Show livestock S 1 0 t 1 acut 1 q 0 10 il los angeles june 24 1935 the need for or development of pork production on the pacific coast was never more greatly emphasized than just at this time lime california Is harvesting the third largest barley crop on record and growers are forced to accept extremely low prices despite the general upward trend in prices of 0 nearly all other standard farm products yet we are few ewer hogs then ever and hogs are selling at prices that are returning handsome profits to growers and feeders it is generally assumed that it requires about pounds of barley to produce pounds of 0 pork on this basis with barley selling in interior valleys at 1200 to 1300 a ton or 60 to 65 cents a cwt cat there Is no doubt about the profits in pork finishing on the present market pounds of 0 sacked barley of good quality Is selling at warehouses lor for about the same amount of barley converted into pounds ot of pork is selling on the los angeles market for 1060 1050 thus the barley converted into pork Is worth three times as much as when sold in the bag of 0 course barley alono alone will not produce good pork on a satisfactory or economical basis some green teed feed Is needed and some mineral element Is desirable yet it Is assumed by practical hog feeders that whatever green feed eed and mineral Is included in the ration should be deducted from the pounds of barley theoretically required so the story Is about correct at that it seems to this writer that many california farmers could well consider the long time production of pork this state is now producing huge volumes of specialty crops such as deciduous and citrus fruits and vineyard products that must be shipped long distances at great expense and at immense odds it Is a fact that growers well know that very often shipments of california products land on the eastern seaboard to sell at less than the actual cost of transportation on the other hand this state Is importing in the neighborhood of 76 to 80 per cent of the pork actually consumed in the state imports of pork must be added to actual imports 0 of live hogs yet on the basis of live hogs alone the california department dopart part parti ment nent of agriculture figures show that in 1934 out of inspected slaughter of hogs in california a total of were ship pares with slaughter of lasa iasa abom pod ped in from other states besides our huge barley production the irrigated valleys are now producing a larger amount of alfalfa hay than can be marketed profitably fit ably it Is my opinion that a great deal of our irrigated land that Is now producing specialty crops on which growers are taking a big gamble could be more profitably devoted to alfalfa and ladino clover pasture tor for hog raising the same situation holds true with some changes in other tar western states where large corps of grain and hay are being grown such crops year in ID and year out could be more profitably converted into pork than sold as grain we are also in need of a cattle and lamb feeding program that would not only provide a more profitable and stable outlet out let but at the same time would help prevent the present seasonal movements of range cattle and lambs |