Show UTAH LIVESTOCK AND RANGE REPORT august 1 1954 RAGES OGES U bahs august 1 1954 condition reported at 76 flage go percent of normal Is up I 1 point front from july 1 up P 3 points from august 1 1953 and ad is down 7 points mm the ten year average scattered thunder showers during july helped to improve range teed feed in areas where they fell A pre Vint nari review ot of weather bureau precipitation r records covering 74 stations scattered throughout t the 11 e indicated an average ot of 76 state ate indies inches per station compared with 82 inches normal tor for the same stations ivors generally southwestern and central utah areas received more rainfall than northern and southeastern areas these areas are be extremely dry there Is still feed eed at higher elevations of the state otate but it Is becoming dry heavy frosts to in late may and early june did serious damage to forage crops juso drinking water for livestock Is becoming scarce on many ot of these high ran ranges many springs are dry projects ts tor for feed on in intermediate t er ine diate and winter ranges are not good much ill ch of the growth Is burned and villel lifeless e there Is still tim time 0 to revive this teed feed it if august september and october rains come in abundance dance the present outlook Is not good and Is further complicated by the fact that 1954 hay j crops are considerably under normal fortunately there was aa a 16 1166 carryover of hay bar from 1953 some what above average and this will help to carry stock through the coming winter some stockmen stoc kmen en are now buying their winters supply of hay bay to make sure they will have it when feeding is required CATTLE average condition 0 of cattle reported this month at ga 82 percent of normal la Is unchanged from july up two points from august a year ago and down 4 points from the ten year average for august most cattle are now on high summer ranges where feed has been mostly good some stockmen stoc kmen fear that the water sources will dry up early on high summer es and forces cattle down to valley areas sooner than usual it if this should happen there will be a problem since feed on most of tile the lower intermediate areas Is mostly dried up most reports indicate that the local demand for livestock Is now at a standstill the prospects for winter grazing and winter feeding are not good and this may result in some forced sales cattle have held their own fairly well but may lose losa flesh unless range teed feed Is s freshened by additional precipitation preci pl SHEEP sheep condition reported this month at 83 percent of normal down 1 point from july 1 up I 1 point from august 1 a year ago and down 5 points front from the ten year aberge short supplies of stock water seem to be the main difficulty in the welfare of sheep at the present time reports indicate that there Is a concentration ratio n of sheep around some of the wate is and that they are not utilizing the feed over wide range areas sheep have maintained good condition thus far there is apprehension as to the development of feed on winter desert ranges and it may be necessary to feed hay bay and concentrates to a grea greater er extent than usual during the coming winter months market I 1 activity has been very light during recent weeks |