ECONOMIC USE OF FORAGES IN LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION 15 
NET RETURNS FROM 100 ACRES 
This analysis shows the forage-grain combination that results in 
the largest livestock production from an acre of land. Generally, the 
crop rotation-livestock ration system that allows a maximum produc- 
tion of livestock from a given acreage also results in the largest net 
returns for a given expenditure of labor, equipment, and land. They 
may vary, however, with the prices of the products and the costs of the 
various production factors. Net livestock returns from 100 acres with 
the rotation and ration combination which allows the largest milk 
output per 100 acres and another forage-grain combination involving 
a higher proportion of forage are compared for two price periods in 
table 7. 
Taste 7.—Costs and returns from livestock produced with two crop- 
rotation and livestock-ration systems on 100 acres of Marshall silt- 
loam soils, 1937-41, and 1944-48 prices 
Maximum milk pro-| jternative system. 
ea system (35.3 <(O8.3\cowrs)! oT 
Ttem Pa Su Os BLED a 
; 1937-41 1944-48 1937-41 1944-48 
prices prices prices prices 
Dollars Dollars Dollars Dollars 
Grossireturm 2h 2 es ew AE es Ae doh a 5, 87 Or WwA2S 231 4, 694 Oe Aria 
Costs: or a. Neat 
UDOT ee rae te ie i Oe em 1, 624 4,307 1, 297 3, 440 
Interest on investment: 
LIVESTOCK MRC Me teil ho Ueee eS 199 453 159 362 
Buildings and equipment___-_-___- 152 264 121 211 
Feed: 
Productionom farm ' 222200 aes 1, 237 1, 816 1, 300 1, 940 
Supplementary. 220s 2 Sse ea 106 198 85 158 
Miscellaneous expense_____________- 193 310 155 247 
Motalees: 2000 cents dye ya SoM fl i848 | 38, 117 6, 358 
INTE CPE CUTE Te ee peat ear aE WN 2, 365 4, 883 Lo f 3, 413 
Investment: Deo) Ra eoeare ees, 
Livestock /_U i! - POE Ae wee A 3, 984 9, 056 3, 183 7, 234 
Buildings and equipment. 22-2. 2222 3, 794 6, 594 3, 031 5, 267 
lI Fe Ui Me 9h es A A is IN Nt CMI ae TW, 40S | 15; 650 6, 214 12, 501 
Hae, Gea of crop production costs, see Heady, Earl O., and Jensen, 
On 100 acres of land of the type described in table 6, feeds consisting 
of 180,700 pounds of forage and 210,800 pounds of grain would be 
produced annually, if the crop rotation that allows maximum produe- 
tion of milk from the 100 acres were followed. This quantity of feed 
would support 35.3 dairy cows, each producing 8,500 pounds of milk 
annually, on a ration of 5,120 pounds forage and 5,973 pounds grain. 
If a different ration—one consisting of 8,500 pounds of forage and 
3,156 pounds of grain, for example—were used, the 100 acres would 
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