INPUT AS RELATED TO OUTPUT 
25 
For the simplest case, it will be assumed that a given feeder can 
buy or sell all of his corn and hay, so that the quantity fed of either 
can be adjusted to the exact rate desired. It is also possible, of course, 
to start out with cattle of different initial weights and fed for 
periods of various lengths. Only one length of period, 138 days, 
will be used and one weight of cattle, 847 pounds. A complete pres- 
entation would include examples under all of the possible combi- 
nations. 15 
Table 24 contains the estimates of daily gains per head under 
these assumptions. 16 
Table 24. — Probable daily gains per head from feeding various combinations 
of corn and alfalfa hay to steers of 8^7 pounds initial weight for 138 days 
(Computed from Table 20) 
Corn input per head per day (pounds) 
Hay input per head (pounds per day) 
Pork by- 
product 
8 
12 
16 
20 
(pounds 
per day) 
10 ... 
1.61 
1.96 
2.27 
2.41 
1.81 
2.16 
2.47 
2.61 
1.98 
2.33 
2.64 
2.78 
2.13 
2.48 
2.79 
0) 
0.198 
15 
0.273 
20 _. :- 
0.317 
25-- - - 
0.343 
1 Very few droves received as much as 20 pounds of roughage and 25 pounds of grain; hence this combina- 
tion was not calculated. 
Feed is only one part of the costs entering into the product, how- 
ever. Some of the other costs, such as interest, marketing expense, 
and general overhead, are independent of the intensity of feeding; 
others, such as labor, tend to increase with more intensive feeding, 
though not in the same proportion. In a complete analysis the 
extent to which these other costs varied with changes in feeding 
practices should be determined and taken into account in determin- 
ing the least-cost combination. Since no analysis of the labor 
requirements in beef production or of the other items mentioned has 
been attempted with the present example, the computation of the 
least-cost combination as feed inputs change will have to ignore 
accompanying variations in labor input. The costs other than feed 
averaged $11.20 per head for the 67 droves on which this study is 
based; this will therefore be applied as a flat charge per head in 
making the next computation. 
The following tables show the most probable costs per pound of 
gain under the assumptions stated with different combinations of 
feeds, and for different prices of corn and hay. 17 Pork by-product 
15 That is, the illustration applies to only two variables of a five or more variable 
problem. The complete problem requires securing the best combination as regards input 
of corn, hay, and protein concentrates, labor, length of feeding period, initial weight of 
cattle, quality of cattle, etc. 
16 The daily gains were estimated as previously explained. Table 20 shows that 8 
pounds of hay per day should result in a gain of 0.46 pound of beef : and 10 pounds of 
corn, 1.15 pounds. It can further be determined from the figures of Table 20 that animals 
on feed 138 days would make 100 per cent of these predicted beef gains, and that animals 
weighing 847 pounds at the beginning would make 100 per cent of the predicted beef 
gains. Hence the estimated daily gain for beef animals fed 8 pounds of roughage and 10 
.rounds of corn, under the conditions stated, would be : 
(0.46 + 1.15) (100%) (1007c )=1.61 pounds, 
ving the daily gain shown for that particular combination oi inputs. The other figures 
or beef and pork by-products were calculated in a similar manner. 
17 Prices of corn or hay or both may change, because of variations in yield and the like, 
without any changes in labor, equipment, rent, and similar costs. If all costs rose in pro- 
portion, as is approximately the case with price-level changes, there might be no change 
in the least-cost combination. 
g 
