2004 Michigan Dairy Farm Business Analysis Summary

This report summarizes the financial and production records of 144 dairy farms from throughout Michigan. To be included, the farms must have produced at least 50 percent of gross cash farm income from milk and dairy animal sales. The farms in this report were located throughout Michigan. The records came from Michigan State University's Telfarm project, the Farm Credit Service system, or by AgriSolutions in Michigan. The values were pooled into averages for reporting purposes. The farms are larger than would be the average of all dairy farms in Michigan. While considerable variation in the data exist, average values are reported in the summary tables and discussion that follows.Livestock Production/Industries,

PROFITABILITY AND PRODUCTION EFFICIENCY OF THE CROP AND LIVESTOCK ENTERPRISES OF MICHIGAN DAIRY OPERATIONS: 1998 SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS

This paper summarizes the 1998 results of the Dairy Profitability and Production Efficiency project. Among the major findings are that the average cost of production was almost exactly equal to the average milk herd revenue on a per hundredweight basis. All eight farms covered variable costs of producing milk. Five of the eight farms showed a profit when all costs of production were included. All six farms that raised their own replacement heifers lost money on the enterprise. With respect to crop production, corn and corn silage were not profitable enterprises. The hay enterprise was profitable for five of the farms.Productivity Analysis,

Lactose maldigestion - age-specific prevalence black and Indian children

A study was performed to determine the prevalence and age of onset of primary lactose maldigestion in healthy black and Indian children, and to determine whether this was of clinical significance. More black (22 of 44 - 50%) than Indian children (10 of 45 - 22,2%) had lactose maldigestion (P < 0,02), the development of which was age-related and occurred earlier in blacks than in Indians; 6 of 19 black children less than 5 years old (31,6%) were lactose maldigesters, compared with 8 of 10 (80%) over 10 years old, while only 1 of 16 Indian children aged under 8 years (6,3%) were maldigesters, compared with 5 of 13 (38,5%) aged over 10 years. Most children had a very low intake of milk and lactose maldigestion was of no clinical significance to them

The practical significance of lactose maldigestion in institutionalised black children

A study was carried out to determine the practical significance of a high prevalence of lactose maldigestion in institutionalised children whose diet included 500 ml milk daily. Thirty of 34 children at a child we"are home were found to be lactose maldigesters as judged by a 2-hour rise in breath hydrogen of 20 parts per million or more after an oral load of lactose. Breath hydrogen tests were also perf~rmed on the same group of children, before and up to 150 minutes after the routine mid-morning cup of milk. Sixteen of the 30 lactosemaldigesting children did not show Increased breath hydrogen up to 2,5 hours after milk. No children were clinically intolerant of either the lactose or the milk. In these children the degree of lactose digestion was much improved in the non-fasting' state when measured by the breath hydrogen response to milk lactose. Lactose maldigestion per se is not a contraindication to institutional feeding routines, including regular moderate milk intake