Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1920-10-18
IOWA FARMERS HIT BY SLUMP
IN WHEAT AND OATS IF
COMPELLED TO SELL.
PRESENT MARKET VALUES
LESS THAN COST FIGURES
Cost Of Growing These Cereals Based
on Land Values Pushed Up Thru
Recent Land Boom in State -
Charge Against Land Greatest Cost
Item In Production Of Crops.
Special to Times r Republican.

Special to Times Republican.
Ames. Oct. 1s.-"Nine out OF ten
Iowa farmers would lose money on
oats grown this year ana three out Of
Ave would lose money on their
wheat If they sold their crops today"
This is the statement Of H. B.
Munger. head Of the farm manage
ment department at Iowa State Col
lege. who in cooperation with the
Iowa Farm Bureau Federation, has
just completed the gathering Of fig
ures from large number OF typical
Iowa farms on the production costs
OF these grains.
The average cost Of producing q
bushel Of oats in Iowa and putting it
into the farm granary was Is cents.
Tho market price IN Ames today is
II cents.
The average cost Of producing a
bushel Of wheat was $1.Ss. The
market price In Ames today is $3.50.
On individual farms the cost Of
wheat production varied from 81 to
1910 per bushel. Oats costs ran all
the way from 80 cents to t1.l5 per
bushel.
The cost Of oats production Is
based on figures secured from 1876
farms In Lucas. Floyd and Buena
Vista countieS, The farms selected
were al far as possible typical Of
average conditions In the state. The
average value Of tho land on which
the oats were grown Is SEQ per acre.
The average yield was 1873 bushels
per acre. On only two farms out Of
the 1913 were oats produced for less
than a cents. the present market
price at Ames. On the other 1874
farms the farmer. II he sold his grain
today would lose anywhere from a
few cents to dollar bushel.
Loss Result Of Land Price Boom.
The largest element in the cost of
production was the charge against
the land. including taxes and 5h per
cent interest on the market value.
This charge amounted to 1852 per
acre. Labor. man and horse, came to
1901: seed $s.3s; machinery 70
cents; threshing l1.44; Irvine 80
cents; threshing fuel 10 cents:
Manure $1.es; storage 81 cents, mis-
cellaneous Is cents.
The Investigation Of wheat costs
was carried on In Montgomery.
Warren and Wapello counties.
Figures were secured from 1e7 farms.
The average value per acre Of the
land In wheat was $3.50. The
average Yield was 1875 bushels and
the average acreage 20.
Only 20 per cent Of the 1877 farms
produced oats at q cost Of $3.50 or
better, the present market price. The
remaining 50 per cent stand to lose
on the wheat growing operations this
year.
The costs Of production for an
acre Of wheat were distributed as
follows: Seed $s.41; use Of land, in
Guiding taxes and 5h per cent in
terest on the land, $3.50; man labor
$4.18; horse labor 1904; machinery
$1.24; thleshing t1.67; Irvine IS
cents: threshins fuel 1s cents;
manure $1.4S; storage u cents, mis-
cellaneous $1.0l,
Farmers who sell their oats at the
presett market price farm manage
ment experts at Iowa State College
point out, are losing on the Average
more than 81 cents per bushel, for to
the cost OF production the farmer
must add the cost Of transportation,
The same situation In somewhat
lesser degree holds true for wheat.
Farmsrs Lead 40 Buyers.
ASa
value was made for ss2 cases in
twenty-five counties. The total in
crease In value for these cases was
S7,o3s.s46. OF this increment. S.
327,0s4. or Al per cent, was received
by people living In towns ana cities,
while $a,711,2s2 was received by
people living in the country. These
increments are based on the price at
the time the farm was bought, no
matter how long ago. If tho cases OF
farms purchased and resold during
the boom alone are considered, near
ly 70 per cent Of the increase was re-
ceived by persons dwelling In towns
and cities.
1T appears that farmers were more
active as buyers than as sellers.
since they constitute e5 per cent OF
the buying class, as reported. and but
Sc per cent Of tho selling class. About
Is per cent OF the sellers, however
were retired farmersReal estate men
CONSTITUTED 60 per cont Of tho buyers
and 11.5 per cent Of the sellers.
STATISTICS with reference to occu-
pations Of buyers and sellers and the
Intentions and motives governing
purchases and sales indicate that the
boom resulted In an increase in the
proportion Of farmers owning the
farms they operate and q CORE
spending decrease by non-agricul-
tural classes ana rented to tenants.
Benefits Not Immediate.
'However, the immediate beneficial
results is not OF great Significance,