BUREAU OF AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS. 141 



The scope of this work was expanded last year by beginning 

 field studies in two heretofore untouched types of farming. Each 

 farmer upon whose farm these data were gathered has been supplied 

 with current reports covering his production and comparing his 

 farm performance with the standards of his community. Informa- 

 tion has from time to time been taken back to the communities in 

 which studies are being made by the extension forces of the State 

 colleges who through public meetings have given widespread assist- 

 ance in helping each community solve its economic problem. 



The results of six years' work in this field of investigation in New 

 York State have been published in bulletin form. A second bulletin 

 has been prepared by this division in cooperation with the State of 

 Minnesota covering three years' results from a detailed cost route in 

 Cottonwood and Jackson Counties, Minn. Two additional bulletins 

 have been begun ; one covering three years of work in Kansas and the 

 second covering work in Montana. 



All of the record and account work is carried on in cooperation 

 with the State colleges and experiment stations, each State rendering 

 financial assistance in the furtherance of this work. 



WIDESPREAD STUDIES IN LIVESTOCK COSTS. 



Livestock cost figures are now being gathered annually upon the 

 many phases of cattle production and fattening from the ranches of 

 the West, through the feed lots of the corn belt, and ending with the 

 cattle finally at the stockyards ready for slaughter. In this phase of 

 the cost work records are being gathered annually upon more than 

 100 ranches in Colorado and Texas. These production figures are 

 supplemented with Corn Belt feeding costs each year covering more 

 than 500 droves of western-grown cattle. A portion of the cattle 

 are brought to the grass pastures of Kansas and there cost data are 

 gathered on them until they are fat and shipped to market. 



In this livestock work, as in other phases of the cost work, methods 

 and practices are carefully analyzed with a view to determining for 

 the livestock producer currently just the combinations of feed, labor, 

 equipment, and other factors of production that will give him least 

 cost and the largest net return. Data are assembled and given to 

 livestock producers which indicate to them the condition under 

 which livestock production is a profitable enterprise, the proper 

 magnitude of the enterprise under different economic conditions, 

 character of feed and equipment required, amount of labor involved, 

 and the seasonal distribution of this labor, and show the relation 

 of methods of feeding and herd management to efficiency in produc- 

 tion. This livestock work is carried on with financial assistance from 

 States in which costs are studied. 



A special study has been made during the past year to determine 

 the total cost to the cattle ranchman involved in running his cattle 

 upon the forest reserves. Having these data to compare with costs 

 upon summer grazing in fenced pastures, very considerable progress 

 was made in helping each ranchman determine whether under his 

 particular conditions it was more profitable for him to restrict his 

 production to his own pastures or continue to use the forest reserves. 

 General results obtained from this study have been published. In 

 addition six reports have been issued covering work in livestock costs 



