Summary
Ostrich farming requires less land than cattle farming. Ostriches reproduce faster than cattle. Starting in cattle ranching requires a large herd of cows, a bull, and at least two acres per cow. Starting in ostrich farming requires two pairs of yearling ostriches and one acre of land. The start-up costs for ostrich farming is greater than that for cattle farming. Ostrich farming can eventually yield five times the returns as cattle farming.
Strongly Supported Conclusions
Ostrich farming allows farmers to eventually produce greater yields with less land than cattle ranching. Two pairs of yearling ostriches plus one acre of land is more expensive than a large herd of cows, a bull, and two acres per cow.
A
Two pairs of yearling ostriches are more expensive than a herd of cows and a bull.
This is strongly supported since we know that the start-up costs for ostrich farming is higher than that for bull farming, and starting an ostrich farm requires two pairs of yearling ostriches compared to a herd of cows and a bull for cattle ranching.
B
Cattle ranching is not a good source of income.
This is unsupported because even though ostrich farming may yield greater returns than cattle farming (relative statement), cattle farming could still be a good source of income (absolute statement).
C
A cow consumes no more feed than an ostrich does.
This is unsupported because the stimulus never clearly tells us how much cattle and ostriches need to eat.
D
The average ostrich farm generates almost five times as much profit as the average cattle ranch.
This is unsupported because while ostrich farming could potentially yield five times that of cattle ranching, we don’t know that the average ostrich farm is productive enough to reach these maximum possible gains.
E
Ostrich farmers typically lose money during their first year.
This is unsupported because although the startup costs are higher for ostrich farming than cattle farming, it is possible that both are profitable in their first year.