Payette enterprise. (Payette, Canyon Co., Idaho) 1909-1935, 1909-12-23
WESTERN BEEF FINDS
GOOD EASTERN MARKET

Western beef is coming into its
own. Not over decade ago east.
ern buyers purchased range-bred
steers only when they were unable
, to fill their feed pens from other
sources, and usually offered a much
lower price for this class Of stock
than they were willing to pay for
that secured from other places.
Experience has taught these buy
ers, however. that western range
bred steers are usually in the very
best of health. They have a splen-
did frame upon which to build, are
well muscled and boned, and being
accustomed TO the rigors of the west
ern climate. continue to put on flesh
in the eastern feed pens when cat
tie from other sections. being fed
under identical conditions, are losing
flesh on account of the Indictment
weather conditions This western
steer only demands that he be given
plenty of good fresh water and suf-
ficient feed so that he may never
be hungry and he viii always give a
good account Of himself and return
many dollars in profits to the feed
er when he is sold for the block in
the spring.
These steers shed early under fay-
orable conditions, and when they
lave reached the stockyards they
show an exterior finish that other
cattle, lacking the same health and
ruggedness, fail to show. This makes
the western steers ready sellers on
the market, and after they have
been butchered the percentage of
the dressed carcass over that Of 9TH
er steers under the same conditions
is so perceptible as to Immediately
attract the attention OF those keen,
far-sighted men who handle the
yard end of the business.
The settlement of the West is rap q
idly reducing the amount of availa- I
bic range and is forcing the cattle c
to go higher and higher into the
hills in search of forage. This is
greatly increasing the importance Of 4
freely utilizing the ranges within the
National Forests, and every endeav- q
or is being made by the Forest Ser 9
vice to open hitherto inaccessible s.
ranges by the construction Of trails a
and bridges, and unused arid ranges c
by the development Of water. In S
-hese higher elevations the grass is a
Usually much finer in quality and n
more nutritious, while the climate is II
much more rigorous; both of which a
result in the animals be- p'
ng in better health and having more OF
old flesh when placed on the feed en-
r markets in the fall This fall has p'
cen large numbers of the range Sc
red steers, most of which come
rom ranges within National Forests, co
opping the feeder markets at all &c
oints where feeder steers are sold. ne
So great has become the demand an
or cattle Of the quality mentioned ING
nat hundreds of stockmen through al
ut the West are selling their bunch iai
) of stock cattle and are beginning IN
} handle steers exclusively. On the Pre-
d ranges where a few years ago yeI
lie was accustomed to see large inc
erds of cows and calves, you viii
nd today equally large punches Na
ade up entirely of steers, some of LOT
hieh may perhaps have come from sh
d Mexico, some from Texas, while ioc'
'izona and New Mexico usually fur SUI
sh their quota. These steers are
ought into these western ranges
from eighteen months to two
airs old. They become acclimated urn
: first year, while in the second ing
third years they become suffic- 'ills
fly mature SO that they may be CON
Ten to market iron
The demand for cattle of this kind ~
greater than the supply, and as Dliis
all other cases where the demand aus
greater than the supply the price 'ne
eiyed on sale must constantly in
ase. That this is true of the
sr business, one can easily ascer-
through conversation with any o.
Of the western stockmen who A"q
re this a business. They viii II
you that they have made more Ieli
icy in the last two or three years mas
handling steers than they made ida'
zen years in handling strictly
k cattle. Fol
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