Progress Report Series No. 50 
July 1951
AGRICU LTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION
of The Alabama Polytechnic Institute, Auburn, Ala.
a 0 E. V. SMITH, Director
SUMMARY of RESULTS of BEEF CATTLE=COTTON-HOG UNIT
Tennessee Valley Substation, Belle Mina, Alabama
1949 and 1950
Fred Stewart, Superintendent
John Boseck, Assistant Superintendent
Charles H. Johnston, Assistant Superintendent
A beef cattle, cotton, and hog management unit was established at the
Tennessee Valley Substation in 19h9,. Reported here are results of the first
2 year's operations, 1949 
and 1950o
Experiment and urpose
Cotton is the major source of agricultural income in the Tennessee Val-
ley. However, the acreage in cotton that can be handled is limited by the
shortage of labor and the types of soil Because of these reasons and acre-
age controls of the past, land is now available on most farms for which some
profitable type of farm enterprise must be developed to supplement the income
from cotton
Experimental results at the Tennessee Valley Substation and at other
locations of the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station System indicate that
the production of forage and grain crops, to be marketed through beef cattle
and hogs, provides an opportunity for profitably utilizing available land on
most farms These results show: (1) that good grazing for cattle can be
produced throughout most of the year, (2) that a farming system providing
good grazing for cattle also provides a large quantity of grain as a by=prod=
uct which can be more efficiently utilized by hogs than cattle, (3) that such
systems result in more efficient utilization of labor throughout the year
than is afforded by a one-crop system of farming, and (4) that such systems
provide better protection of the soil against erosion. For these reasons,
a farm-size management unit combining cotton, beef cattle, and hogs as the
sources of income has been established and is in operation on the Tennessee
Valley Substationo
The purpose of the farm~size experiment is: (1) to study the use of
beef cattle and hogs to supplement the income from cotton; (2) to determine
the proper balance between land, labor, hogs, beef cattle, and crops for
operating the system efficiently; (3) to determine the number and weight
of calves that can be raised from a given number of cows, and the best time
of the year that they should be dropped for the most economical gains and
efficient use of crops; (h) to determine the best time of the year to sell
the calves; (5) to determine the best methods of wintering cattle as to
feed and shelter under severe weather conditions; and (6) to study the
improvement in yields and carrying capacity of the land that results from
a livestock program of this kindo
Use of Land, In establishing the unit, 160 acres of land was reserved to
be operated as a two-family, farmwsize experiment. Because of the nature of
the land, one area is used continuously for cotton production. The remaining
open land in the unit is used to provide a maximum of forage and grain for
livestock. The return from livestock is used to supplement the income from
cotton, Methods and practices found to give the most economical results 
at
the Substation were combined into the cropping system. The acreages of crops
are as follows.
Cotton .0 0 0 0...... ...... 0 0.. .. . ...................... 18.0
Theat or oats oo. (Double cropped, crimson-ryegrass) ..... ,.0
Sericea-crimson clover combination ........ .... .. 200
Crimson clover and ryegrass ... (D, C. Grain sorghum) 
?... 130o
Alfalfa .o1..0........... ............................... 00o
Wheat or oats .o. (D. C. Sudan grass) ................. 
7o0
Crimson clover . . (D. C. grain sorghum) .. 7.0
Fescue . 0 00 0 0 0............... ... ...................... 4 0
Corn ... .. ............................ .. .... 2 0
Ladino clover 0......0 ...... 0... ... ...........0 0.. 2.0
Improved pasture ............. .. .............. . ..... 16.5
Homestead, barn, and garden areas ........................ 0
Woodland, slough, roadways, etc. ....................... O
Total acres in farm ......................... 16000
Machinery. The unit owns all farm machinery and equipment necessary
for normal operations, except a combine, rake, and hay baler. These are
hired at local prevailing prices when needed. The principal farm machinery
and equipment owned includes one tractor and the following tractor equip-
ment: trailer, mower, plows, section harrow, cultivator, rotary hoe, and
disk.
Buildings. On this unit are two five-room dwellings for the farm
operadt"rs and their families. Other buildings include a barn, which is
used for hay storage and hay feeding during extremely cold or wet weather;
machinery shed; poultry house; and three farrowing houses for hogs.
Labor. All regular labor is supplied by the two farm operators.
Extra i1abor for hoeing and picking cotton is hired from outside sources
or from the families on the unit. If labor records indicate that less
labor is needed after the unit is well established, the regular labor
will be reduced to one operator.
Livestock. The unit was started in 19h9 with 19 good grade Hereford
cowsFows of mixed breeds, and a purebred bull. It now has 29 brood
cows and replacement heifers, and a purebred bull, Twenty-five to 30 cows
will be maintained as the beef herd,
Four native sows are maintained to supply necessary pigs to use the
grain produced on the unite
2
One horI~se is kcept for herding cattle and for working the garden and truck
patches,
Two milk cows and a small laying flock are kept to supply Milk and eggs
f or the farm operators and theairI f ailies
Management of Crops
Cotton, Cotton is grown continuiously on an l8-acre field because the
soil is better adapted -to cotton than other areas on the unit, which are sub-
ject to overflow An adapted variety, Empire,is Usually planted between
April 10 and 20. Fertilizer recomendations based on results of experiments
at the Substation are closely _- followed on the unit
0  
Cotton receives an appli-
cation of 600 pounds of 6-8-4 fertilizer per acre, Cotton was not poisoned
in 1949, but in 1950 eight applications wre made to control the major cotton
insects.
Corn
0  
Two acres of corn of a leading white variety are used for funi'sh-
ing cornmeal to the farm fiwpamilies arid for additional grain for livestock
0
Corn is planted about May 1 in 3'foot rows, 15 to 18 inches in the drill.
The corn receives 300 pounds of 6-84. fertilizer per acre before planting and
a sidedressing of bOO0 pounds of nitrate of soda or equal nitrogen from other
sources -when 30 to 35 days old,,
amarigdHayCrops
0  
The feed production program of this
unit is based on eff icient 'use of grain, hay, and forage crops.
A 2-year rotation of crimson clover and ryegrass followed by grain sor-
ghum interplanted to oats or wheat provides one of the principal sources of
feed and forage for cattle and hogs on the unit, The rotation is used on a
l$.,acre field and 1l3acre field, The crops 
are planted so that one field is
growing crimson clover and ryegrass in the winter While the other is growing
eiher oats or wheat Lise, in the summer when one field is planted to
gratin sorghum following crimson clover and ryegrass,'the other is fal.Lowed
for late July or early August seeding of crimson clover and ryegrass
0 
Oats
or wheat is planted In the grain sorgh-um middles in September
0  
By handling
the land in this way,, each fi31eld produces three crops every 2 years,
The crimson Clover and ryegrass furnish grazing from about October 1 to
may 14 at Which tIime grazing i11s stopped and the clover is allowed to mature
seed
0 
The seed are combined and sold as a cash crop
0
, Cattle graze the wheat
or oats, and grain sorghum stubble d1uring the Winter until March 19 when they
are removed and the oats or Wheat is topdressed with nitrogen
0
. When the grain
is -mature, it is combined and stored unxtil fed to hogs in a self-feeder
6
to bridge the gap between summer and fall grazing.
A 20mmac-re lespedeza sericeacrinson clover combination is another print..
cipal source of forage. The cattle are grazed on the sericea during the summer
months and on the crimson clover in the winter,,,
The unit has ap-proximately 23 acres seeded to white clover .Dallis and
orchard grass that is used during the year when mistureis sufficient for
adequate growth
0  
Part of this improved pasture is used to furnish grazing
f or the milk cows and replacement heifers., and the remainder is used for the
beef cattle herd,
0
Alfalfa (10 acres) and Ladino clover (2 acres) are used as yearwround
grazing to furnish protein for economical production of hogs, The surplus
alfalfa is cut for hay and fed to cattle during critical periods, or it is
grazed by the cattle.
A 7- acre grain sorghum.=crimson clover field adjacent to the 
hog pasture
has been hogged off for the past 2 yearso
Management of Livestock
Beef cattle and hogs are used as a source of incometo supplement the
income from cotton
0  
At the beginning of the experiment. 24 cows.,predomim
nately beef types. were bought, One of these has been sold and the reminder
has been bred to a purebred bull, From the calves producedo six replacement
heifers have been saved. At the beginning all cows were bred to drop calves
in the spring of the year. In order to determine the best time for calves
to0 be dropped, several of the cows -have been bred to calve in the fall
0 
Cows
f ailing to settle for either spring or fall calving are rebred at the next
breeding period
8  
All heifer calves -are vaccinated against Bangfs and black
leg diseases at 4 to 6 months of age. All bull calves are castrated soon
after they are dropped. With the exception of replacement heifers, all calves
are sold on open market directly from their dams at the age of 8 to 10 months.
At the s am t ime, replac-ement -heif er s- are separated -from t he ir dams,
Woodland areas furnish the main porotection for cattle during winter
monhs but i extreme cold weather the cattle have been conf ined to the barn
and hand fed hay. They are also fed hay in the barn when fields are covered
with snow or high water
0
,
Sows of this unit are bred to farrow two litters of pigs per year$ one
litter in March and the other in September
0
o All hogs are sold on open market
0
The weight at selling time depends on the feed supply
0
,,VWhen feed supplies are
unusually large, the hogs are carried to somewhat heavier than top -weights
0
,
-When feed supplies are low,9 the hogs are sold at lower than top weights.
Sprig~frroed igs re sualy ed weator atsand inihedon rai
t,4
All hogs have access to alfalfa and Ladino clover at all times to furnish
the required protein. A mineral mixture composed of one part salt and thee
parts basic slag is kept before the hogs at all times. Plenty of fresh water
is provided.
Results
The first year that the unit was in operation, January 1, to December 31,
1949, total receipts from the sale of cotton 
and cottonseed, beef cattle, hogs,
and seed amounted to $5,822.72. The net cash balance or return to capital and
regular labor after deducting cash expenses of $2,55463 amounted to 
$3,268.19,
excluding inventory changes and capital outlay, Capital outlay and inventory
changes were about the same in 1949. However, in 1950, the inventory 
increase
exceeded capital outlay by $4950
In 1950
s 
total receipts amounted to $1022.60, with a net cash return of
$6,162.61 after all cash expenses were paid, Both years, the percentage of
the total income from cotton was about the same as that from livestocko 
In
1949, seed sales accounted for about 
16 per cent of the gross income, However,
in 1950 they accounted for less than 3 per cent of the gross income.
Cotton yields were 440 pounds of lint per acre in 1949 
and 615 pounds in
1950. No poison was used on cotton in 1949, 
but in 1950 eight applications
were made. A total of 2,700 pounds of insecticide was used to control 
cotton
insects.
Corn produced an average of 57 bushels per 
acre in 1949 and 60 bushels
in 1950.
Grain sorghum averaged 35 to 40 bushels per acre each year. In 1950.,
315 pounds of poison was used to control worms 
on grain sorghum. Oats made
0hO bushels per acre in 1949, and wheat averaged 
between 15 and 20 bushels for
both years. Weather conditions in spring were against good yields 
of wheat
because of rust.
Sumary of Results
BEEF CATTLE-COTTONq-HOG UNIT
Tennessee Valley Substation, 1949 and 1950
Sales and Receipts
1950
Cotton 7,261 lb
0
- $2,l172o70 11,062 lb
0  
$4, 50o44
Cottonseed 13. 57 8 lb 
0 
A,271o58 173850 lb
0
747.63
Bolly Cotton - 3W75 lb
0
39038
Top Hogs# l head 1/ 3,1O5 lb
0  
505'02
64 head- 13$780 lb
0  
2, W40
0
32
Sows04 2 head 935 lb
0
o 159o56
Calves:o 20 head 805 lb
0  
lTh2o70
16 head 8,9630 lb
0  
2,l172o02
Cows: I -head 19095 lb
0  
21-0037
Seed: Crimson clover l9184 lb
0
. 483o60 607 lb
0  
152-o2~
Oats 251 bu
0  
220o45~
1heat 
78 bu. 156000--
Sericea 300 lb
0  
60oOO
Fescue 260 lb
0
o 130000
Miscellaneous. Eggs 92 doz. h1o
0
Total Cash Receipts 
$59822a~72 $l04 
422o60
Cash Expenses
1949 1950
Feed $211l090 $241
0 
70
Fertilizer 767o62 720.00
Seed h57o40 377oQ5
Machinery and equipment hire 276o97 h%
0
o60
Extra labor 245
0
O00 778o48
Ginning and storage 125
0
4h l76o90
Fuel arid oil ]-60 o94 131a75
Cotton and grain sorghum poison 358. 65
Livestock purchases 3OO 558eJ
Mtiscellaie ous 3/ 2790.6 hh~
Tota Cah Epenes ~,~h36 h,69
0
9
Returns ~~3~268C19 6l2
Only.- 3 litters so.ld
0
Chickens purchased*
Includes commiossi1on, insurance,
and gral~n sorghum
0
taxes, electricity, and applying poison to cotton
6
1/
BEEF CATTLE-COTTON-HOG
UNIT
Tenn essee Valley S ubstation
Belle Mina, Alabama-
GRAIN SORGHUM-
interplanted with OATS or WHEAT
followed by CRIMSON 
CLOVER-
RYEGRASS.
15 ACGRES
Cattle gaps
10 .
~eEectric fence
(CRIMSON CLOVE R~
RYEGRASS followed by GRAIN SORGH
inteorplanted wlth WHE-AT
ACRES
. - V %P W v %/ V v %I v
-3-
SE.RICEA A ND CRIMSON
CLOVER
20 ACRES
IMPROVED
PA STUR E
10.5 ACRES
z ~ 'K
I .I -V aZ~3_~f~Fn;~Pirk~