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Show : ftecotdRuxluxMorio Jon-1935-39 DH D 1 545,999,000 161 " r3 Ol &ach symbol j l VI represents l 1 I 1 200 nvJMon. f . pounds Jan. 1942 175.656,000 lbs Jan. 1944 1,082,000.000 lbs iFrom' American Meat Institute.) Packers' Cattle Buyer Needs Rare Judgment The" chief cattle buyer of one of the world's largest packing-houses in Chicago, says that steers are of uncertain character. A pure-bred steer may or may not be as choice meat as some unregistered critter. And there is always a difference in carcass yield even from two cows of the same weight. This buyer has no system but says he examines "a steer's conformation, con-formation, fat and quality. A choice steer is broad over the back (where the top quality meat comes from), 'blocky' in appearance, with no hip 'bones showing and with a full development in the brisket and the lower part of the hindquarters." Each buyer has his own personal rule of judgment, he says, but he thinks "the hip tells the story." Once he has found a steer whose meat he rates as choice, there is the question ques-tion of just how much cow is meat and what to pay for same. When about 62 to 65 per cent of the animal ani-mal can be turned into beef, he figures fig-ures he has a bonanza; 55 per cent is average. Buying is closely related to demand, de-mand, which is related to the national na-tional market and daily changes, he explains. "How to buy a steer" is not learned in 10 easy lessons, but must be learned again each day by consulting main office facts on different market demands and prices. "If we need the meat," he says, "we meet the competition," and he must bid against other companies. |
