106 IOWA DEPARTMENT OP AGRICULTURE. 



If I am able to answer any questions, I will be glad to do it. I 

 thank you for your attention. 



Question: Why is it you grind your corn and advise the other 

 fellow not to? 



Mr. Emboden: For this very reason: Most farmers have more 

 range than I have; they have more roughness and plenty of hogs 

 to follow their cattle. I depend more on the steer alone, and make 

 my gain, and as I said before, I think I am justified in putting 

 the expense on a bushel of corn which another feeder situated 

 differently would not be justified. I have but a small farm and 

 feed about 200 cattle during the year. I find I can grind corn 

 with a profit. With the average feeder, I say, I don't think it 

 paiys to grind the corn. 



In regard to the factor of pork production in connection with 

 beef production. I haven't said anything about that yet. Yet the 

 gain we make in pork of the corn actually consumed by the steer, 

 is greatly overestimated. You hear a feeder say he has fed two 

 or three loads of cattle, that the cattle didn't do very well, hardly 

 paid out, but I sold a thousand dollars worth of pork, hogs, and 

 got $200 worth left. Now, he doesn't say so, but leaves the im- 

 pression, or wants to, that this thousand dollars worth of pork 

 has been made from the corn consumed by the cattle, and would 

 have been an actual loss if he hadn't had the hogs. What are 

 the facts in the matter? These hogs were worth $600.00 when 

 they went into the feed lot, and their feed, even extra, is all 

 charged to the steers, and of course the steers haven't made a 

 satisfactory profit. If you are going to charge all the corn your 

 steers and hogs eat, let us be fair, and give the steer credit for 

 all the beef and pork that is made from this corn. I don't think 

 the gain that the hogs actually make from the corn consumed 

 by the cattle exceeds a pound and a half to two pounds to the 

 bushel, with the average feeder, during the feeding period. Another 

 thing you want to remember, when you are putting corn into that 

 steer in that form, there isn't so very much left for the hog 

 to feed on. I have soaked corn with very satisfactory results, 

 and I think it increases the feeding value about 20 per cent. There 

 isn't quite so much left for the hogs following as there is if the 

 corn is fed whole and dry. Two years ago I had 60 head of 

 yearlings on the pasture. That year I fed them by hand. They 

 were given soaked corn shelled, a little ground corn and some 

 oats; 60 head, from May until September. There was no corn 

 wasted and they were fed regularly what they would clean up. 



