SEGMENT: LIVESTOCK, FAMILY BACKGROUND, & HIRED HELP

Ewell Brauer>UIS Collection B's>UIS Collection B's, Segment 3

SEGMENT: LIVESTOCK, FAMILY BACKGROUND, & HIRED HELP,

duration 11:05
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LIVESTOCK
Milk was run through cream separator using centrifugal force to separate light skim milk from heavy cream. Cream was sold either as fresh cream or as butter, and skim milk was fed to hogs with table scraps before tankage and soybean meal. Tankage is from rendered meat scraps from rendering plants and was used as high-protein feed in late 1930's. Soybean meal was used in 1940's.
FAMILY
Stayed on family farm until 23 years old and then left to farm on own. Father became too old to take care of farm.
HIRED HELP
Hired local boys for help part-time of full-time, by the day, hour, or month.
FAMILY BACKGROUND
Two other sons helped father but during World War II one went into Army and one worked as a machinist at William's Oilomatic factory in Bloomington. Rented father's farm from 1940-1943, then bought own 270 acre farm 5 miles SW of Oakford. Half is tillable. By then people were using tractors rather than horses. Could work longer hours and needed fewer people. Always hired help during crop season.
LIVESTOCK
Started with 4-5 sows and farrowed 2 times per year. Later farrowed 2,000 pigs a year. Also has 25-30 beef cows, but started with less. Market calves every year and cull herd according to age, productivity, and replacements. Sell calves at 18 months, feeder calves at 8-10 months. Pigs are sold at 6 months. Started with two-litter system, farrowing in spring and fall, then went to full-time farrowing and full-time marketing in farrowing house built in 1962. Feeds pigs complete feed of corn and soybean meal with mineral additives, antibiotics, and vitamins using a self-feeder. Much different from feeding ear corn twice a day. Feeds cows grass and young cows get ground feed mix. In winter cows get hay and run through stalk fields.