Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-07-21
FARM EDUCATION
BY DR.. ANDREW M. SOULE

' The Cooperative Hog Sale
We have gone into the hog raising
business in many sections of Geor'
Eia in dead earnest. Every few days
4 carload or more of hogs are being
shipped, from widely scattered points
I'M orr state. In some places, they
aye aggregated in large numbers. !
know of one place from which they
.eanect to ship 1000 hogs in the near
Stature. If these hogs are 10 bring a
satisfactory price. how should they
be- finished and what weight should
they attain? What constitute Nos.
J, and 3 of the standards set up by
the marketing division of the Unit
ed States department of agriculture,
which are now generally followed
and observed by the trade. Note
what Prof. M. c. Gay. state supervi-
sor of marketing in the extension di-
vision Of the Georgia State College
of Agriculture, has to say relative
to this matter.
ssThe corn belt farmer ships his
hogs to market TO be sold; the Geor-
ga farmer sells his hogs to be ship
ped. Why the difference? Accord
ing to Prof. M. c. Gay, the reason
lies in the fact that the big live
stock markets are convenient to the
producer in the middle west. Compe-
Triton is found at these markets, for
competing firms have packing plants
convenient to the stockyards. Nc
point in Georgia has more than one
packing plant. Hogs offered for sale
out in the state may be bought and
shipped to any southern plant, even
to, Cuba or to an eastern market
Hence, We usually have more com
petition out in the state than at one
OF Nour packing plant towns. The
packers do not make g, practice of
Buying hogs fob. shipping point
but some Of them have arrangements
with commission firms to buy for
them; hence, our country point COM
Petition and our fob. sales.
~ The method of operating these
hog sales is well known to most ag-
ricultural workers. If a casual sur
vey shows that at least one good car
Of hogs is available. a sale day is an
1founced. Then hogs are listed,
usually by the county agent or bv
the secretary of the association. if
there is such an organization. Farm
ers. are impressed with the fact that
they are expected to bring to the
sale the hogs listed. In due time.
stock cars are ordered, figuring one
car for each 100 hogs. A car may
hold more or less than this number.
depending upon the size of the ami.
Bak, but counting as above indi-
Gated is usually sufficiently accu-
gate.
The Importance of organizing an
efficient association of swine grow.
erS cannot be too strongly stressed.
Let it be farmers proposition, and
help the farmers to develop in the
handling of their marketing prob
lens, A county agent or most any
one else, as for that matter, can as
sumo the responsibility and make Il
hog sale a success under ordinary
conditions. Then, when unusual
conditions arise, sale may go
wrong. The farmers do not under
sand: the agent gets the blame.
AS the hogs are brought in on sale
day. they are weighed and graded.
Both Of these operations are very
important. Make the grades right ::
the weights must be good Most of
the, hogs have just been well fed.
though they should have had only
a normal feed. StuffiIg animals to
gain weight should be discoura ged ::
it3does not pay. We have. found
farmers willing to abandon the prac-
tice when they understood the prop
osition.
AS weighings are made. each farm
er is given copy of ticket showing
the number. weight and grade of his
a
tickets are SUMMARIZED so that buy
ers may know what is being offered
The differentials between grades