The Valley's New Prize Pig
A local farmer bets on data-driven agriculture to master the hog market.
C. E. Skelton, of Finley, is one of the farmers of the valley who has gone into the hog business with no other intention than to make it a winner. Realizing that the four essentials to success are good stock, proper feed, close application to business and a complete record of costs, Mr. Skelton is not overlooking any of these details. He is one of the few farmers of the valley who is keeping an absolute record of every item of cost, and when he produces a pound of pork he will know exactly what it cost. Mr. Skelton last week purchased a yearling registered Duroc Jersey boar of Poston Sons of Carley which he believes is the finest animal in the valley. He will place the animal at the head of his herd and also expects to put him on the show circuit this fall.
“When he produces a pound of pork he will know exactly what it cost.”
Skelton’s insistence on a 'complete record of costs' reflects the professionalization of the Columbia Basin's agricultural economy, a shift toward data-driven farming that continues to define the region's massive food export industry today.
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