The Lake States. While the Lake States are an important region in terms of 

 their production of livestock and poultry products, a smaller proportion of the 

 feed volume fed is purchased as a commercially mixed feed (Table 4). Farmers, 

 especially dairymen and swine producers, are more likely to feed their own 



Table A. Regional Summary of Least Cost and Least Energy Rations, Lake States, 1976 



grains and purchase a protein supplement or an occasional feed ingredient than 

 they are to buy a commercially mixed feed ration. For example, dairymen will 

 feed their milk cows more than six million tons of grain and other concentrates 

 in 1976; however, only about ten percent of this volume will be purchased in the 

 form of a commercially mixed feed ration. 



It is estimated that Lake State farmers will feed their livestock and poultry 

 about three million tons of commercially mixed feed this year. If energy 

 minimizing rations were substituted for least cost rations, roughly 2.5 trillion 

 BTU could be saved; this is comparable to about 20 million gallons of gasoline. 

 In the aggregate, farmers would have to pay about $42 million more for their 

 feed, or $L70 per 100,000 BTU saved. 



As a consequence of the increased feed cost, farmers would have to receive a 

 higher price for their product. For example, dairymen would need a milk price 

 about three cents per hundredweight higher; egg producers would have to receive 

 almost three cents more per dozen eggs; turkey producers would need an 

 additional four cents per pound of bird marketed. 



The Corn Belt. Of the six regions considered, the Corn Belt was found to be 

 both the least cost and least energy region. It is estimated that Corn Belt farmers 

 will feed more than seven million tons of commercially mixed feed in 1976 

 (Table 5). If least energy rations were fed, an energy savings of more than five 



Table 5. Regional Summary of Least Cost and Least Energy Rations, Corn Belt, 1976 



I 



