Factors Which Contribute to the Financial Performance of Selected Tennessee Dairies

The objective of this study was to identify factors which contributed to the financial performance of 81 selected dairy farms in Tennessee. The study analyzes several measures of financial performance including cash farm income, net farm income, and returns to operator labor and management. Regressions with ten explanatory variables were used to determine factors that explained the variation in the measures of financial performance. Production per cow, number of cows, price received for milk, forage costs, and level of debt use appeared to influence financial performance.