Dairy Gauge Program

The Dairy Gauge Program is a joint effort between UT Dairy and the MANAGE Program. This financial program is focused on one-on-one support between consultants and dairy farmers to help understand cost of production, identify areas of financial strength, and opportunities to gain efficiency. This program is currently available in Tennessee, Kentucky, and North Carolina. Please look below for your contacts in each state. For any questions or if you want to participate, reach out to your state contact or to David Bilderback or Liz Eckelkamp to learn more about the program and how it can benefit your dairy farm.

Dairy Gauge Decision Tool

2023 Dairy Dairy Gauge Decision Tool Final Download

Dairy Feed Benchmarks Download

Understanding Dairy Gauge

Dairy Balance Sheet and Profitability Benchmarks Download

Dairy Gauge Users Guide Download

Dairy Non-Feed Income and Expense Benchmarks Download

Dairy Gauge Financial Scorecard Download

Dairy Gauge Reports

Preliminary 2022 Dairy Gauge Report Download

2021 Dairy Gauge Report Download

2020 Dairy Gauge Income and Expense and Financial Benchmarking Reports Download

Dairy Gauge 2020 Quick Fact Sheet Download

State Program Contacts

Tennessee:
David Bilderback (865) 200-4545; MANAGE Agent
Liz Eckelkamp (865) 974-8167; Dairy Specialist

Kentucky:
Jennifer Hickerson (859) 516-2458; KDDC Agent
Jerry Pierce (270) 737-4799; KFBM Program Coordinator

North Carolina:
Brittany Whitmire (828) 577-8598; NCSU Extension
Alex Ives (984) 220-5206; NCSU Creamery
Stephanie Ward (919) 515-6884; NCSU Extension

Using the Dairy Gauge Tool

See Farmers Who Are Using Dairy Gauge

FAQ’s

Per cow and per hundredweight income and expense report
Benchmark report including over 20 financial standards
Dairy Financial Scorecard indicating operation financial health (Good, Watch, Investigate)
Long-term ability to compare to farm averages across the region

Annual income and expense statement
Annual milk marketing summary
Most current balance sheet. We can assist with creating this document if you do not have one.
Average number of lactating and dry cows
Schedule F if available

Usually only 1 or 2 hours, depending on the information that is readily available

Your identity and individual data is completely confidential. Averages from the program as a whole will be reported for benchmarking across the state and region.

Contact one of the state program contacts or David Bilderback or Liz Eckelkamp

Image of collaborators and funding for Dairy Gauge program

Contact your Area Farm Management Specialist for more information on the Dairy Gauge Program.

Find your MANAGE Specialist

Currently, this program is focused on dairy cattle farms. If you have a small ruminant dairy business, contact Liz Eckelkamp, Jessy Shanks, or David Bilderback for more information on running this program on your farm.