Let's go to School on the Question of Feeding Pigs

Taranaki Daily News, 30 September 1940, Page 23 (Supplement)

Let's go to School on the Question of Feeding Pigs

Here is a simple lesson in arithmetic. 15,000 tons of extra cheese — 33,600,000 1b, or, since one lb. of cheese is made from one gallon of milk, 33,600,000 gallons of milk. Assuming that an average cow is capable of producing 500 gallons of milk in the season then:— 33.600,000 divided by 500—67,200 cows. ^ Thus, the milk from 67,200 cows is needed for New Zealand's war production of extra cheese. The 33,600,000 gallons of milk will return 25,200,000 gallons of whey for pig feeding Whey has a value of two-thirds of whole' milk, therefore 25,200,000 gallons

of whey— 16,000,000 gallons of feeding value equivalent to whole milk. 16,000,000 gallons— 7000 tons. On the basis that it requires half a ton of this food to produce one baconer pig of 1401b dead weight. Then:— 7000 tons— 14,000 bacon carcases. 14,000 carcases— 8240 tons of pig meat. This is approximately half the quantity that could be produced if the 67,200 cows were devoted to home separatioh and the skim milk was wholly fed to pigs. Conclusion: The war effort requiring 15,000 extra tons. of cheese will reduce the possibility of maintaining the production of bacon, but the position can be offset by growing feeding crops on j the farm and by the more intelligent utilisation of whey. If fed in conjunction with meat meal at the rate of Jlb of meal to four gallons (a kerosene tin full) of whey, weaner pigs have been proved under trials involving 10 dilferent farms to put on weight at the rate of one pound a day.