We calculate and standardize full economic costs of production of dairy farms from all EDF member countries. Every year around 320 EDF dairy farmers participate in the EDF Cost of Production Comparison to compare and discuss their farm figures with different benchmark groups as well as farm economic developments and economic efficiencies.
Number of cows in EDF farms ranges from 35 to 2850 heads. Half of them have more than 227 dairy cows.
We conduct a comprehensive economic and performance analysis of over 300 individual dairy farms across Europe and internationally, including countries such as Canada and the US. Our analysis relies on the annual accounting data gathered through our Scientific partners. Using this data, we calculate various metrics such as cost of production, break-even-point, entrepreneur’s profit, and other operational figures for each farm’s dairy enterprise. The cost of production is determined by considering full economic costs, encompassing expenses for family labor, farm-owned land, farm-owned milk quota, as well as the capital invested in the dairy enterprise, both owned and indebted.
EDF aims to foster international knowledge exchange among dairy farmers, utilizing a standardized database and member expertise. Our Cost of Production Comparison offers comparable operational metrics, enabling farmers to assess their performance globally and identify areas for improvement. These metrics fuel insightful discussions during EDF events on farm performance, competitiveness, strategies, and regional conditions worldwide.