COST OF PRODUCINO WHEAT 



161 



these figures are merely estimates and are now far too low, 

 the large number of reports which are included make them 

 of considerable value. A presentation of the acre value, acre 

 cost, and value less cost for the different sections, as shown 

 in Table VIII, is of interest. 



Table VIII. Acre value, acre cost, and value less cost of production 

 of wheat in various sections of the United States in 1909, as 

 reported by correspondents of the Bureau of Crop Estimates. 



From Table VIII, it will be seen that the cost of pro- 

 duction in the North Atlantic states is particularly high. 

 Everj'^ item of expense is larger than the average for the entire 

 countrj^, but the greatest increase is in fertilizers and cost of 

 preparation. The acre value is also high, as both the acre 

 yield and the price per bushel are above the average. The 

 largest difference between value and cost is in the Far Western 

 states, due to the high yield and the moderate cost of pro- 

 duction. In the states of largest production. North Dakota, 

 Kansas, and Minnesota, the acre cost of production in 1909 

 was $8.99, $10.29, and $10 respectively. No accurate figures 

 on cost of production have been published recently, but like 

 all other farm operations the cost of wheat production has 

 increased enormouslj^ in the past ten years. It is probable 

 that acre costs are at least double now (1918) what they 

 were in 1909, but acre values have also increased greatly, so 

 that the profit from producing wheat is greater than it was 

 ten years earlier. 



