OCR Text |
Show j 1 1 " " I am often reminded of some of the curt and very apt sayings of one of the pioneer national packers. When cattle purchases did not figure out so well, he would call the buyer on the carpet, and ask if he had bought the cattle or had the other fellow sold them to him, meaning to sharpen up the wit of the buyer and also to remind him the reason he was paid his salary was to use judgment and not to take everything that the other fellow wanted to sell. We frequently feel prompted to ask the live stock producer if he is satisfied with just a profit or does he seek the market value. Of course, we must keep in mind that many of the cowmen got so accustomed . to taking losses that it is hard for them to recognize that there's anything else in the business, but it looks now like they will have to form the habit of taking profits for a while, at least those who run their business right. When they began to see a little profit, many of them sold 'right now" without considering whether or not they were getting the market. There seems to be an inclination that way especially with those who sell at home. The truth is that in the past the buyer has known more about the visible supply and the general tons and trend of the market than the i rancher, but with central live stock j markets now established throughout the West and Southwest, values are j determined by supply and demand and with our modern ways of disseminating dis-seminating information, there is little lit-tle excuse for ignorance of market values on the part of the rancher. Then the point is to identify his live stock with the kind that was sold upon the market at quoted prices. If we wanted to sell bonds and stocks, we would not ejpect the buyer buy-er to visit us but we would deal through established agencies, familiar famili-ar with market values fixed by our various bond and stock exchanges. Supply and demand determine values and that is the only way to build up the market. If some of the securities were traded in at home and some through clearing agencies, the market would not reflect actual values. About all the livestock producer can do Is to get the market price as and when his stuff is ready to go. Speaking of the cattle price cycle. Authorities differ as to the period but whatever may have been true of the past is not true today because of I the rapidly changing methods of i production and beef maturity. Not long since five to seven year old steers were plentiful. Today there are few to be found in the beef traffic and nothing more than long two and threes so that we have reduced the period of beef production about 50 percent and we must keep In mind that we have also lessened the time when a surplus may be reached. Losses in this line of business may be considered as the inevitable route to profit because with an overproduction, overproduc-tion, capital and labor retira from the business with the final result of decreased supply and the decreased supply means higher prices. Apparently Appar-ently there is nothing to worry about for the time being so far as a surplus sur-plus is concerned though It is a good thing to keep it in mind. So far as the breeding herds are concerned, however, the breeding age of the mnle or female has not materially ma-terially chnnged. Neither have we been able to discover the way t shorten tho period of gestation so In that respect, nature holds it's own. o |