Primary Document Four
Hinman Tells All
The Bean Stalker
July 23, 1943
We talk of things in terms of bushels, an ice cream cone cost one-tenth of a bushel. A bushel of beans to us means fifty cents and no more. But, to Mr. Hinman fifty cents is only part of the cost of producing a bushel of beans. Following is a list of the expenses incurred by the time a bushel of beans is sold:
| Picking | .50 |
| Management | .25 |
| Basket and cover | .25 |
| Freight | .25 |
| Commission | .30 |
| Union | .01 |
| Planting cost for 1 bushel | .63 |
| Total | 2.19 |
As you can see, the total expenditure for one bushel of is $2.19. Now Mr. Hinman is getting about $3.00. In our language that’s six bushels, but in Mr. Hinman’s its $.79 profit.
Don't jump, kids. Next week, Mr. Hinman expects to make less than zero percent profit. He is selling the beans to a cannery for 5 1/2 cents a pound. Thirty one pounds at 5 1/2 cents a pound equals $1.71. Are we right? No wonder Mr. Hinman says, "Farming is as much of a gamble as poker, only more so."