| Show L ive S tf 0 ek a S at 0 U at 1011 ibes LOS ANGELES june 21 1927 in years past the beef cattle industry in the west has been conducted largely as a range operation depending upon the seasonal grass supplies where feed lot operations developed they were conducted along the line of a separate business from that of the range cattle producer in those days the reason for this of course was that much of the grass land was not suitable for cultivation and the calves were produced in those sections and shipped to sections where proper concentrated feeds were abail able this practice continues to a large extent at the present time but the tendency on the part of the range cattleman is toward developing feed lot operations in connection with his range production this gets away from the uncertainty of depending upon seasonal onal gr grasses aes ara and the losses which have occurred so 0 o frequently frequent lk from a marketing standpoint brought bout about by the necessity of moving the bulk of the years production in a short period the coupling in of the practice of feed lot finishing has been made possible to a large extent by the constantly increasing acreage each year corning coming under tinder irrigation with an increased cheass ed yield of roughage and concentrates at points nearby the range producing sections in many cases even though feed lot finishing is not pursued cattle raisers are utilizing different forms of roughage and concentrates as supplemental feeds to fill in luring during seasons when the grasses fail thus spreading out the marketing period accomplishing better distribution and putting a finish on beef animals which makes them more desirable an important element in combining feeding of livestock with the range production has been the economical maintenance of soil fertility in the irrigated sections and this element is being recognized as it has proven itself in the middle west A consider able amount of educational work i is r being done in the west along alone these lines and noticeable progress is being anade it is a fact that the concentrates cen grown in the west such as barley milo and have as great a fattening value as those produced in the middle west and many times are grown more economically then than too the southwest st particularly bas has abess to large amounts of cottons cottonseed Wd eake cake and meal which has a high feed value due to the amount of digest able protein which it contains many blany range producers are using cotton cake by spreading it on the range to supplement lenvent the grass ration and it has proven an excellent conditioner where the grass crop is poor or weather conditions such as to make grazing difficult a few pounds of this feed taking the place of a large amount of forage several large plants are projected in the southwest especially in southern california for the purpose of manufacturing feeds to meet tha growing requirements these concerns and laboratory departments for the purpose of finding and putting together in the best way possible various foods adapted ada pt ed to the fattening of livestock live stack no doubt the manufacture of these concentrated feeds will represent represent a most important western indest industry r y abid am wil be of material assistance in rounding out ut the agricultural program of d tile the west in utilizing much material that is not now being wasted the west is aamir admirably ably situated to produce its own beef cattle raising its own feed and carrying on extensive feed lot operations either ahr through ough the range producer doin doing g the actual feeding or producing the feeders on the range and selling them to nearby feed I 1 ot lot operators the coast demand for well finished beef animals animal s i in in ft a large volume has made it necessary v if to reach back to distant points for supplies but indications are that these demands will soon be met by local western production |
