MANAGEMENT PRACTICES ON VIRGINIA DAIRY FARMS

Farms size averaged approximately 382 acres of crop and pasture land and varied from 99 to 5,280
acres. Total farmland per cow averaged 3.32 acres, similar to the 3.4 acres reported in the 1992 Census
of Agriculture. Acreage devoted to corn production was the largest single land use reported by
respondents. The average farm produced 130 acres of corn in 1996, or a little more than 1 acre per cow.
Permanent pasture makes up the next largest category of land use (106 acres), or slightly less than 1 acre
per cow. Land devoted to hay production makes up 69 acres on the typical farm and provided about two-
thirds of an acre of hay per cow. “Other crops” land use covers a wide range of crops, such as soybeans,
tobacco, vegetables, and Christmas trees, making up 44 acres on the typical farm.

Table 2: Production characteristics and land use.

Farms were sorted into three groups based on response to the question, “Did you graze milking cows in
1996” so that differences between those using pasture grazing to supply nutrients to the milking herd and
those using only stored forages could be investigated. Farmers who did not report grazing milk cows
were defined as Confinement. Farmers who reported grazing milk cows during some part of the year
were split into two groups based on the intensity of grazing or frequency of moving cows to fresh
pasture. The least intensive group, Moderate Grazer, had a grazing rotation length of four days or
more. The group moving cows to fresh pasture every three days or less was defined as Intensive
Grazer.

Table 3: Criteria for sorting farms by management type and grazing intensity.

Number of Cows and Milk Production per Cow

Respondents were asked to report the number of cows (dry and lactating) and average yearly milk
production per cow. In most cases, average yearly milk production per head was reported. However,
production reported in pounds per cow per day was converted to annual production by multiplying
reported daily production by the standard 325-day lactation period.

Number of cows per farm

Confinement farms have the largest herd size of the 3 groups (Table 4), averaging 135 cows and having a
very wide range: 12 to 825 cows per farm. Confinement farms are statistically larger than the two
grazing groups. However, Intensive Grazer (100 cows) and Moderate Grazer (93 cows) farms are not

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