The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1920-12-03
HOGS 6---BACON AND HAMS 40

HOGS 6---BACON AND HAMS 40
Hogs are now bringing : cents a
pound, live weight on the Winner
market which really means about 81
or cents for the producer out here
in Nellette county. 1t costs from a
cent TO a cent and half pound to
take live pork to the Winner market
from a Melette county farm at this
season of The year, Wien the roads are
almost impossible, that is taking into
account the overland freight charge
and the natural shrinkage caused by
the long overland trip Hams ana
bacon are at the present time selling
on the local market at from 40 to 80
cents pound, which price is of course
all out of proportion to What the pro.
dUcer Of hogs is now getting for his
product. War prices on hams and ba
con are still with Us while the pro-
ducer is compelled to accept before
the war price, for his hogs There is
something radically wrong somewhefe fe
Nobody viii deny that fact The
quest ion is hoW to remedy the defect
In these days we hear much about
tie middle man. the protiteer, etc.
and while w have always thought,
perSJniNy. that it was very foolisa
for the people Of Neuette county to
produce hogs then take them A.
mites to railroad market ship them
to the large packing centers and then
ship the tioished meat products back
to Mellette county again, to be sold
practically 20 the same people who
produced the hog originally, but that
Is just the system we have been work
ing under in this country. and we have
maintained, and still insist, that this
is entirely the wrong system. 1t
gives the packers, the railroad com
panes and the stock commission men
the big end Of the profit whereas the
major portion OF this profit should go
into the pockets of the producers.
Right now when there is so much
agitation about eliminating the mid
die man, and cutting out all the un-
necessary profits between the produc-
er and the ultimate consumer, ii
seems to Us, IS mighty good time
for the pork producers of Mellette
county TO turn over new leaf and
begin TO put little "hoss sense into
their business. Do you know that
good sweet farm cured meat is some
thing mighty lard to get and meat
Of this kind always commands a prem
ium and ready market, if people but
knew where they could get good coun
try cured hams and bacon, at stand
ard price and of standard und uni
form quality? Especially is this true
of dwe.iers in the larger cites. Now
it is fact that every hog producer
does not know how to cure meat, but
some do.
Now we have had hope. a dream.
or whatever you may term it, to some
day see the hogs produced in Mellette
county slaughtered and turned into
prime country hams and bacon, and
real farm sausage and pure country
lard. right here in Mellette county.
No. We are not advocating the estat
lishment Of large packing plrnt.
but we would like to see some sort OF
united effort made by the hog pro
ducers to cut out tie middle man
the packers and the two way railroad
transportation, and keep the entire
profits derived from their hogs right
here in Melette county. 1t can be
done and TO our mind, there are two
ways to accomplish this result.
Let some one who has made loca'
reputation for curing meats and max
ing sausage build "A small slaughter
house to carry on the business of kill
ing and curing meats and making
sausage lie to buy the hogs from the
local producers. Let the curing bt
done in true country style with an ole
fashioned sluoke house in which tC
toproperly smoke the meats, All thi
would require considerable capital
and tile money feature might be tn,
one thing that would prevent the cor
sumation Of such an enterprise here
The ether plan We have thought O