Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1916-07-28
Cost of Gro,O;ng Beef
Cattle in the Corn Belt
States of Middle West

That cattle in most cases add to the
farm income in the corn belt is indi-
Gated by the results of recent investi-
cation conducted by the United States
department Of agriculture as part OF
a comprehensive study OF the meat
situation in which its specialists have
been engaged for some time. The di-
rect profit from the raising of calves
in this section, the averages seem to
establish is usually small, but the in
vestigators point out that there are
other factors which make the practice
more advantageous than would appear
at first sight.
Among these advantages are the fac,
that live stock on the farm provides q
home market and means of utiliza-
ton of farm roughage, some of which
might be wasted if not fed, and the use
ployed protitably in any other way
Live stock also affords ready home
market for certain other crops which
at times would have to be hauled con.
siderable distances to be sold. Finally,
the presence of live stock on the farm
gives productive employment thruout
the year to labor which at certain sea-
sons might otherwise be idle. Live
stock also gives some interest on CAPT.
tai invested on equipment which would
produce nothing il not utilized at all
seasons. The fertiliZing value of ma =
nure also must be considered. When
these factors are taken into consider
alton, even tho there appears to be
little or~no profit as shown by cost fig
ures, it is believed that in most in
stances the farm income is greater be-
cause of cattle having been kept on
the farm. The keeping of live stock.
therefore, is to be recommended on
farms having large quantities of cheap
roughage available or having land
which can be best utilized as pasture.
Summary of Results.
The figures of costs cited by the in =
vestigators are purely averages based
on actual farms ard herds investigated.
The investigators obtained in 1914 and
1915, 596 records from farms in In
diana, Illinois, Minnesota. Iowa, Mis-.
souri,, South Dakota, Nebraska AMI
Kansas. These records dealt with II,
produced from them, of which 2.O:3
were classed as baby beef.
Classification of Records.
These were arranged in six groups
based on six distinct practices followed
by the farmers Of this region. These
are:
% Beef-F'arms where all the cow
are kept strictly for beef Except baby
beef, in which there is no sale of milk
and butter.
CO Baby beef-Farms devoted to the
production of high grade calves fat
tened and sold at from u to IS months
of age. a-
7 (3) Dual purpose-Farms on which
all the cows are MIXED and the calves
weaned at birth and raised on skim
milk.
a. 2Mixed-Farms where the best
COWS are MIXED, their calves being
weaned at birth, " lille calves from 9TH
err cows run with their dams. This is a
com bination of beef and dual purpose
60 Partially MIXED Farms or
which calves are not weaned but on
which part of the milk is drawn from
the cowsthe calf taking the remainder
co Double nursing--Farms whers
some of the cows are MIXED and their
calves given to other cows.
In discussing the different costs the
investigators point out that the differ.
ence between the net cost and the
gross cost for the different groups is
partly due to crcGit for manure and
largely to credit for milk products
from the cows that were MIXED. The
= hull S
where baby-beef calves are produced is
largely due to the fact that breeding
bulls of high quality is necessary. The
bull charge is determined largely by
the number of calves produced per bull
While the COW charge for raising calf
was lowest in the dual-purpose group
the addition of the cost OF feed and la
Dor for the skim milk calves makes
the cost of the calf somewhat greater
than in the double nursing group
Winter feeding costs indicate THAI
there is comparatively little difference
in the cost of keeping calves in the
five groups other than the baby beef
after weaving time. The credits for
baby-beef calves, amounting to $7.5L
include an allowance for manure and
pork. Beef calves, tho the most val
liable as yearlings, cost so much more
than the others, that, according to aV-
erages, they were the least profitable
The cost of production exceeded inven-
tory value by SIS. All calves, except
those of the baby beef group, were in
ventoried just before being turned or
pasture at time when the cost of thu
calf is greatest as compared with its
value. It is believed that if the record:
had included data on the calves unit
the following November that the diff
ference between the cost and value
would have been much less. The calve:
in the dual purpose group, altho the
poorest in quality. seem to rank SECOND
| in point Of profit.
The cost Of production was Lowest
| for calves in the double group
and as these animals are relatively o
| good quality they showed the creates
profit Attic there were but twenty
| two farms in this group, the results
seem, to the investigators, significant.
STOCK BRINGS HIGH PRICE.