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<br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />- . . <br />"'i ..L <br />j,.vv.1.. <br /> <br />Livestock Production <br /> <br />Livestock rattening enterprises on irrigated rarms have de- <br />clined in recent years. Large livestock commercial reeding opera- <br />tions, normally not situated on irrigated rarms, now do most or the <br />livestock reeding in the area. Most or the rarmers interviewed during <br />the 1964 farm survey indicated that they were making adjustments in <br />their livestock enterprises in an attempt to utilize nonsalable reed <br />and crop residues produced on the farm. Such feed includes, but is <br />not limited to: pasture, aftermath, loose hay and damaged grain <br />and hay. However, in order to meet total reed requirements, live- <br />stock were fed salable hay and grain. <br /> <br />About 65 percent of the farmers interviewed owned beef cows. <br />About two-thirds of these farmers were producing feeder calves ror <br />sale to others who in turn fed the calves for a period of 6-12 months <br />before marketing them as feeder cattle. Other farmers were fattening <br />calves and marketing them as fat cattle. However, many farmers ex- <br />pressed a desire to shift their rattening operation to production of <br />feeder cattle which would better utilize the roughage produced on <br />the irrigated farms. The livestock enterprise illustrated in the <br />farm budget is representative of the cattle enterprise anticipated <br />in the North Sterling area in the ruture. <br /> <br />Feed Requirements and Rates or Production <br /> <br />Livestock feeding requirements and production rates adopted <br />for this study are presented in table 22. <br /> <br />Annual Culling and Mortality Rates <br /> <br />Beef breeding cows are culled from the herd at eight years <br />of age ror an average annual replacement rate of 12.5 percent. <br />Replacement stock is selected rrom heirers raised. Mortality rates <br />considered appropriate ror the beer cattle enterprise are 3 percent <br />of the inventory value ror breeding and replacement stock and <br />3 percent or the sales value or feeder cattle. A 90 percent calf <br />crop is adopted for these studies. <br /> <br />Agricultural Price Standards <br /> <br />Agricultural prices used in these analyses are based upon an <br />all-product index of 250 for prices received by rarmers and an <br />index or 265 ror prices paid (1910-1914 = 100), including items <br />used in production, interest, taxes and wages. Price projections <br /> <br />35 <br />