INPUT AS RELATED TO OUTPUT 37 
One type of standard, however, needs to be related only to output 
and input. This standard may properly be called the standard of 
efficiency, or output per unit of input. It is thus a purely physical 
standard. With tables and curves, such as presented under "Analy- 
ses" as guides, a producer should be able to determine the output 
per unit of input obtained upon the average from the same com- 
bination of inputs as his own under conditions such as prevail on his 
farm. If he does not attain this, it must be because of less efficient 
labor, equipment, livestock, crop varieties, and the like. The average 
efficiency may thus serve as a standard. 
The types of standards usually presented, however, are the " unit 
requirement" standards and the "standard costs." A general aver- 
age input is the usual form for a unit requirement standard. Ob- 
viously, it is not well fitted to the purpose. First of all, it must be 
broken up into several standards, according to differences in cultural 
or feeding practices and differences in conditions affecting produc- 
tion. It is impossible and useless to provide standards for all possible 
variations in practices or conditions; but all the more important 
and typical variations should be provded for, so that a farmer can 
make a "reasonably close fit to the conditions on his particular farm. 
Moreover, a standard can not be stated without reference to those 
inputs which give the largest return per unit of input, or to the 
least-cost and most profitable combinations of input, or to the most 
profitable combinations of enterprises. An average of a large number 
of inputs, many of which are far from being most advantageous, 
surely can not without f urtner analysis be set up as a standard which 
others should seek to attain. 
Two procedures are possible for overcoming this difficulty. One is 
to forecast average cost rates and average prices for the next 5 or 10 
years, to calculate on the basis of these the most profitable combina- 
tion of inputs and enterprises, and to set up the inputs of the vari- 
ous cost elements accompanying such combinations as the standard 
inputs, with the idea that producers who most nearly attain to these 
during the next 5 or 10 years will probably make the largest profits. 
This also amounts practically to setting up standard combinations 
of enterprises. 
The other procedure is to forecast cost rates and prices for next 
year only and set up standard inputs for next year only. 
Following either procedure, it will be necessary to set up the 
standards in such a way that they can be used to fit individual farm 
variations. 
Part of the trouble with production standards in the past has 
been the attempt to express them in the form of " standard costs." 
Such standard costs have very little use. In the first place, they 
are out of date before they are published. In the second place, they 
combine in one figure, input, cost rates per unit of input, and output, 
all of which must be known as separate facts before the standard 
cost can be applied to a particular farm. Sometimes they merely 
combine input and cost rates per unit of input, as in standard costs 
per acre, etc. This only makes them somewhat more usable. A 
better plan is to present only inputs and outputs per unit of input, 
and then let the producer apply his own cost rates if he sees any 
purpose in so doing. Each producer will need to adjust the input 
and output data as closely as possible to his particular farm. 
