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Letter to Editor
February 15, 1928
The Arkansas Farmer
Little Rock, Pulaski County, Arkansas
What is this article about?
W. E. Gilleland shares his profitable experiences raising pigs and calves on his Oklahoma farm, detailing investments, sales, feeding practices, and net profits from 1926-1927. The editor invites readers to submit similar letters on profitable crops.
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Easy Money From Pigs and Calves.
The easiest money I make on the farm is from pigs and calves. I never keep very many of either but always give them the very best care possible and always feel highly paid for my time and trouble.
I bought a sow in August, 1926, for $27.50. Her first litter of 6 pigs arrived in September and I sold them the following March for $125. The next litter of 8 were lacking 17 days of 6 months when I sold them for $145. This September the third farrow was 10 pigs all of which I still have and value at $100 at least. So in a little more than a year my original investment has brought me $370 and I still have the sow. Of course, not all the money was profit as the feed bill had to be paid. I fed the sow and the pigs all the corn and kafir they would eat all the time. Separated milk was fed once a day. Owing to the time of year in which the first two litters came I fed them differently for the market but obtained practically the same results. The first lot averaged 200 lbs. at market. They had consumed about 8 bushels of grain each, mostly kafir worth at that time about 30 cents per bushel. The second lot required about 3 bushels each of new corn at 60 cents and 5 bushels of kafir at 50 cents. These pigs also had access to Sudan pasture. To the two bunches I fed 10 sacks of mill-run at $1.85 per cwt. My feed bill was approximately $70, not more than $100 at the very most, leaving me a net profit of something between $279 and $300 counting the last litter of pigs.
I sold three spring calves in September for $88. One was 5 months old and weighed 450 lbs; one was 4 months old and weighed 400 lbs. The third was 3 months old and weighed 350 lbs. They had good pasture and all the milk from their dams at night. I began feeding bran when they were one month old: using two sacks during the summer. I also fed a little corn chop till new corn was hard enough to cut off the cob, after which I fed a small quantity of the new corn each day. I did not keep strict account of the amount used, but my returns were satisfactory.--W. E. Gilleland, Colony, Okla.
Mr. Gilleland's letter is a suggestion for other letters. For instance what crop do others of our readers find most profitable?--Ed.
The easiest money I make on the farm is from pigs and calves. I never keep very many of either but always give them the very best care possible and always feel highly paid for my time and trouble.
I bought a sow in August, 1926, for $27.50. Her first litter of 6 pigs arrived in September and I sold them the following March for $125. The next litter of 8 were lacking 17 days of 6 months when I sold them for $145. This September the third farrow was 10 pigs all of which I still have and value at $100 at least. So in a little more than a year my original investment has brought me $370 and I still have the sow. Of course, not all the money was profit as the feed bill had to be paid. I fed the sow and the pigs all the corn and kafir they would eat all the time. Separated milk was fed once a day. Owing to the time of year in which the first two litters came I fed them differently for the market but obtained practically the same results. The first lot averaged 200 lbs. at market. They had consumed about 8 bushels of grain each, mostly kafir worth at that time about 30 cents per bushel. The second lot required about 3 bushels each of new corn at 60 cents and 5 bushels of kafir at 50 cents. These pigs also had access to Sudan pasture. To the two bunches I fed 10 sacks of mill-run at $1.85 per cwt. My feed bill was approximately $70, not more than $100 at the very most, leaving me a net profit of something between $279 and $300 counting the last litter of pigs.
I sold three spring calves in September for $88. One was 5 months old and weighed 450 lbs; one was 4 months old and weighed 400 lbs. The third was 3 months old and weighed 350 lbs. They had good pasture and all the milk from their dams at night. I began feeding bran when they were one month old: using two sacks during the summer. I also fed a little corn chop till new corn was hard enough to cut off the cob, after which I fed a small quantity of the new corn each day. I did not keep strict account of the amount used, but my returns were satisfactory.--W. E. Gilleland, Colony, Okla.
Mr. Gilleland's letter is a suggestion for other letters. For instance what crop do others of our readers find most profitable?--Ed.
What sub-type of article is it?
Informative
What themes does it cover?
Agriculture
What keywords are associated?
Pig Farming
Calf Raising
Farm Profits
Livestock Care
Feed Costs
Oklahoma Agriculture
What entities or persons were involved?
W. E. Gilleland, Colony, Okla.
Letter to Editor Details
Author
W. E. Gilleland, Colony, Okla.
Main Argument
raising pigs and calves provides the easiest and most profitable income on the farm when given the best care, with detailed examples yielding net profits of $279-$300 from pigs and satisfactory returns from calves.
Notable Details
Bought Sow For $27.50 In August 1926
Sold Three Litters For Total $370 Plus Sow Retained
Feed Costs Approximately $70 $100
Calves Sold For $88 With Weights 350 450 Lbs