ECONOMIC USE OF FORAGES IN LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION 19 
amount of forage required considerably more labor than either those 
handled on the high-grain ration or those fed a high proportion of 
forage. Also, labor requirements per dairy cow are shown to de- 
crease as the proportion of forage in the ration increases. This is 
primarily because of the higher milk producticn per cow on the 
high-grain rations. Labor requirements per pig increase as the 
proportion of forage in the ration is increased. ‘This increase is due 
to the extra work involved in handling the bulkier feeds in the case 
of hogs fed chopped hay and to the longer feeding period in the 
case of hogs fed on pasture. 
SEASONAL DISTRIBUTION OF LABOR 
Distribution of labor requirements must be considered in deciding 
the best feeding system if farmers are to avoid periods of low em- 
ployment as well as periods that require the hiring of additional labor. 
The estimated monthly distribution of labor requirements for alter- 
native feeding systems are shown in table 8. The percentage of the 
total labor required each month for handling dairy cows is not affected 
appreciably by the proportion of forage in the ration. In the case, 
of yearling steers, the systems that involve a higher proportion of 
forage in the ration require a higher proportion of labor in fall 
months and considerably less labor in summer months, when the 
cattle are on pasture. Of the various hog-feeding systems considered, 
hogs fed different proportions of forage in the form of chopped hay 
in dry lot exhibit little differences in distribution of labor throughout 
the year. However, of hogs fed on pasture, those fed the higher pro- 
portion of forage require a somewhat longer production period and 
more labor in the fall than those fed little or no forage. In the case 
of hog production it is possible to vary the time of farrowing con- 
siderably and thus to arrange the work load to fit the availability of 
labor with any one of the several rations. 
Returns From LaAsor 
Labor is often a “rationed” factor. Many farmers are not in 
position to hire additional labor when they want it. Some lack 
facilities for keeping hired men. Some families may not be willing 
to share the home with hired labor. For a variety of reasons, many 
farmers want to keep labor requirements low and to distribute the 
work load in such a way that the need for hiring additional labor is 
minimized. A limited labor supply may restrict a farmer’s ability 
to utilize a large quantity of forage. Unless he has sufficient labor 
to expand his livestock systems to a size capable of consuming all 
the complementary forage produced, it will not be profitable to grow 
more than enough forage to bring total production of grain to a 
maximum. The labor required to consume the complementary forage 
through alternative feeding systems is consequently important in 
deciding whether it would pay to extend the grain-forage combination 
into the competitive range. 
Column 2 of table 8 shows the total hours of labor that would be 
required to handle enough livestock to consume 100 tons of forage 
under each feed-utilization system. A farmer who produces 100 tons 
