DairyCo

Promar Milkminder Dairy Costings - National

Published 17 April 12

Promar Milkminder dairy costings

Monthly Results 

In February:

• Average yield per cow stood at 27.4 litres/day, an increase of 0.9 litres/day (3.4%) compared with the same month last year.
• The average milk price for February 2012 stood at 29.06ppl, 2.68ppl (10.2%) more than the previous year.
• Margin over purchased feed increased by 2.04ppl (13.7%) from 18.78ppl in February 2011 to 20.82ppl in February 2012.

Latest information from Promar costings show that in February, there were 183 cows in herd, nine more than February 2011.  Of the 183 in herd, 155 (84.7%) were in milk, six more than last year. Average yield per cow stood at 27.4 litres/day, an increase of 0.9 litres/day (3.4%) compared with the previous year.  This has resulted in total milk produced standing at an average of 119,066 litres, an increase of 8,658 litres (7.8%) compared with February 2011.

The average milk price for February stood at 29.06ppl, 2.68ppl (10.2%) more than the previous year.  Combining this with the increased milk yield gives a total milk value of £34,595 which was £5,478 (18.8%) more than the previous year.

Concentrate use increased by 0.01kg/litre from 0.34kg/litre in February 2011 to 0.35kg/litre in February 2012. However, the price increased from £213/tonne in February 2011 to £224/tonne in February 2012. As a result, feed cost increased by 0.64ppl (8.4%) from 7.59ppl to 8.23ppl over the year.

Although feed costs have increased sharply over the year the impact of this on margin has been mitigated by the increases in milk price and average yield per cow. This has meant that margin over purchased feed per cow increased by £16 (13.5%) from £119 in February 2011 to £135 in February 2012.

*Note: differences in text may not agree with values in table on account of rounding of reported values.

Source: Promar Milkminder

Annual Rolling Averages  

• There was a 0.7% (55 litres per cow) increase in the average yield per cow between February 2011 and February 2012, to a total of 8,026 litres per cow.

• The average rolling milk price between February 2011 and February 2012 increased by 2.69ppl (10.6%) to an average of 28.12ppl. 

The latest annual results show that for the 12 months ending February, the average herd size stood at 180, which was seven more than the previous year.  There was also a 0.7% (55 litres per cow) increase in the average yield per cow, to a total of 8,026 litres per cow.

The average rolling milk price between the two years increased by 2.69ppl (10.6%) to an average of 28.12ppl.  This gave an overall value to the milk produced of £2,257 per cow, £230 per cow (11.4%) more than the previous year.  

The use of concentrates stayed the same at 0.32kg/litre between February 2011 and February 2012 while the average price of feed increased by £31/tonne (16.2%) to £223/tonne. 

Source:  Promar Milkminder

The tables above show the average performance of herds using Promar Milkminder data. When using Promar data, it must be noted that a certain amount of caution should be taken. Although the sample size Promar use to collect the data is relatively large, it does not necessarily reflect the trends and performance of UK dairy herds. It is also worth noting that retrospective adjustments to the data may also occur. For more detailed information or to contact Promar click here.