COST OF BEEF PRODUCTION UNDER SEMI-RANGE CONDITIONS 7 
On various ranges the percentage of calves raised runs from 50% to 
80%, the average for Colorado ranges probably being 65%. 
. Tll . e cost of feeder yearlings as shown by the table is $28.38. 
which is only $1.23 less than their value delivered at a market. There 
was evidently no profit in raising them to this point, and the profit of 
S13.47 finally shown is practically all to be credited to the fattening of 
the steers as yearlings. The results of the winter feeding both of the 
calves and yearlings may be taken as reasonably typical, and it is evi- 
dent that the winter feeding of the calves was a paying proposition. 
This bears out the results published in Bulletin 149 of this Station. 
It is also evident that the fattening of the steers as yearlings was a 
profitable operation, and with reasonable growth on" range there is 
every encouragement for the production of beef in valleys of the State 
where alfalfa and barley can be grown, and there is outside range for 
the cattle. In this way steers can be put on the market as yearlings at 
a weight which makes for the grower all the profit that can be made 
out of them. The grower who feeds out his own stuff is in shape to 
transfer his steers from range to feed lot without shrinkage, and he 
is also in a position to take advantage of the high market usually found 
from June to September. In sections a considerable distance from the 
railroad, when specialized crops cannot be grown because of impractic¬ 
ability of transportation, there is not quite the rush of spring work 
which occurs in our developed feeding sections, and fattening steers 
can be held in the feed lot well into the summer without seriously dis¬ 
organizing the farm work. And because of cool weather well into the 
summer, practically all sections of the State will find little trouble 
from flies until well into July. From July to September, there is a 
dearth of fat cattle on the market, most feed lots being empty and the 
main supply of the killers being found in Texas grassers. 
This experiment, and the other experiments reported in this bul¬ 
letin, show the possibility of feeding at a profit in any section of the 
State with the feeds that can be grown there. Undoubtedly there may 
be rations which would secure better results than straight alfalfa and 
barley, but the knowledge that these will fatten stock profitably should 
encourage a beginning of the industry, and by the use of roots or silage 
in connection with alfalfa and barley, we should see the fattening of 
cattle carried on in every section of the State, instead of being con¬ 
fined to the localities where there are sugar factories furnishing a 
cheap feed in beet pulp. 
I give in the following table * information gathered from a selected 
lot of men running range cattle in different sections of the State. The 
figures given by them will serve to show normal cost of ranging cattle, 
and this data together with that given in the foregoing tables should 
enable one to work out within reasonable limits the variable cost 
of producing beef from range cattle. No set of figures worked out in 
any one locality and season can possibly give one a figure that may 
be used under other conditions. All that can be shown is what may 
be accomplished under similar conditions. 
*Table on top of pages 4 and 5. 
