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Show LIVESTOCK NOTES Los Angeles, August 26, 1935 Results of the extreme drouth of 1934 are becoming more apparent on the livestock markets. Heavy inroads were made into livestock numbers last year as owners sacrificed sac-rificed animals of all ages, including includ-ing breeding stock, due to shortage short-age of feed. Most of-these animals ani-mals pigs, sows, cows, calves, steers, ewes and lambs1 went onto the markets despite the millions of starving cattle and sheep that were purchased by the government govern-ment in order to conserve feed supplies that at least a portion of the nation's livestock population might survive. A huge decrease in this year's pork supplies has attracted first page attention because of the spectacular manner in which prices have mounted. Cattle prices during the past few months have averaged higher than a year ago but have not been "high" in trade parlance. The real shortage of fed, cattle is just beginning to be felt on middle western markets and prices have advanced $1.00 to $2.00 a cwt. during the past thirty thir-ty days at those markets on practically prac-tically all grades of cattle. Lamb prices have averaged a-bove a-bove a year ago, not because of scarcity of lambs but rather because be-cause of relatively high prices of pork and other foods. However. there is a huge decrease anticipated antici-pated in fall marketing of lambs because of the smaller crop of ewes in practically every sheep state outside of California. Lamb prices have advanced considerably during the past month and a strong undertone in the market is natural because of smaller numbers num-bers of lambs available from now until the California lamb crop starts moving- next spring. Members of the trade look for an (upward trend in Pacific Coast cattle prices in the near future, taking into consideration the fact that California supplies of fat grass cattle and Imperial Valley pastured cattle are now pretty well marketed. This means that coast packers must very soon start actively competing with middle western buyers for their necessary supplies. There is a very strong undertone under-tone in the middle west and that must be reflected soon on the coast, it is reasoned. While there is some improvement in purchasing purchas-ing power, the main strength behind be-hind the cattle market seems to be the scarcity of fed cattle and the active competition between packers pack-ers and farm-feeders for replacement replace-ment stock. As this writer views the situation, the middle west has an abundance of feed and probability proba-bility of a large corn crop. With a tremendous shortage of pigs which normally would consume a large share of corn belt feeds, a shortage of feeder Iambs which normally would also take a share of the feed, it looks as though cattle feeding offers the middle west practically the only means of utilizing the corn and fodder crops. Hence, I look for a real scramble for feeder cattle as soon as middle western farmers are reasonably sure of a big corn crop. That will bring about a huge demand de-mand for range cattle for replacement replace-ment purposes. It seems worth while for the cattleman to exercise some caution cau-tion in making replacements, taking tak-ing into consideration a probable increase in supplies of fed cattle next spring, the fact that consumer consum-er buying power is not yet what it should be and that beef prices cannot be maintained for long at levels beyond which the consumer cannot or will not pay. |