COST OF PRODUCING WHEAT. 



19 



wheat land was in such condition as a result of heavy rains that an 

 8-foot binder was able to cut but one-third to one-half of a full swath. 

 The influence of such conditions on labor requirements not only in 

 cutting but in shocking such wheat is apparent The abandonment 

 of a high percentage of the acreage has a decided effect on acre cost. 

 Rent or interest on land, the value of which ranged from $30 to over 

 $200 per acre in the spring-wheat areas, is also a big item in acre- 

 cost variation, just as is high or low yields on share-rented farms. 

 Other items of cost were less variable, but each contribute!! its part 

 to the range in acre costs as shown for these farms. 



Could each wheat farmer foresee the cost per acre of production, 

 and furthermore forecast with any degree of accuracy the yield for 

 any given year, farming as well as cost of production studies would 

 be much simplified. But unfortunately, this is not the case, and 

 while such information for one year is of considerable value, it is only 

 after data of this nature have been obtained for a number of years 

 that plans for farm organization can be undertaken with best results. 

 These cost figures, therefore, should be treated as preliminary, repre- 

 sentative of but one year's work. They should be supplemented by 

 similar figures for years to come to make them applicable as fixed 

 standards for individual farmers. 



(Further variations in the cost per acre and per bushel on farms 

 operated by landowners are shown in Table XXXVII, appendix, 

 where an itemized statement is recorded for each farm visited.) 



VARIATION IN NET COST PER ACRE. 



In figures 4 and 5 the spring-wheat and winter-wheat farms have 

 been grouped according to cost per acre, without regard to counties. 

 In the spring-wheat area 88 of the 197 farms came within the $20 

 to $25 class. Next in importance were the farms with costs ranging 

 from $25 to $30 per acre, followed closely by the group with cost 

 under $20 per acre. Few farms had costs of over $30. 



Table IX. — Variation in net cost per acre, spring and winter wheat, 1919 (481 farms). 



Net cost per acre. 



SPRING WHEAT. 



Under $20 



$20 to $25 



$25 to $30 



$30 to $35 



$35 to $40 



$40 and over 



WINTER "WHEAT. 



Under $20 



$20 to $25 



$25 to $30 



$30 to $35 



$35 to $40 



$40 and over 



Num- 

 ber of 

 farms. 



Cumula- 

 tive 

 per cent 

 of farms. 



Per cent. 

 23.4 

 68.1 

 93.4 

 99.0 

 99.5 

 100.0 



7.8 

 26.1 

 46.9 

 69.7 

 87.0 

 100.0 



Seeded. 



Acres. 



10, 389 



22, 224 



10,066 



1,278 



210 



51 



11,773 

 10, 823 

 8,343 

 5,044 

 2,489 



Harvest- 

 ed. 



Acres. 



10, 156 



21,962 



9,440 



1,178 



60 



51 



5,193 

 11,485 

 10,537 

 8,206 

 4,924 

 2,369 



Cumula- 

 tive per 



cent har- 

 vested. 



Acres. 

 23.7 

 75.0 

 97.0 

 99.8 

 99.9 

 100.0 



12.2 

 39.1 

 63.8 

 83.0 

 94.5 

 100.0 



Produc- 

 tion. 



Bushels. 

 62,855 

 196, 224 

 89, 432 

 12, 618 

 423 

 495 



46,437 

 141,542 

 160,860 

 146, 151 

 92, 508 

 47, 626 



Cumula- 

 tive pro- 

 duction. 



Bushels. 

 62,855 

 259, 079 

 348, 511 

 361, 129 

 361,552 

 362, 047 



46,437 

 187, 979 

 348, 839 

 494,990 

 587,498 

 635, 124 



Produc- 

 tion. 



Per cent. 

 17.4 

 71.6 

 96.3 

 99.8 

 99.9 

 100.0 



7.3 



29.6 

 54.9 

 77.9 

 92.5 

 100.0 



