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Differences in regional conditions were the chief influence on variations in cow-calf production costs across the United States. Cow-calf operators in the West and Southern Plains have significant cost advantages over operators in other regions because, with a longer grazing season, their herds require less supplemental forage during the winter. The larger acreage size of operations in the West and Southern Plains also can support more cows and take advantage of economies of scale (spreading the fixed investment over more units of production). Because of the harsher climate, operations in the North Central region and Northern Plains spend significantly more to maintain their herds. Cowherds in the Southeast are primarily on small and part-time operations. These findings are based on the 1996 Agricultural Resource Management Study (ARMS), the most recent national survey of cow-calf producers. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this know