Show ae livestock livestock IL Iv estock jays situation it U at io 1 jama ji ii reflecting the depletion in cattle supplies over the country as a whole official united states department of agriculture figures show that the slaughter of cattle under federal inspection spec tion tor for october was approximately 10 per cent less than tor for the samo same month in 1927 for the first nine months of the year the number of cattle slaughtered under federal inspection totaled a decrease of three quarters of a million from the corresponding period in 1927 an actual decrease of around pounds of beef representing a decrease of more than three pounds each tor for every man woman and child in the united states in this connection it Is interesting to note that with every other slaughtering and meat distributing center in the country showing such a decrease metropolitan los loa angeles used more beet beef than in any previous year during the first nine months ot of this year los angeles meat packers slaughtered more cattle than during the same period in 1927 while the decrease over five years ago amounted to head this does not mean that there are more cattle in the los angeles territory but it means that los angeles packers entered distant and competitive fields to get their needs stockmen Stoc kmen in the rocky mountain states are feeding wheat to their cattle hogs and sheep this year due to the tact fact that they believe they can get greater net returns on wheat it if marketed on the hoot hoof than in the sack wheat has about equal feeding value with corn and barley how over wheat should be crushed or ground when fed to hogs and cattle although it can be fed whole to sheep beep with satisfactory results th the successful farmer and stockman of today must bo be in a position to work out such problems tor for himself and the difference between profit and loss in farm arm operations la Is solved through marketing the crops to the best beat advantage there Is a lesson for or the grain growers on the pacific coast in the attitude of 0 these rocky mountain farmers in most cases it would be found that barley and other available grain fed to live stock would net higher returns than when sacked and hauled to market an important feature to consider too Is that the soil would be benefit ted through feeding live stock on tho the same ranch where the grain la is grown close iose students of market conditions are ot of the opinion that the big receipts of 0 intermountain inter mountain cattle at the markets are about ended due to lack of sufficient rainfall the 9 grass rass and natural range forage crop was short this year making it necessary tor for cattlemen to move their range stock to market about thirty days earlier than normally unfortunately tuna tely the shortage of teed feed caused heavier shipping than had been anticipated and this wag waa probably tho the cause of price declines at all of the markets during the past thirty to forty days meat centers are now depending upon feedlots teed feed lots as their source of 0 supplies and some decrease in receipts is generally anticipated another unfortunate result of the shortage ot of range teed feed was the continued heavy marketing of 0 breeding stock to the surprise of most of the trade cows cowa and heifers heffers made up a big proportion of the cattle receipts at the western markets this fall replacement costs will very likely prove the lack of wisdom of beefing she stuff of breeding age and the tendency in that direction does not augur well tor for the future of the industry |