A STUDY OP FARM ORGANIZATION IN CENTRAL KANSAS 
61 
business may have on the home life of the farm. In applying the 
economic factors affecting the choice of enterprises on his own farm, the 
farmer must decide whether the gains that may be obtained are 
sufficient to induce him to make the changes. 
Based upon such information as he has, the farmer chooses from 
year to year the kinds of crops to grow and the acres to be devoted to 
each. He chooses the kinds of livestock and the number of each 
kind to include in the business. In making these choices, the follow- 
ing factors should be considered: (1) Regional adaptation of the 
different enterprises; (2) variations in the use of the farmer's re- 
sources by different enterprises; (3) utilization of fixed resources; 
(4) rate of turnover of different enterprises; (5) changes in prices or 
costs. 
REGIONAL ADAPTATION 
The crops grown in any region are determined by climatic, soil, and 
other regional conditions. For the most part these factors have been 
taken into consideration unconsciously by the farmer; but in choosing 
new enterprises, or in making drastic changes, they must be recog- 
nized. The climatic variations of the region affect the production of 
certain crops. Corn is a good example of this in McPherson County 
(Table 33). The yields of corn on some of the 25 farms included in 
this study have varied from practically nothing to more than 50 
bushels within the past 10 years. Complete dependence upon corn 
as a feed crop is inadvisable, because a complete failure of corn would 
leave the business without farm-grown feed. By growing some of the 
sorghum crops and alfalfa, which do not require exactly the same 
weather conditions as does corn, the danger of complete failure of 
the feed crops is minimized. This insures a reasonable amount of 
feed each year and adds stability to the farm business. 
Complete dependence upon wheat has similar hazards. Wheat 
frequently fails to make a satisfactory yield or may fail entirely. A 
desirable farm organization should include crop enterprises which 
succeed under varying climatic conditions. Failure of all the crops 
grown within a particular locality within the same year is unusual. 
In a region where crop yields are so uncertain, the farmer can afford 
to sacrifice a part of the unusual profits that can be made in occa- 
sional years in order to safeguard the continuity of his income during 
the years of low yields or low prices. 
Table 33. — Average yields of wheat, oats, and corn harvested per acre in 
McPherson County, Kans., 1900-1922 
Year 
Wheat 
Oats 
Corn 
Year 
Wheat 
Oats 
Corn 
1900 
Bushels 
17.0 
19.0 
8.0 
9.0 
10.0 
13.0 
17.0 
12.0 
11.0 
15.0 
9.0 
14.0 
12.0 
Bushels 
32.0 
20.0 
37.0 
23.0 
16.0 
24.0 
24.0 
8.0 
28.0 
25.0 
36.0 
13.0 
28.0 
Bushels 
11.0 
2.0 
25.0 
24.0 
20.0 
28.0 
25.0 
26.0 
22.0 
22.0 
17.0 
14.0 
20.0 
1913 
Bushels 
14.0 
23.0 
13.0 
10.0 
15.0 
18.0 
12.0 
14.0 
13.0 
17.0 
Bushels 
17.0 
33.0 
33.0 
29.0 
27.0 
26.0 
24.0 
28.0 
18.0 
22.0 
Bushels 
1.0 
1901 -. 
1914 
1915... 
17.0 
1902 
39.0 
1903 
1904 
1916 
6.0 
1917 
13.0 
1905 
1918 
6.0 
1906 
1919 
9.0 
1907 
1920 
21.0 
1908. 
1921 
1922. 
7.0 
1909 
19.0 
Average 
1910.-- . -.- 
13.7 
24. S 
1911 
17.1 
1912 
