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Show nlMJvestpck SityuonJ Los Angeles, California, July 12, 1937 Hog prices reached the highest high-est levels since 1929 on the Los Angeles market during the past few days. Choice grain-fed rogs from California feedlots ,sold at 13.00 to $13.35 a cwt. The sharp advance in hog prices is due to a nationwide shortage on hogs, caused mainly by three years of drouth in most of the grain producing pro-ducing areas and the resultant shortage of feedstuffs. That it may be a matter of years until the U. S. hog population is brought back to normal is indicated indicat-ed by government crop reports which cite a 7.3 per cent smaller spring pig crop than in 1936, and indications of a reduction of 3.4 per cent in the 1937 fall farrowing, as compared with the fall of 1936. The number of pigs over six months of age in the United States is estimated at 4 per cent smaller on June 1st, as compared with a year ago. It is regarded as certain that if middle western farmers have a satisfactory corn crop this season, the number of hogs available for fall and winter markets may be relatively smaller than last year, as there is expected to be a tendency ten-dency to hold back a large proportion propor-tion of young sows for breeding purposes. There is now a tremendous tremen-dous demand for good quality, well-bred foundation stock with which to rebuild U. S. swine herds. Here in the western country, there is great interest in pork production pro-duction on a permanent basis. With steady increase in population on the Pacific coast, demand for all meat food products is on the increase. in-crease. Certainly there is a place for a well-rounded development of pork production to at least partly care for the growing demands of west coast consumers. Fortunately Fortunate-ly for the far western producer, irrigated, permanent pastures provide pro-vide a permanent source of cheap hog feed along with various concentrates con-centrates available. Numerous tests show that in most cases, a pound of pork may be produced from four pounds of grain, or its equivalent. But actual costs of production pro-duction often may be reduced by the use of products that otherwise might be wasted. " Under this heading comes cull fruits many southern California hog feeders are utilizing cull oranges, table scraps, cull beans and so on. With a continuance of relatively high hog prices considered likely, pork production should prove profitable profi-table to those who are properly equipped to handle and feed hogs. |