COSTS OF PRODUCING SUGAR BEETS 25 
TABLE 10.—Weighted average costs of production and returns to growers from the 
sale of sugar beets 
SUMMARY FOR THE UNITED STATES AND ANALYSIS BY STATES, 1921, 1922, AND 1923 
[Per pound of sugar extracted from the sugar beets] 
Amount by which the 
returns to growers 
rom the sale of sugar 
beets exceed? the 
costs of production of 
sugar beets ? 
Average costs! 
Sugar 
sxtracted 
yer ton of 
eets paid 
or by the 
‘actories ¢ 
Average 
‘eturns to 
growers 
from the 
sale of 
wear beets 
State and year 
No allow- 
ance made 
for land 
‘ental and 
interest 
on other 
rapital 8 
Allowance 
made for 
and rental 
and inter- 
estat 6 
per cent 
on other 
~apital ¢ 
No allow- 
ance made 
for land 
‘ental and 
interest 
on other 
capital & 
Allowance 
made for 
and rental 
ind inter- 
est at 6 
per cent 
on other 
capital ¢ 
United States: 
3-year average. ........ 
1921... 
19% 
192 
Michigan: 
3-Vear average. om ceeeen. .._ 
921... i 
1922 eevee 
1923_. _. 
Pounds 
263. 9 
268.1 
263. 2 
259. 6 
Cents 
2.35 
2.41 
2.26 
2.34 
Cents 
2.85 
2.97 
2.78 
2.77 
Cents 
2.92 
2.34 
3.04 
3. 50 
Cents 
0. 57 
~.07 
.78 
1. 16 
Cenis 
0.07 
-. 63 
.26 
.73 
29.7 
215. 5 
229. 4 
48 6 
3. 10 
3. 39 
2.79 
3.01 
3. 61 
3. 97 
3. 28 
3. 46 
3.25 
2.80 
3.15 
3.82 
. 15 
-, 59 
. 36 
.81 
—.36 
-1.17 
~.13 
. 38 
Ohio: 
3-year average. ..oceceeen-- 
1921... 
197... 
1925. 
Nebraska: 
3-vear average...... 
1921. aaa 
1922... 
1923. 
Colorado: 
3-vear average. _...... 
1921. Loo 
1927. _. 
1923. 
210. 1 
205.1 
232.1 
01. 2 
2.91 
3.16 
2. 43 
3. 05 
3.47 
3.81 
2. 94 
3. 59 
3.66 
2.92 
2.96 
4.62 
. {3 
-.24 
.83 
1.57 
.19 
-.89 
.02 
L.03 
152.2 
274. 5 
248.0 
230. 0 
2.08 
2.07 
1.78 
44 
[a 
y -- 
i 
2.99 
2.40 
3.23 
3. 56 
91 
.33 
1.45 
1.12 
.45 
-. 18 
1.06 
.63 
1 
Wn 
256.0 
261. C 
> 
85 
‘4 
59 
29 
32 
4 
.09 
-. 19 
.04 
.49 
Utah: 
3-vear average_.. 
1921... 
1922___ 
19% 
-—.05 
-1.01 
.38 
67 
.19 
-.72 
. 58 
-68 
1 When composite figures appear as in the 3-year average for each State and in the figures for the United 
States, where the data for the States investigated are combined, the acres of sugar beets harvested are 
1sed as weights, 
' A minus sign (—) before a figure indicates that costs exceeded returns by the amount indicated. 
} See pp. 8 to 14 for explanation of methods of determining costs. } 
! The basic data from which the pounds of sugar extracted from a ton of beets were obtained were fur- 
nished by the U. S. Department of Agriculture, Sugar extraction from beet roots depends upon the 
sugar content, the coefficient of purity, the general condition of the beet roots when sliced, the extraction 
and refining processes used, and the efficiency of the mills, These data are restricted to those beets for 
which costs were obtained in this investigation, and therefore are not necessarily the same as the data 
published by the Department of Agriculture or those published in ‘‘ Concerning Sugar,” which are aver- 
ages for all beets sliced by all the factories located in the respective States. . 
* Land rental and other capital charges, paid and unpaid, are excluded from this cost. For the United 
States as a whole cash rental was actually paid on 5.4 per cent of the acreage harvested and share rental 
on 41.7 per cent. On a large percentage of farms, interest, amounting to 20 cents per acre, or about 1.8 
cents per ton, was actually paid on cash advances made by the factories to the farmers for the payment 
of contract labor. Many of these farms are mortgaged, and interest is actually paid on these farm mort- 
gages at rates varying from 5 to 9 per cent and averaging 7.14 per cent. In order to put the data for all 
farms on a comparable basis and simplify tabulations, however, all farms were treated as owned by the 
operators, and taxes and overhead costs on this rented acreage were included as general costs. and all 
capital charges, whether paid or unpaid, were segregated. . 
8 The capital charges included here are for all capital embloved in surar-beet production. 
DR 04—O