36 MISC. PUBLICATION 7 02, U. S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE 



Tentative Conclusions 



The foregoing analysis of the economic possibilities of producing 

 and using forages on three Corn Belt farms leads to the following 

 tentative conclusions : 



(1) New investments in the farm business are essential in establish- 

 ing and operating farm production plans which involve production 

 and use of large quantities of forage on cash-grain and some general 

 farms of the Corn Belt. 



(2) "High-forage" systems of farming in the Corn Belt involve 

 larger cash expenditures than cash-grain systems and some general 

 farming systems. When feeder cattle are bought to utilize large quan- 

 tities of forage, the farmer increases his risk of financial loss. 



(3) Although many high-forage systems of farming in the Corn 

 Belt increase net cash farm income compared with present cash-grain 

 and general systems, not all of them do and each farmer will do well to 

 analyze his own situation carefully before making the shift. In some 

 instances, although net cash farm income is increased, the difference is 

 not enough to encourage adoption of the system. 



(4) Net cash farm income from the high-forage systems in the Corn 

 Belt would be larger, in nearly every instance, under the high level of 

 prices than under the medium level. Compared with the net cash farm 

 income to be obtained from present systems of farming under both 

 medium and high levels of prices, the percentage increase in income 

 resulting from a shift to more forage would be greater mider medium 

 prices than under high prices. This feature grows out of the relation- 

 ships between grain and livestock prices in the two levels of prices. 

 The result would be different were these relationships changed. 



(5) Less corn and soybeans would be sold from Corn Belt farms for 

 a few years after they were changed over to the production and utili- 

 zation of large quantities of forage, At the same time the quantity of 

 oats sold would be reduced very little and often it would be increased. 

 In time, however, because of the soil-building effects of the high-legume 

 rotations and continued progress in other phases of good soil manage- 

 ment and in crop production, more corn could be sold under some high- 

 forage systems than is now marketed under the cash-grain system. 

 Fewer soybeans would continue to be sold from the farm. However, 

 the total amount of digestible nutrients in the corn and oats marketed 

 could be about as much as is now represented in the combined sales of 

 corn, oats, and soybeans. 



(6) Corn Belt farmers generally would put in more days of work 

 in carrying out systems of farming which involve the production and 

 use of large amounts of forage than in handling present cash-grain 

 and some of the general farming systems. Even though net cash farm 

 income were increased, the return for each hour of labor would not 

 be so large as under present farming systems. 



(7) Much of the extra labor, however, would come during the winter 

 months, making a more uniform distribution of work throughout the 

 year. 



(8) Power requirements of farms, measured in terms of hours of 

 tractor use, are not lowered materially by high-forage systems com- 

 pared with cash-grain and general systems. 



(9) Achievement of the high-forage systems of farming outlined 

 here for selected farms of the Corn Belt would involve changes of 



