Show The Price Of Beef There Is no greater polarizes than Inflation Economically speaking it sets group against group as nothing else can Each group blames the other for high and rising prices One industry that has been a victim of inflationary polarization polarization is beef Everybody eats beef and everybody blames the producer the packer and the retailer when beef prices prices ces go up In a report to consumers entitled Are Arc Beef Prices Out of Line The Readers Reader's Digest presents the facts as reported by 0 O. O K and Marjorie Armstrong Armstrong Arm Arm- strong after a tour of the beef industry from range to retailer The Armstrongs started with a visit to a Hereford ranch of some acres representing an investment of 2 24 4 million in land buildIngs buildIngs buildings build build- Ings and stock This ranch raises some 1200 calves a year and after ses sea they are sold at an average profit of about 9 50 a head roughly 9 for a years year's work The Armstrongs then visited a feedlot where cattle are fattened fat and sold Bold to the packers Here they found that both ranchers and feeders feeders feed feed- ers are actually getting less for their cattle today than in 1951 And in retailing re reo tailing the story is much the same The average retailer hopes to make a two per cent net profit before taxes The facts about modest profits In the meat industry should not be surprising From ranch to consumer the industry is a competitive free market activity of any kind Thus consumers may be certain that the price they pay for their meat products is the lowest possible price commensurate with with the times The only way to bring down meat prices or the price of anything else is to curb inflation 11 |