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Show SituationJ ygA.NfK.WOHTDX 1 Tliere continues to be a marked decline de-cline in the par capita consumption of . meat, foods, and ever so often it seems worthwhile to stand off and look at ourselves; so to speak, to find the reason why . Jn 1907 there were 2 1-2 meat food animals for each person in the United States, while in 1927 there is only 1 1-4 for each person. However, due largel yto' more efficient methods in production and distribution and thru education work carried on, a larger actual tonnoge of meat is now being produced from a smaller number of animals. Also, the female animal population represents a much larger percentage of the total animal population popu-lation resulting in a substantially increased in-creased birth rate per thousand of livestock population. Dpsnite thf fart that our meat food consumption is constantly on the up climb, with around 8 billion pounds of beef being consumed annually as compared com-pared with' around 5 billion pounds ten years ago, still our per capita consumption continues to dwindle. J The increased figures in volume do i not depict a tendency toward greater i per capita consumption, but is only the natural result of increased population. popu-lation. The weak spot in merchandising meat food animals and their pro-J pro-J ducts is the lack of concerted action toward keeping the desirability of such food stuffs in the public eye. The substitution of other food stuffs for meat on the American table is of vital importance to every livestock producer. There is the keenest competition com-petition between all classes of food stuff, and meat, one of the rrtost worthy items, is not receiving1 its just due. The- producer of livestock in day3 gone by has taken rather a self-sufficient attuitude, feeling that his product would sell itself, temg, as it' is, a human necessity. To some extent ex-tent this has been true, but there is a distinct spread between fhe point of acutal necessity and the buying power of the American public. This spread is the result of advertising largely in newspapers and periodicals and here may be found the reason for the strides that have been made by the producers .of commodities who have resorted to salesmanship and publicity in encouraging the public to use their products instead ' of meat. From what has been accomplished by producers of other lines, there can be no question but that an investment in public opinion would return itself manv fnld tn the livestock nroducer. The expense would be nominal when scattered throughout the industry and an increase of even a pound per annum an-num in the per capita consumption of meat would roll itself into a staggering stagger-ing sum. Several campaigns along "eat more meat" lines are under way, and no doubt will become as successful success-ful as have similar efforts featuring other foodstuffs. |