2 BULLETIN 693, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGEICULTTJKE, 



There was a direct relation between the distance the beets were 

 hauled and the cost per ton for marketing. 



The total costs presented in this bulletin are based upon the pro- 

 duction of 1,461 acres of sugar beets in the Garland area, 833 acres 

 of beets in the Provo district, and 735 acres of beets in the vicinity 

 of Idaho Falls. The average beet yields for these acreages varied 

 from 13 and a fraction tons at Idaho Falls to approximately 15 

 tons for the Provo and Garland districts. 



Labor costs constituted 54.4 to 58.3 per cent of the total expense 

 of production on the farms visited in this study. This included all 

 man-and-horse labor; also the contract labor. The next largest item 

 was interest on investment in land, which approximated 23.3 per 

 cent of the total costs in the Garland area, 25.5 per cent at Provo, 

 and 21.1 per cent at Idaho Falls. 



The total cost of production per acre was S69.03, or $4.65 per ton, 

 for the Garland growers; $69.59 per acre, or $4.65 per ton, for Provo; 

 and $62.68 per acre, or $4.60 per ton, for Idaho Falls. 



The total credits per acre were $74.40 at Garland, $74.20 at Provo, 

 and $69.46 at Idaho Falls, thus givuig a profit of $5.37, $4.61, and, 

 $6.78 per acre for the respective areas. The estimated value of the 

 beet tops was included in these credits. 



In the Garland and Provo areas sugar-beet production proved to 

 be the most important enterprise of the farms that were visited. 

 Over 40 per cent of the total farm receipts were secured from the sale 

 of sugar beets. At Idaho Falls sugar beets and potatoes were of 

 about equal importance. 



The facts brought out m this study indicate that yield per acre is 

 an essential factor in reducing the cost per ton and consequently in 

 increasing profits. Any change in the system of farm management 

 that will contribute to increased yield without materially increasing 

 the cost of production should receive the consideration of the grower. 



A study of the returns on these farms emphasizes the fact that a 

 large number of operators did not have a margin of profit after allow- 

 ance had been made for all expenses connected with the production 

 of this crop, including interest on investment. 



OBJECT. 



This investigation was undertaken for the purpose of making a 

 study of the methods of farm practice which have been adopted in 

 a few of the more important areas where the sugar beet has come 

 to occupy a paramount place in the cropping system. Some pre- 

 liminary observations were made in these areas during the years 

 1910 and 1911. The work at that time was confined entirely to 

 farm -practice studies. Cultural information was sought with a view 



