GERALD Smith, a quiet, soft-spoken farmer near Leland 

 in La Salle county, has a record as one of the best hog- 

 men in Illinois. 

 Year after year he has been outstanding in the member- 

 ship of the Farm Bureau Farm Management Service to 

 which he has belonged for 17 years. One year recently his 

 record on hog production was the best in the state. 



Smith employs no practices in raising his hogs that are not 

 generally known and used by good farmers. His formula com- 

 bines sanitation with proper feeding. It works well on the 

 600 pigs he raises each year on his l60-acre farm. 



This formula of sanitation and proper feeding has paid 

 Smith handsomely. He says that in the 20 years he has been 

 farming his pigs have returned from $150-$170 for each $100 

 of feed consumed. 



"They've helped to pay for this farm too," Smith added. He 

 bought the place in 1938, and is still a man of modest means. 



14 



Top: Hogs on Smith form or* rolled en cleon ground. These 

 three sows raised 25 pigs, farrowed in individuoi houses. Right 

 background is farmstead. Center: Gerald Smith, owner, second 

 from right, shoots serum Into armpit while Spencer Grover infects 

 virus Into ham. Holding pig are Ernie Jacobs, left, and Noel Shef- 

 field, right. Lester Smith, owner's son, holds extra syringe at far 

 right. Bottom: These healthy pigs in pen awaiting vaccination are 

 product of good feeding plus proper sanitation. 



PROPER . CAREFUL 

 FEEDING SANITATION 



HIGH HOG PROFITS 



For Smith, like many farmers, has had to earn his way. He 

 started as a hired man in his home county, Jefferson, and 

 worked four years for other farmers before starting for himself. 

 He farmed two years in Jefferson county and 11 in La Salle 

 before buying the farm he is now on. 



As part of his sanitation program Smith farrows his pigs on 

 clean ground away from the buildings. He uses individual 

 houses to farrow his pigs. Some of these houses are 20 years 

 old. They not only last well but are simple to build and easy 

 to keep clean and warm. Smith would have no other kind. 

 His 47 gilts raised 320 pigs, an average of seven, and all were 

 farrowed in these houses. 



He also vaccinates his pigs against hog cholera as a matter 

 of routine. He generally works with four or five neighbors 

 as a team on this job. This is one insurance policy Smith 

 wouldn't do without. 



Smith changes his pasture for his pigs each year. He uses 

 only alfalfa for pasture. They are self fed from the time they 

 first start to eat grain until they are shipped to market. 



He follows closely the experiments and recommendations of 

 the colleges of agriculture at Illinois, Purdue, and other state 

 universities on feeds and feeding practices. He relies chiefly 

 on oats, corn, alfalfa meal, buying soybean oil meal and lin- 

 seed meal for protein. He feeds tankage when it is available. 



Smith spends time with his hogs when they need it, par- 

 ticularly at farrowing time. He keeps the feed hoppers 

 full and sees to it that his pigs are well bedded, particularly 

 in the spring months, but does not pamper his animals. 



Feeding and caring for his 600 hogs this spring, including 

 more than 200 heavy fall hogs in the fattening pen, takes 

 Smith and his son, Lester, about two hours a day normally. 



The fattening hogs are sheltered in a cattle barn and feed 

 on a concrete floor next to a large corn bin. They are fed 

 in large self feeders which are filled from wagons. This 

 helps to cut down on the time needed to care for his hogs. 



Although 1948 may prove to be a bad hog year for Smith, 

 he says he'll keep at it, although it may mean cutting down 

 on fall litter numbers. Good hog years always follow bad 

 years. Smith has found, and it doesn't pay to jump in and 

 out of the hog business. 



One of Smith's good hog years was in 1932 when his hogs 

 returned $192 for each $100 worth of feed eaten. His 

 total profit was low, however because corn was worth only 

 19c a bushel. . iContinued on page 18) 



L A. A. RECORD 



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