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Show fS Uvestocll I iLos Angeles Union Stock Yards, April 29 The sensational advance in ho; prices during the latter half cf April has carried choice, grain-fed butcher hogs up to $7.25 a cwt., an advance of $1.25 during the past two weeks. This advance means that 200-pound hogs are j now selling pn this, market for $14.50 against $12.00 two weeks ago. When it is remembered that the Los Angeles area alone re- j quires about 100,000 hogs perj month, this means that hog ship- j pers to this market are getting j about $250,000 additional cash in- j come. A total of 3,981,000 hogs were slaughtered under federal inspection inspec-tion in the entire United States in March of this year. If that rate of slaughter continues for a month at the present increase in prices, it would mean that hog producers would recdiva nearly $10,000,000 more for their hogs than in March. This illustration serves to indicate the economic importance of an j advance in hog prices to American I farmers. 'While there is some disposition to point to new developments in the European war as the cause for the higher scale of hog prices, the fact seems to be that we have had no substantial increase in export demand so that the higher hog market appears to reflect improvement im-provement in domestic demand. Certainly this situation is reassuring reassur-ing to livestock growers for it indicates in-dicates that this country is enjoying enjoy-ing some actual increase in consumer con-sumer buying power. At least, that is the hope of the livestock growers who feel that a broad domestic do-mestic market offers a more stable outlet than fickle export trade. Cattle prices are being wejl maintained on the Los Angeles and other large livestock markets. Prices at the close of April were generally equal to the prices of a month ago. The Pacific coast appears ap-pears to be in strong position as far as the cattle market is concerned. con-cerned. Supplies for slaughter are slightly less than a year ago, range feed is unusually favorable in most of the western states and cattle are being fattened on an abundance of economical grass feed. Some declines in high protein pro-tein feeds may be expected to encourage en-courage some increase in feed-lot feed-lot finishing, a factor which should encourage feedlots and thus supply some demand in addition ad-dition to slaughter requirements. The fat lamb market is also holding quite firm, although quotations quo-tations are slightly lower than early in April. Good and choice California spring lambs are quoted quot-ed on the Los Angeles market at SS.75 to $9.50 and possibly to S9.75 a cwt. M |