Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1927-04-28
POTATO PROFITS
AND PROSPECTS
By A. T. HOverStad
University Farm, st. Paul.


University Farm, st. Paul.
Farmers in the Askov community
have found potato raising highly
profitable during the past two seasons.
Producers are interested now in the
prospects for the crop to be seeded
this spring. The acreage of potatoes
planted in the United States in 1925
was the smallest in more than twenty
years. A low yield of los bushels
per acre caused the total production
to be far enough below normal to
drive prices up. In 1926 the acreage
was increased very slightly but the
yield per acre jumped to 113 bushels,
so that more potatoes were produced
and the price was correspondingly
lower. Years of high prices have
usually been followed by periods of
low prices. A year of high prices
usually influences growers to increase
their acreage and greater produc-
ton results. When the market fails
to absorb all the potatoes produced,
the price breaks.
Indications are that the acreage
planted in the United States for 1927
will be Is per cent greater than was
harvested in 1926. A normal yield
would cause a total production of 40
million bushels. This would be Is
per cent above last year, 81 per cent
above the short crop of 1925 and only
3 per cent below the 1924 crop which
brought unsatisfactory returns. Aver
age yields per acre and average quail
ity have been increasing during re-
ment and changes in methods of cul-
tivation. The market demands can
now be supplied with fewer acres
than were formerly needed. Although
the population is increasing, if the
present indications to seed are carried
out and a normal yield results, re-
duction in price may be expected for
the 1927 crop.
The average cost of producing a
bushel potatoes on the farms belong
ing to the Pine County Farm Account
ing Route at Askov was % cents in
1925 and So cents in 1926. A state
ment of the cost per acre for each
year is presented in a table in another
article. The higher cost per bushel
for 1926 was due to lower yield and
to a higher cost per acre that year.
The labor cost was greater during
the last season because the fall rains
made it necessary to dig many fields
by hand and to sort the potatoes af-
forwards. The seed charge was
higher because of the higher prices
prevailing in the spring of 1926 than
the previous spring. The manure
and fertilizer cost was also greater
This was partly due to a change in
the method of distributing the man.
ure cost and partly to a greater
amount of manure and fertilizer ap-
piled. The yield represents the
amount of marketable potatoes pro-
duced. 1t excludes potatoes which
rotted in the bins after harvesting
The average price received for sales
of 1925 potatoes was $1.15 per bushel.
At this price the return per acre was
1892 and the return per hour $2.45.
The average selling price for 1926 crop
will probably be close to $1.00 per
bushel, making the return per acre
$50 and the return per hour $1.03.
The cost per acre at Askov should
be lower in 1927 than in 1926. The
labor charge will probably be about
the same as in 1925. The seed cost
is likely to be about two thirds as
high as in 1926! The seed cost can
be lessened by seeding No. 2 potatoes
provided they are free from tuber and
plant diseases. The other items of
cost should be about the same as in
1926. The price received and the
yield will be important factors in
fluencing profits. Table II shows
| what the return per hour will be at
varying yields and prices, assuming
cost per acre of $500.
TABLE IL.
Returns per Hour from Potatoes at
Varying Yields and Prices at AskOv.
Yield
bushels Price per Bushel
per acre 25 so rs 100 1875 $50
100 - tic Sc 1OOc 142c 1886
115 20 II 1875 173 221
1870 AZ 90 $50 2O4 25S