The economics of pasture integration on irrigated farms

Over the past several years there has been quite a large amount of written material, both popular and professional, on the subject of the relative profitability of seeded pastures.This study is an attempt to determine the economic position of the pasture enterprise in the irrigated farm unit.In Part I a review of the literature in the field of forage production is followed by a discussion of the methods of determining the proportions of crops and forages to be established in the farm organization.Part II deals with methods of apportioning enterprises and attempts to establish a favorable relationship between the budget method of organizing the farming system and the theory of enterprise selection and combination* A budget of the "typical" farm organization for the area of study is developed in Part III Alternative budgets are developed, with some emphasis given to the effects upon the various organizations from variations in farm product prices.The conclusions in Part IV are "based upon interpretations of the position the pasture enterprise may hold in the irrigated farm unit.