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Hog Growers
Position Better
Fewer pigs going to market and an expected drop in feed costs add up to a brighter picture for hog growers during at least*the next year, says George Herring, animal husbandman at VPI.. He says that the 1952 spring pig crop in the United States is reported as 9 per cent below that of last year. Indications are that farmers also will breed 9 per cent less sows for fall farrow' than they did a year ago. Virginia reduced its number of sows farrowing in the spring of 1952 hy 5 per cent, hut came up with one per cent more pigs raised than the year before. The high average of 6.7 pigs per litter was above that in any of the other southern states. Virginia growers report 5 per cent less sows bred to farrow this fall.'
The reduced number of hogs which will be available for market in the next 12 months will help hog prices. ~Feecl~costs are likely to j>e down because of heavy grain production in the United States this year. The wheat crop is’ near’ record, and there are excellent prospects ‘ of a largecorn crop.
During most of the past year,; hog growers have been faced with extremely high feed, costs and low prices for market hogs as a result of the short com crop and large pig ' crop of 1951. Profits were, stpall. More often, farmers broke even otr even under the best of conditions, lost money on their hogs.
The heavy pig crop of 19Sl was j marketed rapidly, but in May \the volume moving tq market dropped ofi and prices improved.
65.8%