Show USDA US DA urges marketing of beef cattle to avoid A vo i d further F u arther increase in numbers in spite of all that has been said to the contrary some andt still persist tn in advising 6 to increase inci ease cattle numbers tills Is lust just the opposite of what USDA defense boards have teen been advising to inform pluto flute county stock men of the position odthe of the united states department of agriculture on this question D L fullmer FuH nier chairman ot of the county USDA de defense bense board la s circulating the following letter from secretary of agriculture claude R to the chairmen chairman USDA defense boards there Is danger ahead tor for beet beef cattle producers it if herds continue to increase this together with the tact fact that abundant supplies of food are needed for national defense indicate that hat increased ot of loe beet cattle and calves in 1942 will benefit not only cattle but tile national defense program as well the number of cattle and calyes calves on oil farms has been increasing rapidly tor for the last tour four years sears the number now Is not far ar below the record peak of 74 million head just prior to tho the drought of 1934 at the present rate of increase we will have 74 million head or 01 more in another year the danger of another period with excessive numbers and several years of ruinous prices cannot be headed oft off without increased marketing of cows and heifers heffers hei fers farmers and ranchers have held back cows and heifers heffers tor for the last four years to increase herds there are tour four things which beet beef cattle producers should do now to make their position secure I 1 1 market more cows and half ers to prevent further increases In creasea in cattle numbers the goal tor for cattle slaughter tor for the next year cannot be ba reached unless a larger proportion of breeding animals are r park eted 2 pay oft off indebtedness now while prices and demand are good so so as to avoid the danger oi of having to pay big debts at low prices later 3 improve breeding herds by culling out and selling undesirable animals while a demand is good 4 keep livestock numbers in balance with normal teed feed sup plies range conditions and toed feed supplies in the west have been unusually good tills this year drought can cause a lot of loss it if there Is no feed reserve available or it ranges are over grazed the 1942 farm defense program goals call tor for a kit about 28 million head of oe cattle and eaves caves compared with a probable slaughter ot of about 26 million head this year meeting this goal in 1942 will make the ahti long timo time position of the cattle industry more secure and help supply tile the increasing need for meat it Is essential in tills this time of emergency that the nations workers and armed forces have an it abundance of meat and beet and veal will be needed in larger amounts as demand increases will have moro purchasing power next year than they have had for a long time and larger quantities of beef can be sold without depressing pric ea as by increasing slaughter next year producers can take taka advantage of the tha opportunity to sell on a good market and prevent pie ent excessive at some later aate time when prices and de continued on last page USDA urges cattle at deMarke marketing ting oon tinned from page one mandzay biot be aa good the extent to which producing baga areas yeas and individual producers can or should contil contribute bute toi to the 1942 bertand bee tand veal slaughter teri i goal will vary greatly gra atly A flit flat percentage increase ini in cannot ot be ba expected from the various areas within a state nor can call individual producers within fin n area be expected to increase by the same proportion t but buta the total in arke tings which all ich should be made are shown in ia the stated state goals meeting those j goa goas ls will i ser serve ve the best inter eak v ests of the cattlemen and the nation claude R secretary |