By Blake Jackson
The Dairy Farm Business Summary & Analysis Project (DFBS) is among the longest-running applied research programs at Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
Since its launch in 1956, the initiative has partnered directly with dairy farm families to evaluate financial and business performance.
Its primary goal is to strengthen management practices in the dairy industry by using modern financial analysis tools alongside decades of historical farm data.
Business management specialists with PRO-DAIRY Jason Karszes, Lainey Koval, and Mary Kate MacKenzie recently highlighted results from the program in the August 2025 PRO-DAIRY e-Leader newsletter, which reaches nearly 7,000 dairy producers, service providers, and policymakers.
The 2024 business year showed marked improvement in dairy farm earnings compared with 2023. Although the overall average performance was stronger, DFBS data also revealed wide variation among participating farms.
Information from 129 farms was analyzed and grouped into four quartiles based on earnings, allowing comparisons of productivity, efficiency, and financial performance across the different levels. These comparisons help illustrate trends and highlight where stronger management practices can make a difference.
According to the final extension bulletin, net farm income in 2024 increased by 150% compared to 2023 across farms in the program. The report evaluates 128 farms that took part in both years, summarizing changes in financial and operational measures.
The bulletin is designed as a practical benchmarking tool, enabling managers to compare their own results with statewide averages and identify opportunities for improvement.
Summaries are broken down into groups by herd size:
- All New York farms (average)
- Farms with fewer than 575 cows
- Farms with 575-1,224 cows
- Farms with 1,225-1,799 cows
- Farms with 1,800 cows or more
Photo Credit: gettyimages-jesp62
Categories: New York, Livestock, Dairy Cattle