The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1914-08-14
! | RY'NNPORTA|||l||T|
IS KEEPING Of
FARM RECORDS
So as to Show The Cost Of
Feeding Animals, Says The
Federal Department.

~
WASHINGTON, D. C., Aug. g.
The importance Of keeping accurate
farm records Of the cost of feeding
animals is shown In reports giving
the profits from feeding on twenty
four Iowa farms.
These records. which were made
on the corn belt farms Of men known
to be careful and experienced feed
ers, We're kept carefully for two
years. The results as reported in
Farmers Bulletin No. 58S. of the
United States Department of Agri-
culture, are as follows: h
Iowa Records.
To determine as accurately as nos.
sible the cost of feeding farm ami
mails cost-accopnting records were
Kept Tor two years on twenty-four
Iowa farms. The men selected were
leading farmers in their communities.
known to be careful and experienced
feeders. During the feeding ! year
beginning with the fall Of 1908 the
average profit on 961 cattle fed in
twenty-five punches was $2.O5 per
head, in. addition to the profits on the
hogs following them. The prices re-
cetved Were very satisfactory. The
|1,b04 hogs following these steers
were given extra grain Market
prices in the spring Of 1 910 were such
that a profit Of Se.87 per hog was
secured. thus giving q profit OF
$12.49 per- steer. when the pork was
credited to, the steers
The following feeding year. 1910
nrnuadi 4, N ~
prices which caused a loss Of 7S per
cents per head on 4 1913 cattle that
were fed on twenty-eigh. farms. me
]. $40 hogs following these staers
returned an average profit Of $685.,
or, when the profit on the hogs was
credited to the steers. the net profit
was $3.04 per steer. 81.
Until systems of cost accounting
which took into account all the over
head charges al we'll AS tnc main
cost were used, the expense OF feed
Ing was underestinhted. The follow
ing table shows the proportionate
cost of different items, based on the
cost-accounting records kept on the
twenty-four Iowa farms. These fig
ures will vary somewhat from year
to year as the relative prices Of cattle
and feeds change. The creates varia-
ton Will occur in the original cost oi
cattle and in the cost Of the feeds.
Percentage of Expenses.
Percentage Of the various expenses
incurred in cattle breeding on twenty
four Iowa farms, g, 3 3 Y \. ~
l910-11-Purchase price al 500
per cent; feed, 1913 per cent; interest
ats per cent, 1.3 per cent; labor. / g
per cent: shipping and selling s2)
IA per cent; total, 100 per cent.
4 10 10-1 Purchase price IA sos
per cent; fed, Bis per cent. interest
at 8 per cent, 1.8 per cent; labor, 1 g
per cent; shipping and feeding (2)
Al per cent; total, 100 per cent.
1-Deliyered at farm stincluding
freight and incidental charges
2-Exclusive OF shrtnkaga.
In this table no account was taken
OF the occasional loss Of q, steer.
which ordinarily averages one-half Of
one per cent of the total number;
nor We're interest, taxes and depreci-
alton charges on feeding plant CON
sidered. Careful study. indicates that
these and other incidental charges
would about Offset the value Of the
manure. which Is also difficult to esti-
mate. In the table interest has been
charged at six per cent ,on the cost
OF the cattle laid down at the farm.
The labor percentage was figured
on the basis Of man labor at Is cents
an hour. and horse labor at 8 cents
an hour. The labor cost on forty
nine punches Of cattle, totaling 2.l0O
head, for an average feeding period
of 146 days, was a little over s1s
mills per head. The cost varied from
4 mills to as high as 2 to g cents. de-
pendent on the manner in which the
cattle were fed. A large feeder fig-
ured on one cent per day per steer
for labor. On 500 head this gave him
a small profit, which increased with
the number fed. "A large feeding
plant which was operated for eleven
years in Nebraska, and during that
time fed about 81, 900 steers, figured
its cost at 81 cents per head per day.
While the firm had expensive labor.
and equipment, 1t nevertheless had
every convenience for the economical
handling Of the feeds.
The selling cost, including freight,
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