COST OF PRODUCING SUGAR BEETS IN UTAH AND IDAHO. 



11 



The common practice ivsls to plant beet seed at the rate of 15 

 pounds per acre. The seed was sold to the grower at approxi- 

 mately 15 cents per pound, thus making a uniform rate of S2.25 

 per acre. Several farmers used less than 15 pounds per acre, and as 

 a result three districts have an acre charge for seed which is some- 

 what less than $2.25. 



WATKR ASSESSMENTS. 



The farms in the Garland area reported an assessment of approxi- 

 mately 11 per acre for irrigation water. This group, however, con- 

 tained some rented farms. In such cases the water assessments 

 were not paid by the operator, but were included with the rent. 

 When these farms are included the average cost is lower than $1 

 per acre. 



OTHER COSTS. 



''Other costs" are charges which apply to the farm as a whole. 

 They must, therefore, be distributed so that each enterprise will 

 carry its proper proportion of the general expenses. Such items as 

 insurance, taxes, interest on land, land rent, machinery charges, and 

 miscellaneous expense constitute this list. (Table VII.) 



Table VII. — Other costs — uac of land, taxes, overhead, etc. 





Year. 



Num- 

 ber of 

 farms. 



Total 

 acres 

 har- 

 vested. 



Cost per acre. 





District. 



Use of 

 land. 



Taxes 

 and 

 insur- 

 ance. 



Inter- 

 est on 

 bor- 

 rowed 

 mon- 

 ey. 



Ma- 

 chin- 

 ery. 



Roller 

 hire. 



Loss 

 due to 

 aban- 

 doned 

 acre- 

 age. 



Over- 

 head. 



Total. 



Cost 

 Iier 

 ton. 



Lehi, Utah 



Garlaiifl, Utah. . 



Idaho Falls atui 

 Blaokfoot, 

 Idaho 



1918 

 1918 



1918 

 1919 



44 

 58 



74 

 44 



303.5 

 766 



892. -.i 

 687. 03 



$18. 82 

 22.77 



19.99 

 34.29 



$1.92 

 l.:<6 



1.J9 

 .3.70 



"so'.bi' 



S9.24 

 8.52 



8.74 

 7.19 



$0.20 

 .16 



.09 

 .04 



$0.95 

 .29 



"3.24 



SIO. 95 

 8.93 



7.dR 



$42.08 

 42.07 



40.81 

 53. 51 



$2.61 

 2.66 



3.12 



Twin Falls, 

 Idaho 



.S.9Q 



4.90 











a In these areas 7.8 per cent of the sugar beet acreage was abandoned. 

 USE OF LAND. 



Every farm owner has a given amount of capital invested in land 

 and a reasonable return is expected annually. In some methods of 

 accounting it is customary to omit the ''rent" charge, but in this 

 study allowance is in all cases made for use of land. A large number 

 of farmers in these areas have mortgages on their farms, and they pay 

 a definite rate of interest annually. Clearly this intert'st is charge- 

 able against the crop grown upon the land. Similarly, interest on 

 investment should be charged against crops grown on lanil not 



