Show D fa farm r M WAR NEWS tho the nations cattle producers are arc th the key men in the current tight meat situation the near record numbers of beef animals on the nations farms and ranges offer the only source of increased supplies of meat in the near future the need is great for beef supplies to reach the market just as fast as the animals are in slaughter condition producers are being urged to continue the heavy marketing rate that they have already started in response to the nations need for meat A record number of cattle calves sheep and lambs were marketed in the first quarter of the year to help relieve the gap in meat supplies created by the sharp drop in hog slaughter from last year 30 per cent down as a result of a 29 per cent drop in the 1944 pig crop below 1943 slaughter of cattle and calves in the first quarter topped the same period last year by more than 12 per cent while sheep and lamb iamb slaughter was up 7 per cent since the quickest means of adding to the short meat supply is to increase the number of chickens ra raised ise d for meat farmers are being urged urge d to raise extra broods of chickens this spring to go to market before marketing starts on the usual fall supply of red meats has contacted hatcheries to encourage them to expand their hatching operations erat ions this spring to provide the extra chicks needed because of higher prices for hay and labor plus the nations need for maximum production of milk the has extended through april the january february TA march arch rates for dairy production payments this means that producers in iron county will receive production payments of 70 cents per cwt cat for their april milk sales and 10 cents per pound for their butterfat sales the rates had been scheduled to drop 35 cents per cwt cat on milk produced in april this program design ed to bolster the nations supply of milk products without breaking the price stabilization line started in october of 1943 and has been a major factor in stimulating milk output to the point where it reached the highest point in history for the months of january and february 1945 this outstanding war production effort by dairy producers has been accomplished in the fact of critical labor situations and feed problems that normally would have curb ed production very sharply the new director of the office of economic stabilization william H davis has issued a warning against |