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About The Plattsmouth journal. (Plattsmouth, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 5, 1962)
Opportunities for Expanded Hog Production Seen for Farmers in View of Ample Feed Grain Supplies Ity I'll i 1 i i A. Henderson Intension i:-noiiii.-.t l iiivervity f Nebraska One of the principal problems confronting many Nebraska farmers is the lack cf volume in the.r farming operations. In many instances, additional land 1; not Immediately avail able either for n'nt or purchase. There is the alternative, how ever, of intensifying the opera tion through the enlargement of present livestock ent.'rp.i.ses or the a.lditiun of rew livestock fciiterprl.se ;. Currently a lar-1: proportion of Nebraska's feed grain produc tion is not fed on Nebraska farm.s. Increased production of feed grains, more stable produe- THOMAS WALLING CO. Plattsmoi-th, Nebraska Abstracts of Title "Title Insurance" I gUGBEBY Is for the Birds Beware of the health phoney the clown and killer, the ruthless robber of hope and money. You'd never knowingly call on one for medical aid but be careful lest you are unwittingly duped by smooth talking charlatans with false promises of quick cures and magic medicines. Trust only an accredited doctor with your health problems trust us to fill his prescriptions in a highly professional manner. Fred J. Feldhousen, Ph. G. R.P. and John DeMay, B.S.-R.P. Pharmacists In Charge Bumpero Is A Chemical Combination of Nitrogen, Phosphate And Potash. This Means That Each Pellet Contains The Same Amount of Plant Food As The Next Pellet. Bumpero Is Not A Blend, But Is A Homo geneous Material. THOSEWHO KNOW USE BUMPERO Manufactured By Federal Chemical Co. Omaha 7, Nebraska Hon from year to year and a growing demand in the western part of the United States offer real opportunities to capable live'oek-minded farmtrs. Large Amount Of Feed Grains Available F.ed grain prodivt'on in Ne braska was approximately 55 per cent higher In 1960 than U was 10 years earlier. A number (f things contributed to this large increase. The weather, of ecur-e, was favorable to large yield, but the Increase in irriga tion which had taken place dur ing ih'.s decade, a well as the introduction and adoption of hybrid grain sorghum, and In creased use of commercial fer tilizer were also important con tributors to the Increase. Much (f this increase h here to stay (except for the possible effects of government restrictions on production . Both irrigation and the in creased acreage of grain sor ghums will serve to stabilize production of feed grains from For Top Yields and Greater Profits Use... FEDERAL year to year in Nebraska. This is an important consideration to the livestock producer. Rough calculations indicate that only about 40 to 50 per cent of Nebraska's feed grains Ls being fed on Nebraska farms. The rest Is either being placed under government loan or i3 be ing shipped out of the state to be fed elsewhere or to be used for other commercial purposes. Hence, there is a large amount of feed grain which could serve as the basis for substantial in creases in livesock feeding op erations within the state. Farm ers needing additional volume of business might well afford to take a look at opportunities in hog production. Historically, hogs have been produced largely in the Corn Belt and to a lesser extent in the eastern fringes of some of the Great Plains states. Since feed makes up 75-80 per cent of the total cost of producing hogs, it seems probable that most of the hogs will continue to be produced in those areas where feed grains are produced. Demand Prospects Aie Good For Plains Farmers Although the per capita con sumption of pork has been ex periencing a downward trend during the past ten years, con sumption per capita has been relatively stable over the past 60 years. During this time it has averaged approximately 65 pounds per capita. It does not seem likely that this will change significantly for any length of time during the next 10 to 15 years. The rapid growth of popula tion along the west coast and in southwestern United States during recent years is expected to continue. It is estimated that by 1970, there will be approxi mately 12 million more people in the western half of the United States than there were in 1960. Even if the current trend in per capita consumption of pork con tinues downward, this growth in population would mean an in creased demand for pork a mounting to roughly 700 million pounds. This is the equivalent of 4 to 4.5 million hogs. Feed 'grain production in the states west of the Great Plains has never been large. And this situation is not likely to change materially. Consequently, it is expected that western United States will continue to look to the feed grain producing areas for its supply of pork. The dreat H It's Pelleted It's Free-Flowing It's Non-Caking It's Dust Free It's High Analysis YOU GET Easy handling Guaranteed Analysis Trace Elements Plains states, being the nearest feed grain producing area of con.equence, have a competitive advantage in this western mar ket over states farther to the east. The shorter distances mean lower freight rates and hence, lower marketing cojts. Capital And Labor Requirements Many farms lack pasture, fencing, and water supplies away from the buildings. In such cases, hog production or cattle feeding are logical pos sibilities. Of these two, hog production is less speculative and requires a considerably smaller annual cash or credit outlay. Investments in buildings and equipment may be larger, how ever. Figures are not available on the amount of investment in buildings and equipment used for hog production on Nebraska farms but study of hog produc tion on 76 farms in Indiana in 1957 indicated that the amount invested in buildings and equip ment on the.-e farms amounted to approximately $250-265 per sow (two litters). The one litter system can be carried -on with a smaller in vestment in buildings if the pigs are farrowed in May or June. Weather is mild enough at this time of year that cold is not a factor. Heating equipment, ven tilation, and insulation are not needed, thus permitting a lower investment per sow. This may be offset to a large extent, how ver, in that less complete use can be made of buildings and equipment as compared to the two litter system. Labor requirements vary tre mendously from one farm to an other depending on equipment and facilities for handling hogs. Indiana studies conducted in 1956-1957 indicated that the most efficient producers with large hog enterprises were able to produce pork with as little as .52 hours of labor per hundred weight. The least efficient re quired 1.30 hours per hundred weight. The average labor re quirement amounted to just un der one hour for each hundred pounds of hogs produced. The farmer who can raise and mar ket close to 7 pigs per litter weighing an average of 215 pounds can expect to spend ap proximately 30 hours per sow if two litters are farrowed. Factors Affecting- Costs The large herds have some advantage over small herds from the standpoint of costs. Ttie aveVage cost of producing each hunderd .bounds in the Indiana study was $15.30 in the small herds, $14.28 in the mod eraetely large herds, and $13.29 in the large herds. The fewer pigs raised per lit ter, the higher the cost of pro duction. In other words, it costs almost as much to keep a sow that weans 6 pigs as one that weans 8 or more pigs. Likewise, the fixed costs (depreciation, taxes, and interest on invest ment of maintaining buildings and equipment) are largely in dependent of the number of pigs weaned per litter. The man who succeeds in raising 8 or 9 pigs per litter has a lower cost per pig or per hunderd pounds of pork produced than the man who raises only 5 to 6 pigs. To the extent that the SPF program can improve feed con version rates and cut down on death losses, this relatively new development in the hog business holds real promise. As yet, very little information is available on the economics of SPF hog pro duction. 'New Markets Ag Products' By Pearle F. Finnigan State Director of Agriculture Nebraska's success in develop ing a survival ration acceptable for the Federal Government's civil defense program has opened the door to new markets for the state's agricultural prod ucts as well as aided the state's industry. The encouraging early orders for the Nebraskit wafer have served to justify the state's re search program as well as de mand increased efforts during the next three months. Proposals extending the pres ent contracts with Midwest for the further development of ra tions have been requested. Additional efforts will be made to perfect the milk bar and cer eal bars made from corn and milo. Midwest personnel will also work with the industry to per fect manufacturing techniques. One of the approved items for civil defense stockpiling is bulgur j made from wheat. This product is now made on the west coast from white wheat grown in the Pacific Northwest. Efforts will be made at Midwest to develop 1 milling methods suitable for use in Nebraska to process Nebraska i wheat into bulgur products. The wheat bulgur products are I already receiving a good accept- iTIE PLATTSMOUTH JOURNAL PAGE EIGHT Monday, February 5, 1962 -Groundhog ( Continued from Page 1) away a bean patch at one sitting. For dessert, the vegetarian likes cabbage heads, pumpkin vines and young corn. When he isn't plundering gar dens and hayfields, the ground hog digs holes that can cause cattle to stumble. The mounds of earth piled up at the burrow exits also wreck farm machin ery. In 1883, New Hampshire pro nounced the groundhog "desti tute of any interesting qualities" and put a 10-cent price on his head. Was European Legend Despite its bad habits, the groundhog is an honored animal in the United States. Pur.xsutawney, Pennsylvania, which claims to be the official residence of the furry animal, though this is disputed by Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, celebrates February 2 with a Groundhog Banquet and teen-age Groundhog Hop. A recent book entitled "Cook ing With the Groundhog" ex plains how to prepare the animal with almonds, rhubarb, and zuc chini. The Old World legend of Groundhog Day was brought to America by the Pilgrims. They substituted the indigenous groundhog for the European hedgehog which in earlier tradi tion cast a sahadow on Candle mas Day. The North American animal is a heavy-bodied, white-nosed, myopic species of marmot (Mar mota monax). It lives in open woodlands and meadows, and en joys a lazy, short-sighted life. When chased by coyotes, dogs, or an irate farmer, "woodie" whistles a warning, chatters his teeth, and heads for a burrow. Young are born in late spring, four to six to a litter. The father assumes no parental responsibil ity. He spends his time feasting, sunning, and digging den holes. By August, the young "whist ling pigs," as woodchucks are sometimes called, are ready to find dens for a new life on their own. Koubeks Continued from Page One bottle holds a replica of the Holy Rosary Church where the Kou bek family has long been active. A tiny six-sided bottle holds the intricately carved names of the six members of the Koubek family. Over 100 of these bottles, each a separate marvel of pa tient craftsmanship, have been made by Mr. Koubek. Mr. Koubek, like many Bohe mians, ls a true artisan. Bohe mian families have a natural talent for the artistic and musi cal and the quiet charm with which they fill their homes is up lifting. Plattsmouth may well be proud of its Bohemian families, for just as the soul, without music or art to lift it above the humdrum plane of everyday life, is dead; so the town, without people who can keep a fast hold on beauty. Is a drab place to live. Another fact stands out con cerning our Bohemian settlers. Each one has been a good Amer ican from the time his foot touched this soil. They put their shoulders to the wheel of indus try and worked hard. They ap plied their old world thrift and skills to their lives here and gave a solid loyalty to this new country. One needn't go far into the Koubek home to tell that they are also deeply religious. The Koubek family was one of the families who helped in the build ing of the Holy Rosary Church and have since been active in it. The Koubek's still receive and enjoy a Bohemian paper from New York. Mr. and Mrs. Koubek have four children, all Cass County residents. Mr. and Mrs. Mark Hohman are farming at Wabash. Mrs. Leo Hohman's husband is in the water company at Platts mouth. The third daughter, Helen, married John Svoboda, also of Plattsmouth, who works in the bank. The Koubeks' son Frank, bet ter known around the town as "Abe." is a machinist in the shops. a.nce in the school lunch pro grams in Peru, according to the report of a department represen tative. Bulgur is used in a man ner similar to rice and is becom ing a staple in the lunch pro gram there. By aiding in the development of an arsenal of civil defense weapons for the United States. Nebraska has gained a reputa tion for its aggressiveness in re search and finding new markets to aid its agricultural economy. This reputation has brought in quiries from numerous industries Interested in commercial produc tion of the items being developed. fv 1ST; Sincloir vrr?""" i u, : r j NEW BUSINESS This new Sinclair Service . Hutchinson, bulk man, and Joe Gochenour, scr Station will begin operating Tuesday at Chicago vice station operator. The station was conslruct Avenue and Hill Street. Proprietors are Les I ed by Young and Jose Building Contractors. Chunk Style Light Meat, bVi -cz. Can Snider.'s t ft. ' Si K 14-oz. (rz i Food Club or EPillsbury's Flour Baby Soft White or Assorted Colors FACIAL DASH PINEAPPLE TOPCO PDCECLES 3 Popsicles FREE Dartmouth Cherry, Apple or Peach Family Size PDES Swift's Premium FRANKS Prices Effective 1q rv 1 Chicken-of-the-Sea TTuDiniei Gooch's Best Macaroni or Spaghetti For A Delicious Tuna Casserole, 16 ox. Bag TDSSUHS Washing Powder Jumbo Size Box Liquid Detergent For Dishwashing Ciant 22 ox. Plastic Bottle Food Club Fresh Pack Kosher or Polish Dill, Quart U.S. Crade No. Waxed, 49 POTATOES FT! A. ca y r thru Feb. 7. We Reserve The Right if 19c m p; 5 39c 400 COUNT BOXES 15c $179 $100 49c 29c NO. 2 CANS With Purchase of i2 Cal. of Fairmont's Ice Cream A $1.04 Value For 9c 29c 1 Selected, Washed and Neb. Red Triumph 1 10 LB MESH A A BAG 2ltj FT! l 1 y To Limit Quantities. I 4 4 ?.1 4 4i 4 I