Profitability in Dairy Farming in the 1980's

Abstract

During the 1980s dairymen have been facing substantial turmoil in their industry. In most years, output has exceeded domestic demand. Bovine somatotropin (BST) has been tested extensively in research trials throughout the country, but its impact on aggregate production, the number and size of dairy farms, and on costs of production remains uncertain. Throughout this decade structural change has continued

average farm size has increased at the fastest pace in this century. Milk production has become more concentrated in the leading states and the specialized dairy states have grown at the expense of other producing areas.