Business Management

Solid business management skills are essential as the dairy cattle industry grows more competitive, complex, and challenging. Dairy producers will find information and tools to utilize in their daily routines, as well as opportunities to connect with other professionals and dairy experts. Find resources for running a dairy operation – from market trends and insights to resources management, dairy herd metrics, record-keeping, and cash-flow planning.

Dairy Farm Management

While raising cattle and managing dairy production, dairy farm owners and managers need to also stay informed and adapt to changing variables such as cattle feed prices, dairy market trends, and regulations.

In this section, you can access many other Penn State Extension resources on dairy farm management, such as our milk production record book to monitor herd productivity, and feeding records for monitoring feed intakes and forage dry matters.

Information is also available for entrepreneurial dairy producers interested in value-added dairy products, such as cheese, butter, and yogurt. From resource planning and management to production, marketing, they can access a variety of all Penn State Extension insights on value-added dairy production.

Tools and Apps for Dairy Producers

Useful tools for dairy producers are also featured in this section, such as the Penn State Dairy Herd Metrics mobile application and the Milk Production and Feeding Records app.

Calculation tools allow producers to get a clearer picture of their dairy expenses and income and how they relate to other farm expenses. Such useful tools are the Farm Margin mobile application for calculating a dairy's break-even cost of production, the DairyCents Mobile App for income over feed costs, and the CropCents Mobile App for actual costs to produce home-raised feeds.

Dairy producers can also find records management systems for determining the actual costs of raising replacement heifers, colostrum management, metrics for monitoring culling strategies, protein and phosphorus monitoring, and many more.

Risk Management for Dairy Producers

Risk management for dairy producers accounts for volatility in milk markets, farm costs, and other factors, so that an unforeseen setback does not cost you your business.

Make the best of Penn State Extension resources on managing risk for dairy operations. Topics include managing income over feed costs, tracking milk prices and feed costs, using milk futures to lock in profitability, risk management for reproduction programs, dairy margin coverage, as well as many others. In addition to these, you could see how to use the USDA Risk Management Checklist to develop or assess your risk management plan.

Dairy Farm Finances and Market Trends

A profitable dairy farm is sustained by adept business and financial management. Dairy producers are constantly monitoring production costs and staying informed of market trends and impending regulations.

Here you can find numerous resources to keep up with market information and help your business stay profitable. Penn State Extension is regularly publishing Dairy Outlook information with current market trends. The Dairy Sense series is also a useful resource for various business management topics.

In addition, producers can find advice and tools for dairy finances, such as these five steps to monitor the financial health of a dairy business. Tips on cash flow management are also available, and you can download our annual cash flow tool to identify cash inflows/outflows for the dairy enterprise.