Medford
Tribune
SECTION B MEDFORD, ORKGON, SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 1960 PAGES 1 to 8
Problems of Beef Industry
Reviewed for Cattlemen Here
Main problem In the beef in
dustry is that too many cat
tle will be going to the
market during the next few
years, Nelson R. Crow, pub
lisher of the Western Live
stock Journal and other farm
magazines, told the Oregon
Cattlemen's association here
Friday.
"The beef herd is 117 per
cent greater than it was 40
years ago while the human
population has increased 42
per cent. This has placed the
cattle market in a tight fix,"
the publisher said. "I have re
ceived many letters from peo
ple out in the country on this
problem."
National statistics show that
1 per cent more cattle are on
. feed now than a year ago. In
California, 20 per cent more
are on feed than a year ago.
These cattle represent 45 per
cent of the feeder cattle in
the United States.
Over-Expand Feed Lot
The California people have
greatly over-expanded their
feed lot capacity and the num
ber of cattle on feed, Crow
pointed out. California, how
ever, must bring in 1V4 mil
lion stocker and feeder cattle
from other states, he noted.
"The big question is - Is
there too much beef produc
tion to support a fair beef mar
ket price?" Crow asked.
Another problem affecting
the beef market is the "over
estimate" of the beef market
by United States department
of agriculture economists, the
publisher said. "A recent re
port by an official in the cat
tle industry shows the USDA
has overestimated the U. S.
cattle population on the first
31 states' report by 4 million
head. The American Meat In
stitute has made a similar re
port. The secretary of agriculture
has been asked for an explana
tion of the 7 per cent differ
ence. This has had a psycho
logical effect on the market,
Crow pointed out.
"Such government outlet re
ports have cost the industry
and its people a great deal of
money," the Western Live
stock publisher noted. "I feel
prices should be established in
the open market rather than
in the government outlet re
ports." Has Deep Respect
Crow said he has "a deep
respect for the brilliant and
hard working, conscientious
men in the USDA" who are re
sponsible for the outlook re
ports. However, a good many
people in the livestock busi
ness feel that when the gov
ernment Says livestock prices
are going to go down it puts
a powerful bargaining tool in
the hands of the buyer. The
government forecast carries a
lot more weight than the pri
vate forecast or guess, he
pointed out.
"Many people, according to
our own surveys, believe the
USDA should limit its efforts
to compiling and publicizing
accurate statistics on the live
stock industry, and let the av
erage stockman figure out for
himself what is going to hap
pen," the publisher pointed
out.
"Political leaders in both
parties profess to want to do
something about the farm
problem. But spokesmen for
neither party have in any way
indicated an understanding of
the most serious problem of
all - that of huge imports of
meat from foreign countries,
admitted to our markets at
ridiculously low duties," Crow
remarked.
Present Import Duties
Present import duties on
beef and lamb and live cattle
should be three times as high
as they were in the 1930's
when choice steers were sell
ing at 6 to 8 cents per nound.
the publisher stated. Instead,
the tariff In 1947 was reduced
as much as 50 per cent of the
1930 tariff and remains that
way.
Crow said Australian cat
tlemen have told him that the
price of cattle "down under"
has increased more than 100
per cent because of the mar
ket they enjoy in this coun
try. Meanwhile, U. S. beef
prices have declined sharply.
"Our decline of 2 to 3 cents
per pound on range cows for
slaughter can be directly at
tributed to this heavy flow of
imported beef. That means a
loss of $20 to. $30 per head on
the average cow.
"It's a tragic situation for
the U. S. producers that the
only way they can be protect
ed against the price depressing
effect of imports is to let our
own market decline to depres
sion levels that threaten to
break the cattlemen - and the
sheepmen - in this country,"
he said.
Beef Grading
Beef grading is also one of
the big subjects in the indus
try and is difficult to tamper
with. It's hard to understand
why there is such a great va
riation in government stand
ards even within an area or a
city. The real problem is the
personal element in beef grad
ing, Crow noted. The govern
ment stamp helps the retailer
sell much beef.
The publisher noted that
per capita beef consumption
is going up. In the 1930's. per
capita consumption was 53.75
pounds, in the 1950's 75.21
pounds and in the 1960's over
80 pounds. The public likes
choice beef, Crow pointed out.
The beef product is con
stantly being improved, he
noted. Even more important
than what goes on in the feed
lot where the animal is finish
ed is the ranch and range man
agement which produces the
animal, Crow pointed out. The
trend now Is to feed lot fin
ish beef to the specifications
of chain store and large mar
ket buyers.
Limit for Feeders
Now a carcass weighing
over 650 pounds is heavy and
700 pounds is the limit for
feeders. Feeders are finding
that it is much cheaper to fin
ish off beef at high good
grade.
This may mean that It
would pay cattlemen to shift
from stocker to cow and calf
operations, he said. However,
the real problem is breeding.
Crow recommended that com
mercial cattlemen make their
vacation trips to the feed lots
to see what the feeders do
with their cattle and how
they finish out to market de
mands. "There is no better educa
tion for a cattleman than to
check with the feed lot ope
rator who represents a smart
and Intelligent group," Crow
concluded.
SP Passenger Train Hits, Kills Woman
Mt. Shasta, Callf.-(UPD-The
northbound Southern Pacific
Shasta Daylight passenger
train struck and killed Mrs.
Flora Turner, 78, Mt. Shasta,
at the Elma street crossing
here Friday afternoon.
Trainmen reported the light
on the engine was working,
the bell was ringing and the
signal at the crossing was op
erating. They said they did
not see the woman until just
before the accident.
Police said the woman was
wearing a hearing aid, but it
could not be determined if it
was operating.
Engineer of the train was
John B. Harrell, Dunsmuir,
Calif.
POPULATION RATIO
The U.S. i twice as densely
populated as all of Russia.
NO SOAP
Chicago - OIPD - Barney Car
roll, business representative
for striking Local 34, Chicago
Window Washers, denied Sat
urday that any member of his)
union was involved in an out
break of soap writing on
downtown State Street store
windows.
INDIAN CENSUS
Raleigh -- North Carolina
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of the Mississippi river.
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