Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-11-05
Is There Profit in Feeding Cattle?

Is There Profit in Feeding Cattle?
Does cattle feeding pay turnout the
corn belt Of Iowa? This question is Of
ten asked but of late not SO promptly
answered The man who has several
hundred acres. bought when land was
cheap and whom perchance has some
sturdy sons taking the place Of hired
hands to raise the corn and feed the
stock, who seldom weighs either his
feed or stock may say yes to this ques-
tion.e
But does Ii really pay at present
prices or prospects for future prices?
In my opinion the alfalfa fattened cat
tie of the west makes such an import
ant factor in beef prices and comes so
near corn fed beef that the price OF
the latter will be kept at such a point
as to constantly keep the corn feeder
guessing whether he can make any
lthing or not on corn fed beef. Again
! the buyers of beef, the packers. thru
their commission houses. obtain very
close calculation of the number of cat
| tie being fed thruout the entire beef
| feeding section and relying on this in
formation, that the feeder does not
have, Cuts his garment according to
| his CLOTH" that is to say, he manipu-
| lates the price to the quantity of cat
| tie on feed. for once a feeder puts his
cattle in the feed lot he invariably
goes thru to the end of his corn or
nearly So hoping the price of cattle
/ may improve; but generally reads his
daily market report, "cattle lower"
| AS no man can look into the future
and know what beef and corn will be
worth, why not take the present prices
and see what results the pencil Will
show.
Take for instance forty steers put on
feed Nov. 1, that weigh 900 pounds,
and that cost 81 per hundred I'M the
feed lot. We will run with them sixty
shoats that weigh 100 pounds each and
cost Sc per hundred. Corn is worth so
cents per bushel, hay Sc per ton, straw
80 per ton. We will feed thirty-five
/ pounds of corn per head of cattle daily
and two pounds per hog daily and con-
tinue this for 1870 days (four monthso
We will allow for the labor of feeding
s24O. which is the equivalent of 81 per
day. We will reckon the gain TO be
on the cattle two pounds per day for
the first sixty days, and one and one
half pounds gain for the next Sixty
DAVIS per head in each instance. The
general average of feeding Will not
make this gain Hogs estimated at one
pound gain per head per day is MAXI
mum.
The present Chicago market on such
finished cattle would not be over $3.50
per hundred pounds and Sc per hum
dred pounds for the hogs. The ship
ping cost. including freight, commits
/ sion. feed. and under the best of cir
cumstances Of cripples and shrinkage,
should be estimated not less than 40
cr per hundred pounds. Some oil
meal and tankage should be used to
make q balanced ration to produce the
gains mentioned.
Now under such a statement what
does the corn, hay and straw yield?
The proportional value of the feed un-
dar the nrices named are: corn TAI per
4 cent.
Having thus given the example. the
statement would be about like this:
Feed Lot
Account DR.
TO forty steers, 900 pounds
each. at 81 per cwt ........sl, oo
To sixty shoats. 100 pounds
aael, a, So ner cwt .. 10000
To $500 bushels corn. at 50
cents observation-disclosures. l''oo,o'
To sixty tons hay at Sc per
$50 00
To forty tons straw at 81 per
M nii meal 5000
RI f,nl,.,pe 2o.ot
l,ro salt 300