COST OF PRODUCING WINTER WHEAT IN OREGON 6 
This study was begun early in the summer of 1921. Detailed 
information was obtained relative to the earnings on these farms as 
weU as the cost of the factors of production. These have been 
reported in terms of physical requirements wherever possible. An 
attempt has been made to analyze the quantity requirements of 
labor and materials in the operation of these farms and to measure 
the effect of differences in methods and practices on costs and 
returns. 2 
EXTENT OF STUDY AND METHOD OF PROCURING DATA 
The data on which this bulletin is based were obtained by personal 
interviews with actual farm operators in a study of the cost of 
winter wheat production and farm organization for 1920, 1921, 
and 1922. The study is based on 450 farm records, of which 145 
are for the calendar year 1920, 153 for 1921, and 152 for 1922. 
The number of farms included in the tables is dependent on the 
data to be shown. Certain farms have been omitted from some of 
the tables because of incomplete data or other irregularities, ren- 
dering them incomparable with other farms included in the study. 
AREA STUDIED 
Sherman County, Oreg., is located in an upland area of the south- 
western portion of the Columbia River basin. The average annual 
precipitation at Moro, in Sherman County, is about 11.5 inches. 
Practically all of the rainfall occurs during the period from Sep- 
tember to June, inclusive. The topography is characterized by 
nearly level to very rolling slopes and is broken by canyons. The 
more rugged portions of the area are devoted principally to grazing 
purposes. The agricultural history of the region shows a gradual 
transition from a grazing country to one of wheat production by 
haphazard methods, followed by the present system of good summer 
fallow practice. Dry-farming methods are well established (fig. 2). 
TENURE 
Owner and share-rent systems are the only tenure systems used on 
the farms studied. Of the total number of farms represented, for 
all years, the number of farmers who owned the entire acreage farmed 
was about 27 per cent; the number who owned a part and rented 
additional land was about 31 per cent; and the number who rented 
all of their land, about 42 per cent. In all tabulations those farms 
of which a part of the acreage was owned and additional land rented 
have been combined with the owner group. 
The two-thirds share system is the common method of rental. The 
landlord receives one-third of the crops produced and, with very few 
exceptions, he maintains the buildings and fences and pays the insur- 
ance and land tax. The tenant-operator usually receives free use of 
2 The details relative to the cost of using horses, tractors, and combines, and the relative efficiencv in 
tne use of horse and tractor motive power on these farms, are reported in Department Bulletin No 1447 
entitled Cost of Using Horses, Tractors, and Combines on Wheat Farms in Sherman County, Oreg " 
