OCR Text |
Show - Livestoclc -SituatioriJ j Los Ang-eles, May 7, 1&3S Thej Pacific cease is forging ahead in ! poik production on a sound besia that should add many millions ot dollars annually to the-tar-wes.r ! ern agricultural income. In Cah-I Cah-I fornia alone, packers are paying cut a minimum of $15,000,000 a.n-! a.n-! nually for hogs, purchased in other ' states as far ea.ii. as the Missouri river. Each ytar, because of increased in-creased population, the Pacific , c.at requires a greater number Oi ' hcg-. California last year, for ex amj le, slaughtered 1,345,000 hogs of which about 50 iper cent wert I puichased from ether states. In i addition to ;;he number of - hog; factually slaughtered, it. ia esrimat-ud esrimat-ud that the product of another half million hogs is shipped !to ! California from the middle west. S-'o it would appear that in 1937; California did not supply more : i.Lan icrierilhird of pork actually , consumed in the state. This represents rep-resents a- substantial increase in i production, however. Ho population on farms in California as of January 1st, 1938 is estimated :by the United State Department of Agriculture at ! 830,000, as compared with 732,000 j in 1937, 610,000 in 1936, 530,000 in 1935 and is the largest total since back in 1923. Most gratifying feature, of the Pacific coast renewed interest in pork production is the widespread recognition of good quality, gained through good breeding and proper feeding. We have learned a great deal about economical pork production pro-duction in recent years and lhave found thait irrigated, permanent pastures may be utilized to excelr lent financial advantage through the medium of hog raising. Increased pork production is reflected re-flected in the numiber of western-produced western-produced hogs being received at the Los Angeles union stock yards. Receipts so far this year from California points are virtually virtual-ly double the receipts for the first four months last year. Added economic importance to western hog production is forced by increased in-creased transportation costs from the middle wtest. This feature should place 'the far western hog producer in still better position to furnish the home market with pork, for the price received on the Pacific coast may be expected to remain on a basis of middle western west-ern market values, .plus cost oi transportation. |