Diversity in Farming Systems

Student name:

Date:

The impact of farming: The dairy farming industry

Q1. What is the total value of annual sales achieved by the British dairy farming industry?(1 mark)

£9.81 billion

Q2. Why has there been an increase in the average milk yield in the UK? (1 mark)

There has been an increase in milk yield due to enhanced working practices and better yield through animal genetics, diet and animal welfare.

Q3. Why did average milk production fall in 2012? (1 mark)

UK average milk production fell due to the poor weather experienced by the UK during the year.

Q4. Name one of the five largest milk producers in the world.(1 mark)

One from: US, India, China, Russian Federation, Brazil

Q5. What are the three key enterprise types identified by research into dairy farm profitability? (3 marks)

a)Cows at grass - predominantly grass-based and operating at lower milk yield levels.

b)Composite - maximum use of family labour and a mixed approach to feeding and housing.

c)High-output cows - cow’s are generally housed for more of the year with more intensive use of major inputs.

Q6. Describe two factors associated with a successful dairy farm. (3 marks)

Two from:

-Farmer age: farm business performance increases slightly with age, potentially due to experience.

-Tenure: owner-occupied farms perform better than tenanted farms on Full Agricultural Tenancies, which in turn perform better than those on Farm Business Tenancies..

-Specialisation: on average, farms with a range of agricultural activities (including those growing their own fodder crops and rearing dairy calves) perform better than those focused entirely on milk production, although the magnitude of the difference varies between years.

-Unpaid family labour: When it is costed at the minimum wage, farms with greater proportionate use of family labour perform better in terms of agricultural outputs.

-Organic status: organic dairy farms perform better, however the magnitude of the advantage varies from year to year.

Q7. Give an example of a factor which may increase the likeliness of dairy farms ceasing milk production. (1 mark)

One from:

-be older than average;

-be in an area with fewer other dairy farms;

-have proportionately less income from SPS and agri-environment schemes;

-receive a lower than average price for their milk;

-have lower agricultural performance;

-have lower veterinary costs.