ANNUAT. REPORT, 1Q40 5 



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS 

 AND FARM MANAGEMENT 



A. H. Lindsey in Charge 



Enterprise Relationships and Farm Organization on Selected Farms in 

 Massachusetts. (C. R. Creek.) 



Costs and Returns of Grozmng Beans for Canning in Massachusetts. Super- 

 vised records of costs and returns were kept by 22 of the 54 farmers who 

 grew green and wax canning beans for the first time in 1940. Acreage 

 was contracted with each grower and the price established at $2.50 per 

 hundredweight for grade A beans and $1.00 per hundredweight for grade 

 R. These 22 growers had 10.75 acres of wax and 30.9 acres of green 

 pencil pod beans, which yielded 2371 pounds and 4528 pounds per acre, 

 respectively. For all the farms that kept records, 82 percent of the wax 

 beans and 80 percent of the green beans were grade A. Since price was 

 determined entirely upon grade, the wax beans were delivered for $2,227 

 and the green beans for $2,196 per hundredweight or $2.20 for all beans. 



Cash costs included expense for seed, fertilizer, lime, dust material, rent, 

 taxes, tractor and truck fuel, and hired labor for growing and harvesting. 

 Family labor at 20 cents per hour and 20 cents per bushel for pickmg, 

 and use of horses and machinery were added to these expenses to obtain 

 total or farm costs for the enterprise. For all farms the cash cost was 

 $74.75 per acre, $1.88 per hundredweight of beans, or 49 cents per bushel. 

 The farm cost was $83.70 per acre, $2.11 per hundredweight and 55 cents 

 per Inishel. On 18 of these farms there was a net gain over cash costs, 

 ranging from $1.31 to six cents per hundredweight; but only nine farms 

 showed a gain over total farm costs, which ranged from 70 to 10 cents 

 per hundredweight. Two farms had very large losses in cash and farm 

 costs because of high growing expenses and low yields. 



The seven farms that had the lowest costs per hundredweight of beans 

 had much greater yields of higher quality beans on a larger acreage than 

 the seven farms with highest costs. Farm cost was $1.84 and $3.22 per 

 hundredweight and cash costs $1.75 and $2.52 respectively for these two 

 groups. The low-cost farms showed a gain of 37 cents per hundredweight 

 or $18.85 per acre over farm costs and 46 cents or $23.20 gain over cash 

 costs. The bean enterprise was a losing proposition on the seven high- 

 cost farms, with a cash loss of 40 cents per hundredweight or $8.50 per 

 acre or a loss of $1.10 per hundredweight or $23.40 per acre when total 

 farm costs were charged. Failure of the wax bean crop, low yields, and 

 poor quality were the chief reasons for the losses on these farms. 



Beans can be grown for canning in Massachusetts despite high labor 

 and land costs if the farmer knows how to grow beans. The net return 

 per acre will be smaller than in a j'ear of good market prices, but a return 

 is guaranteed by the contract if the beans can be grown for less than the 

 established price. Commercial vegetable growers on large farms produced 

 these beans for a profit in 1940 although many small growers lost money. 

 Grass Silage on Massachusetts Dairy Farms. The most common use of 

 grass or hay silage in 1939 was to supplement summer pasture during the 

 drouth in July and August. It was also used instead of green feed in the 

 summer, as a supplement to corn silage in winter feeding, and in place 

 of corn silage on some farms. Records on 72 farms throughout the state 

 showed that 10,600 tons of molasses silage were made from 1477 acres of 



