668 



EXPERIMENT STATION EECOED. 



[Vol.35 



4.6 cts. For Arizona anrl New Mexico the average weight of a 2-year-old steer 

 is given as 775 lbs. At S25 for production the cost per pound is a little over S2 

 cts. For the Southvrest. hazard due to the exceptional loss in time of pro- 

 longed drought is not fully covered in the above costs. 



On the basis of the report of the TJ. S. Tariff Board of 1911 together with 

 modific-ations to bring the figures down to 1914, it is estimated that the cost of 

 producing a lamb in California Ls S1..5o, in Arizona. Colorado, and New Mexico, 

 SI. 71. and in Idaho. Montana. Nevada, Oregon. Utah. Washington, and Wyom- 

 ing. S1.S2. These figures cover loss and depreciation, provide for interest on 

 capital invested Ln land, improvements, and equipment, and include wool at 

 market price. 



A brief discussion is given of conditions in each State included tn the investi- 

 gations. 



III. Methods and cost of growing he^f cattle in the corn-belt States, 3. S. 

 Cotton, M. O. Cooper. W. F. Ward, and S. H. Ray.— The object of thLs study 

 was to determine as accurately as i)OSsible the cost of producing beef animals 

 om corn-belt farms. In order to get signific-ant figures, .o96 records were obtained 

 from farms chosen at random in the States of Indiana, Illinois. Minnesota, 

 Iowa, Missouri. South Dakota. Nebraska, and Kansas. An effort was made to 

 get at least 20 records in a locality. The farms vi.sited in the various States 

 ranged in size from an average of 294 acres in Indiana and Illinois to .566 in 

 Kansas. The value per acre ranged from $-59 in Indiana to $17.5 in Iowa. 

 Records were procured on 14.634 cows and 621 bulls, and on 12,591 calves pro- 

 duced from them, of which 2.023 were fattened for baby beef. 



The records were arranged in sis groups, classified as (1) beef (farms where 

 all the cows are kept strictly for beef, but not including farms producing baby 

 beef; (2) baby beef f farms on which the breeding herds are maintained for the 

 production of high-grade calves which are fattene<l on the same farm and sold 

 at from 12 to 18 months of age) ; (3) dual purpose (farms on which all of 

 the cows are milked, and either cream or butter sold, the calves being weaned 

 at birth and rai.sed on skim milk) ; (4) mixed (farms on which the practice is 

 to milk the best c-ows, their calves being weaned at birth and fed skim milk, 

 the calves from the other cows being allowed to run with their dams as in the 

 beef group) ; fo) partially milked f farms on which the calves are not weaned, 

 but on which a part of the milk is drawn from the cow. the calf taking the 

 remainder) ; and f6) double nursing r farms where some of the cows are milked 

 and their calves given to other cows, the latter raising two calves each). The 

 results are considered representative of the present-day operations of the corn- 

 belt stock farm. The following table shows for the six groups the various 

 factors that make up the cost of producing a yearling : 



Summary of the various factors that make up the cost of producing a yearling. 



Item. 



^^ Baby 



Nnmberoftanns I 230 M 110 102 65 22 



AversT" n^inT--*' of -WW" per ferm ! 31.30 I 34.5« 12.75 23.47 14.29 17.32 



Cost'-.'' " " - - reedin? herd 



f- .[ 



Ket CTjet of matntalniDg a bull I J42.27 



Calf crop: 



Percentage of crm% raising calves to 



■weaning time 



Ntiinber of calvea per ball. 



« The rtatement for th« baby-beef groop glvea Rgarm on th« calves ontfl they an marketed at zpTproxi' 



waUIj 15 months of aj^. 



J3.5.12 



$4.79 



S30.33 



S4.go 



20.90 



I36.77 



«.30 



S31.38 



$S3.26 



90.70 

 25.30 



Deal 

 porpcee. 



Mixed. 



Partially 

 mlllced. 



$5.0.14 



S49.07 



S6.07 



$37.51 



83.90 

 10.70 



$43.9.5 

 $24.72 i 

 $19.23 

 $46.79 



87.50 

 18.50 



$42.75 

 $21.43 

 $21.32 

 $34.14 



90.10 

 12.60 



Doabto 

 nuiaing. 



$4«.dO 

 $33.28 

 $13.24 

 $40.53 



92.10 

 15.00 



