The Oakes times. [volume] (Oakes, N.D.) 1906-current, 1922-10-19
FARMERS KEEP COST RECORDS
County Agents Assist in Finding Gut
Where the Money Goes

guess made some money on my
hogs and cattle, but I must have lost
an awful lot on my wheat, because I
haven't q nickel left after squaring
UP my bills.
Such statement is typical in the
farming districts this year in North
Dakota. In years to come, however,
farming will be put on straight bus
Ness basis. and the farmers will know
exactly what products have paid them
a profit and how much each activity
has netted them. This is the belief
Of Rex E. Willard, farm economist of
the North Dakota Agricultural college,
who in cooperation with the county
extension agents of the state, has ac-
cumulated records from several hum
dred farms in 81 counties Of the state
showing the exact profit and loss from
each product, and the net farm profit
or loss for 1921. Similar records are
being kept for 1922.
Dickey county farmers who Coop
Grated with Mr.. Willard and County
Agent A. E. Adams in keeping these
records, include Thos. Fleming and
Mrs. E. Van Horn of Glendale, G. p.
johnson & Son and T. J. Kelsh Of Full
lerton, and H. c. Frozen of Cakes.
The records kept by these five farm
ers show that in 1921 they averaged
net loss of $500 for their farming
operations for the year. In the central
group, comprising IL counties, the net
farm loss averaged $668, while in the
state as a whole the loss was $848. OF
the 1876 farmers in the state who kept
detailed records, only 20 realized a
profit in 1921.
The average receipts from wheat
for each of the five Dickey county
farms was 1874; potatoes, $78; dairy
products, $157; hogs, $576; and beef
cattle, 1928. Other items bring the
total gross income to $4,380. Items
Of expense include hired labor, $476;
machinery repairs, $26s; machinery
depreciation, $525; building deprecia-
tion, 1908. Other expenses such as
threshing, twine, feed purchased,
taxes, etc., bring the total expenses
to 5000. The average total receipts
from all the farms in the state that
kept records amounted to 1888, and
the expenditures were $4,231.
Dickey county farms had an average
Of $50 acres in wheat produced at a
cost Of $11.W per acre, with a yield
Of SO bushels, giving an average cost
Of production per bushel Of $1.37. In
the central group the average farm
had 230 acres Of wheat, produced at a
cost Of 1880 per acre on a yield of
1908 bushels, giving an average cost
Of $1.38 per bushel. In the state as a
whole, the average farm had 1872 acres
Of wheat produced at cost Of $3.50
per acre. On a yield Of 90 bushels
this shows an average cost of produc-
tion Of $1.43 per bushel.
''The purposes Of this study Of farm
business are not only to get the in
formation to place before various gov
ernment commissions and other au-
thorities in the interest Of the farm
ers," declares Mr.. Willard, "but also
to make it possible for the individual
i. farmer to find out which enterprises
are profitable and which are unprofit-
able over q period Of years. A care
full study oftentimes reveals how it
is possible to reduce costs and thus
increase profits. This is illustrated
by the use or lack Of use Of the trac-
tor, the cost Of blowing in 1921 with
tractor in this state averaging about
twice the cost Of ploWing with horses