The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1925-01-02
SURVEY SHOWS
PAYING CROPS
ON N. D. FARMS
Number of Farmers Found
Making Money on Cattle.
Losing on Hogs
RESULT OF THE SURVEY

Fargo, N. d., Jan. 2.-"You are
making money on your cattle and
losing on your hogs. Go into cattle
stronger. Stop raising hogs or else
get better sows and learn how to
feed them.'
When founded on fact. what farm
er wouldn't prefer this statement to
some general advice? The above
statement is typical of the informa-
tion given to the 20 members of the
Cass county cost route by the farm
management department at the
North Dakota Agricultural college.
The work is carried on under the
direction Of Rex f. Willard by T..
S. Thorfinnson and Stanley Wilmer,
who have worked out the route,
data.
The % farmers keep detailed rec
Ords each year of all activities, and
from these records, the farm man
agement staff at the college dissects
out the various activities, compares
each detail for each farm with the
average for the whole group, shows
just what profit or loss has resulted
from each enterprise, shows how ef-
ficiently man and horse labor has
been employed, and what type Of
farm organization has been the most
profitable.a
1928 Records
"The records for 1923 brought to
light some significant facts" Mr..
Thorfinnson declares. "These rec
ords showed that every farmer on
the route should improve the quality
of his livestock. In general, they
all had enough livestock, but the
quality was poor and the returns
were low.
"Most of the farms were fairly
we'll diversified. Sources Of income
which contributed at least ten per-
cent toward the total income aver
aged four per farm. The lowest was
two, farmer who had just started
business and produced only wheat
and flax. The highest was six,--
wheat, rye, flax, cattle. hogs and
poultry. The most common COM
bination was cattle, hogs and wheat
with one other cash crop, either
rye or flax.
An illustration of the value of the
information secured is furnished by
the data on cattle. The average net
income for each $1OO of cattle on
hand was $25. Yet one farmer net
ted profit of $79 for each $100
worth Of cattle, and another farmer
lost $40 for each 500 worth of cat
tle."
A typical summary sent to one OF
the farmers on the route follows:
"Your farm was larger than the
average on the cost route but is
fairly we'll diversified. You made a
little money in 1923 mainly because
your investment was small, since
you were a renter, and because Of
the returns from the cattle, sheep
and poultry, and possibly the seed
crop from the red clover.
"a Percent In Cash Crops
"You have GA percent CT your acre
age in cash crops and you lost mon
ey on all Of them through poor
yields and prices. 1t might pay you
better to raise little more feed
for your livestock. You did we'll
with the poultry and sheep; fair
with the cows; but you lost money
on the hogs. There is room for i'm
provement in the quality Of both cat
tie and hogs, but the main trouble
was the lack of feed. Livestock
can't be profitably raised without
sufficient feed.
"You kept your labor cost way
below the averages farming more
acres per man than the rest Of the
farmers and getting more days Of
work out Of every man than any
other farmer on the route.
! (Csntinued on page y