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Show LIVESTOCK NOTES By J. A. McXaughton L&s Angeles, California, March 1, 1938 Release of statistics showing the numbers of livestock on farms in the United States is of interest to all factors in the live-stock and meat business. The United States department of agriculture's agri-culture's estimates indicates a decrease de-crease in the number of cattle, both dairy and beef types, but an increase in hogs and sheep, though increases are relatively small and not of serious consequence. The United States is credited with 05,930,000 cattle and calves as of January 1st, a decrease of more than half a million from a yiar previous. Of this total, the department de-partment shows 24,902,000 as milk cows and heifers over two years old, or 89,000 fewer than a year old. The value per head of all cattle cat-tle is estimated to be the highest since 1931. While the hog population is estimated to be 3.3 percent larger than a year ago, the total of 44,-418,000 44,-418,000 head is much below that of any year in the thirty year period previous to 1935. The number of stock sheep is reported to be smaller than a year ago, but because of the larger number of lambs on feed, the total number of sheep and lambs at 52,-918,000 52,-918,000 is slightly larger than a year ago. The total number of stock sheep in the 13 western states is estimated to he 418,000 smaller than a year earlier, with Texask and Wyoming the only states that register increases. Thus the annual inventory of livestock business should lend confidence con-fidence despite the rather unsatisfactory unsatis-factory condition of markets during dur-ing the first two months of 193S. Tho slight inventory changes indicate in-dicate that there is no burden-si burden-si mo supply of livestock in the United States, aside from the present pre-sent numbers in feedlots which will move to market within a short time. Tho industry is on a sound footing, and it is apparent that the only thing needed to bring about i stable markets on a somewhat' more profitablo basis is general , improvement in business and industrial in-dustrial conditions. |