Economics of Farming with Horses Operational
Cost for Horses
by Chet Kendell
An annual operating cost of $730 for two horses
represents a good rule of thumb, according to a comparison of two Amish farmersC.
Miller of Shipshewanna, Indiana, and R. Yoder of Mio, Michigan. Hay may be
purchased at $2, one-half bale per horse per day. Horses are fed hay for seven
months of the year and graze for the other five months. The total hay cost is
$425, leaving $305 for grain, veterinary, and miscellaneous expenses each year. |
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The assumption is that the land used for the five
months of grazing is best utilized for livestock grazing. This kind of grazing
forage might be located on ground too steep, too rocky, or too wet for other
uses. For example, it might be field corn stubble, the groundcover in orchards,
at the sides of roads and lanes, or at the corners of a center pivot irrigation
system. It might be land that is communally held or has been placed in a
conservation program.
Even if grazing is not available and hay
must be purchased for the entire year, using draft horses on a small sustainable
farm is still a revenue function and the basic conclusions and recommendations
do not change. |
Introduction Assumptions Career Cost of Horses versus Tractor Farm Size Practicalities Debt Financing
Chet Kendell is on the Economics faculty at Brigham Young University -
Idaho in Rexburg and a PhD candidate on the Viability of the Sustainable
Agricultural Enterprise with emphasis on animal traction tillage from Michigan
State University. This article appeared in the
Spring
2005 issue of
Rural Heritage.
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