THE COST OF GROWING WHEAT

Waipa Post, Volume XXIV, Issue 1690, 24 November 1925, Page 7

THE COST OF GROWING WHEAT

INTERESTING COMPARISON. AUSTRALIAN FIGURES. Some figures relating to the cost of production of wheat in Australia are supplied by Mr G. W. Leadley, of Elgin, ■who writes as follows: I have received some interesting figures which have been collected in Australia regarding the cost of growing wheat in the various States. Farmers and others interested in wheat-grow-ing may find them useful for purposes of comparison with our own (New Zealand) costs. The details are:— South Australia.—Turretfield Experimental Farm, whose accounts are keipt by competent accountants, are as follows for a four years’ average:— Land value, £ll 6s 6d per acre; cost per acre, including everything, viz., interest at 5 per cent., depreciation, general expenses cost of cultivation and harvesting, £4 5s 6d. Last year’s average, twenty-four bushels—equal to 3s 7d per bushel. New South Wales. —Land valued at £6 per acre; cost £2 5s (no allowance made for wages of farmer); yield, 19.7 bushels per acre—2s 4d per bushel. If farmer’s wages are included, add £1 per acre, .making 3s 4d per bushel; but if the land is of the same valuation as Turretfield, cost per bushel is 4s. Victoria. —On land £8 per acre, on same basis as New South Wales, yield ing, without farmer’s wages, 2s 61d; with wages allowance of £1 per acre, cost 3s 6d per bushel. To many New Zealand farmers the yields per acre in the, above returns will be a surprise, as we have been led to believe that Australian yields are often very low'. It must, however, be remembered that during the last decade or more the Australian system of farming has greatly changed and improved. The liberal use of superphosphate (Which, by the way, is much cheaper than in New Zealand), and the system of alternating wheat with bare fallow, have resulted in greatly increasing the average yield. The figures given in the return are rather meagre, but still may serve for purposes of comparison and be instructive to our wheat growers. *