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



tion, thus reducing the production of wheat for sale by a fourth. The 

 livestock enterprise has received additional emphasis; the feed base 

 for livestock has been stabilized; and the labor requirements have 

 been lessened. 



When inventory increases are applied to reductions in income in- 

 curred in shifting to the alternate plan with no wheat, such losses are 

 cut to $1,046 under the medium price level and $1,412 under the high 

 price level. Ten years of full production are required to offset this 

 loss under the high price level. With medium prices it would be im- 

 possible to recoup these losses inasmuch as the income is slightly less 

 per year than under the former plan. 



Shifts to the alternative plan, especially under a medium price level, 

 may appear prohibitive at first. However, these losses are minimized 

 in part by reductions in annual cash operating expenses of $383 under 

 the high level and $308 with the medium level. Moreover, the income 

 under this system can be expected to be more stable. In this area 

 precipitation varies greatly from year to year and severe droughts are 

 a frequent occurrence, resulting in low yields and failures. Because 

 grass is less subject than wheat to the hazards of drought, a shift in 

 the direction of more grass and storage of high-quality hay as a feed 

 reserve would reduce risk and give greater stability to income. 



In addition, these ranchers are primarily livestockmen, most of 

 whom appear to be only fair farmers, and such adjustments in or- 

 ganization and operations would place the ranch more in line with the 

 operator's capabilities. Although the proper balance between enter- 

 prises and the extent to which forage may be profitably increased 

 varies from ranch to ranch, it is apparent that wheat-cattle ranches, 

 such as the one discussed here, can profitably use excess wheat acreage 

 for production of additional forage. 



Details of year-to-year changes in reorganization, expenses, and 

 income necessitated in shifting from the former to the present and 

 alternative plans, are presented in tables 19 and 20 (pp. 82-87). 



CRESTED WHEAT GRASS IN CROP ROTATIONS 



For many years the conservation of cropland in the drier areas of 

 the northern Great Plains has been a recognized problem. It has 

 been difficult to develop rotations for this area capable of maintaining 

 soil fertility and soil structure and, at the same time, of preventing 

 wind and water erosion. Thus far no legume has been developed 

 which is practicable for widespread use in rotations for the northern 

 Great Plains. Many now feel that crested wheat grass may provide 

 the basis for a crop rotation that will help to conserve the soil of this 

 region. It is ideally suited to the northern Great Plains as it does 

 well in cool areas with limited rainfall. Its widespreading and pene- 

 trating root system helps to improve the soil structure and to increase 

 its humus content. Although experimental data are lacking, a num- 

 ber of research workers and farmers believe that a rotation of crested 

 wheat grass and wheat results in higher yields for both crops. 



Table 14 illustrates the effects of including crested wheat grass in 

 the crop rotation on the organization, income, and production of a 

 wheat-cattle ranch in southwestern North Dakota. For the last 20 

 years the operator of this unit has used crested wheat grass in rotations 

 with wheat. On 650 acres of his cropland he has followed a 13-year 



