The Combination of All Things: Turning capital, labour, management, administrative, feed, herd and shed inputs, and time, into milk solids and profit.

Abstract

A concern of this paper is the soundness of understanding of dairy systems and of advice given to dairy farmers by people in extension and consulting, service providers and in the R&D system. In this paper, the reasons are set out why the whole farm approach based on sound understanding of the technology, economics, finance, risk, human and beyond farm gate elements is the only way to understand and provide sound advice about the operation of a dairy farm system. The first aim of this paper is to (i) explain that the result of a dairy farmers efforts is the result of the combination of all things; and (ii) point out (again!) the folly of using average technical ratios to ‘inform’ advice and..