COST OF PRODUCING HOGS IN IOWA AND ILLINOIS 7 
COST RECORDS LIMITED TO FARM 
This is a study of the cost of producing hogs while on the farm. 
Items of expense incurred after the farmer has delivered the hogs 
to the local market or shipping point are not included in this report 
as cost. Labor required at the local shipping point is included in 
the labor charge. Cost of marketing (freight, commission, pardsge, 
feed, inspection, insurance, and local shipping association fees) has 
been treated as a reduction from the sale price at market to get the 
net profit on the farm. By using weights at market and cost of 
production on the farm, shrinkage is distributed over the entire 
production, resulting in a higher cost per 100 pounds than if farm 
weights were used. 
Fig. 3.—A saving in feed and labor was made on this farm by having fields of forage crops connected 
up with lanes from the central house and pens 
COST OF PRODUCING PORK 
In 1921, costs were obtained upon 44 farms producing 1,033,747 
poe of marketable pork, or an average of 23,494 pounds per 
arm. ‘The gross cost of this amount of pork was $5.49 per 100 
pounds and the net cost? was $5.42. The difference of 7 cents is 
appreciation in the value of the breeding herd. The increase in 
weight of the breeding herd has been included in the pork produced. 
In 1922, costs were obtained upon 39 farms producing 1,004,003 
ounds of marketable pork or an average of 25,744 pounds per 
arm. ‘Twenty-eight of these farms were included in the 1921 
work. The gross cost in 1922 was $6.32 or 83 cents higher than 
in 1921. This increase was largely due to a higher feed cost in 1922, 
because of the increase in the value of corn. The average farm 
price of corn in the 1921 costs was 36 cents per bushel and in 1922 
it was 52 cents, in the area studied. The net cost of producing 
pork in 1922 was $5.86. A summary of the items which compose 
the average cost of 100 pounds of marketable pork for the years 
The net cost of pork was found by subtracting from the gross cost the balance of inventories, purchases, 
and sales of breeding animals. In determining this balance, animals were valued at the beginning of the 
year for breeding purposes and those during the year at market prices for slaughter. If market prices 
had been used in the inventories the deductions from the gross cost would have been greater. 
