GUELPH — Some small Ontario dairy farms did not earn a profit and some lost money in 2016, according to an annual report from two dairy organizations.
Of 15 dairy farms surveyed, with an average milking herd of 48, a study found that the farms on average had a negative net income of $5,171 last year. Net income (or profit) is what was earned after expenses, including salaries and wages.
Every year, the Dairy Farmers of Ontario and the Canadian Dairy Commission provide a snapshot of dairy farms in the Ontario Dairy Farm Accounting Project. Researchers survey small, medium-sized and large dairy farms (see story on page A25) and survey different farms each year.
Here is net farm income or profit for small Ontario dairy farms in the previous four years:
• 2015 net income: $37,919
• 2014 net income: $31,683
• 2013 net income: $1,582
• 2012 net income: $46,351
