My October 2016 dairy budgets showed poorer financial performance compared to September. Gross income declined by $200.79 annually or just over $1 per cwt for the 20,000 pound freestall budget. Total butterfat income was down $0.86 per cwt, protein income was down $0.656 per cwt and cull cow income dropped $0.23 per cwt for the 20,000 pound freestall budget. A much increased PPD, from -$0.07 to $0.53 helped soften the income decline. Feed cost varied little from September to October 2016, only $0.007 per cwt. The result was that returns to management were -$0.01 per cwt for the 20,000 pound freestall budget. The 20,000 pound tiestall showed a -$1.38 return to management. Both 24,000 pound budgets, freestall and tiestall, showed positive return to management.
