16 



BULLETIN 963, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTUEE. 



or sheep to feed. This provided a cash return to the farmer and 

 was considered in the present analysis. (Table X.) 



BEET ACREAGE PER FARM AND PER ACRE IN RELATION TO COST. 



As has already been pointed out, yield per acre is an important 

 factor when making a study of crop costs. The number of acres 

 planted per farm also appears to exert influence on cost of produc- 

 tion. (Table XII.) 



Increasing the yield per acre made the total cost per acre greater, 

 but each successive increase in yield reduced the cost per ton. It 

 would seem that the grower who is producing from 15 to 18 tons per 

 acre, either in smaU, medium, or comparatively large tracts, can grow 

 and market these beets at a much lower cost per ton than the man who 

 gets 12 tons or less per acre under similar conditions. With greater 

 efficiency in handling a few of the major operations, higher yields 

 would undoubtedly result, and this in turn would appreciably 

 increase the margin above cost. In Table XII there are at least two 

 groups too small to be safely used as a basis for conclusions, but the 

 general trend of the farm in the respective groups indicates that 

 yield per acre is an important factor and that the farms with the 

 larger acreages in sugar beets produced the crop more economically 

 than the smaller farms. 



Table XII. — -Acres in beets and yield jper acre as influencing cost of production. 





Yield 12 tons or 

 less per acre. 



Yield 12 to 15 

 tons. 



Yield 15 to 18 

 tons. 



Yield over 18 

 tons. 



Acres in sugar beets. 



Num- 

 ber of 

 farms. 



Cost 

 per 

 acre. 



Cost 

 per 

 ton. 



Num- 

 ber of 

 farms. 



Cost 

 per 

 acre. 



Cost 

 per 

 ton. 



Num- 

 ber of 

 farms. 



Cost 

 per 

 acre. 



Cost 

 per 

 ton. 



Num- 

 ber of 

 farms. 



Cost 

 per 

 acre. 



Cost 

 per 

 ton. 



Under 10 



42 

 24 

 13 



$124. 24 

 110. 11 

 121.95 



S13.99 

 12.29 

 13.69 



27 



SI 47. 45 



$10. 45 28 

 9. 45! 15 

 8.65 14 



$142. 73 

 132. 13 

 132.42 



$8.59 

 8.01 

 7.98 



24 

 7 

 1 



$162. 81 

 136. 54 

 127. 55 



$7.45 



10 to 15... 



11 134.95 

 14 122. a3 



6.73 





6.54 



















RANGE IN COST PER TON. 



The accompanying frequency chart (fig. 3) shows the distribution 

 of farm operators in these four districts on the basis of cost per ton in 

 producing sugar beets. In this study the records for the two crop 

 years 1918-19 have been combined. There were two growers in 

 these areas who produced sugar beets at a cost of $5 per ton. These 

 men obtained an average yield of 24 tons per acre. The maximum 

 unit cost for an individual farm was $35 per ton, incurred by an 

 operator who had a yield of but 3 tons per acre. Another individual 

 had a cost of $34 per ton. Here the yield was approximately 7 tons 

 per acre harvested, but a part of the planted acreage was abandoned. 



