52 Growing Feeder Steers in Western Xebraska 



class of western Nebraska farms and ranches, except that these 

 steers consumed no cheap or unmarketable forage to reduce 

 their cost. The steers were not of uniform breeding or color, 

 but were a good class of grades. The protection from storms, 

 the water facilities, the pasture and the forage were certainly 

 as favorable to profitable results as on the better managed 

 farms. The forage is charged at a rather low figure, considering 

 the value of land and the acreage necessary for a steer. We 

 believe that the man keeping steers where he feeds hay worth 

 the price charged in this experiment and pastures them in the 

 summer time on grass that costs the price charged here will 

 have approximately the same financial loss, unless he buys at a 

 lower price or sells at a higher price. We are accustomed to 

 think that it does not cost as much to raise a steer as is charged 

 in this test, but if we will observe closely the wintering of 

 cattle on many of the ranches we shall find that it is not un- 

 usual to feed two tons of hay per head of cattle. 



The farmer will reduce this cost by feeding forage that, be- 

 cause of its quality or of the distance from market, does not 

 command the price charged in this bulletin. In so far as he 

 does this he reduces the cost. The ranchman living a consider- 

 able distance from market feeds hay that can not be put on 

 the market because of the distance, and often pastures on land 

 that he neither owns nor rents. However, there are not many 

 cattle pastured in this manner now. But the man who feeds 

 hay that he could sell at the price per ton in the stack charged in 

 this bulletin is not making a profit from the steers. It w r ould 

 seem evident that under existing market prices the feeder cat- 

 tle must be wintered on forage worth less than the ordinary 

 market values. 



\Vli(ro the owner of the cattle raises his forage, he may 

 obtain a profit on the entire operation of growing forage and 

 feeding it to steers, but the profit will come from the price 

 charged for the forage. If the steers pay more than the cost of 



