$103.39

According to these figures the cost for labor of raising the crop and
the cost of harvesting was almost exactly the same, each being a
little less than $3 an acre.

THE COST OF PRODUCING FARM CROPS

The Minnesota station has determined the cost of growing the staple
farm crops on 45 farms in different sections of the State. The total
expense per acre for an average of six years is shown in the following
table, not including land rental or cost of marketing.

COST OF PRODUCING FARM CROPS IN MINNESOTA.

Spring wheat, land fall plowed $5.54
Oats, land fall plowed 5.80
Barley, land spring plowed 6.89
Maize, husked from standing stalks 9.41
Hay, timothy and clover 3.68
Potatoes, land not fertilized 23.36
Potatoes, land fertilized 34.72

Some years ago the writer made an estimate of the cost of producing
maize, oats, wheat and clover hay in a four-course rotation on a
tenant farm in central Pennsylvania. The soil was a heavy clay and
required plowing for each crop, except, of course, the hay crop, one
acre a day being considered a good day's work.

Counting the expense of man and team at $2 per day, the labor cost per
acre was found to be $7 for maize, $5.10 for both wheat and oats, and
$2.30 for hay, or an average of about $4.90 per acre for the four
crops. The interest on the capital invested in operating this farm,
exclusive of the land, was estimated at $1.45 per acre.

INFLUENCE OF YIELD UPON THE COST OF
PRODUCTION

The Illinois station has prepared a set of estimates upon the cost of
producing an acre of maize, showing variations in cost due to
differences in yield. In these estimates, instead of making a charge
for the actual cost of manure or fertilizer applied, an estimate is
made of the value of the plant food removed.

COST OF PRODUCING ONE ACRE OF MAIZE IN
ILLINOIS AS MODIFIED BY YIELD.

Yield Yield Yield Yield
50 bu. 75 bu. 100 bu. 35 bu.
Disking $0.40 $0.40 $0.40 $0.40
Plowing 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00
Preparation .75 .75 .75 .75
Planting .15 .15 .15 .15
Seed .35 .35