

Your servant,

Pancaratna das