Fergus County Democrat., 1916-07-20
DEPARTMENT Of AGRICULTURE ON
LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION IN WEST

WASHINGTON, July l5--That here.
after there should be a slow increase
in the output OF beef and mutton
in the range states of the west, but
accompanied by an increase in the
cost of production, are the chief con-
clusiOns OF report on live stock
production in the eleven for western
range states" which the department
of agriculture has just published. The
report discusses the reasons for the
long decline in meat production in
the west and explains why there is
reason to belive this is now thing
Of the past
Between 1910 and 1914, the year in
which the investigations on which the
report is based We're made, the num-
Der Of live stock in the eleven states
of Arizona, California, Colorado. Ida
no, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico,
Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyom-
ing, declined about l3 per cent. For
this reason the report holds the set
tlement Of public lands and the con
sequent reduction of the range pri-
marily responsible. Other causes
have contributed to the downward
movement, but it is pointed out these
have been more than Offset by high
prices and therefore more profitable
range animals, and the general agri,
cultural development which have ia,
vored production by leading to more
widespread adoption of the practice
of winter feeding and winter pastur-
ing on alfalfa and cultivated crops.
The prediction that this decrease
will give away to an increase IL based
upon the belief that the amount OF
live stock on farms and homesteads
will be greater in the future. that the
stock ranges in the national forests
will continue to improve, that the car
rying capacity of the stock range on
the public domain may be increased
by legal regulation, and finally that
high prices of range animals and bet
ter methods will result in more eff
cient utilization of the available for
age, or, in other words. greater
production per unit of forage.
Other factors, less important, that
should tend to increase the future
production of live stock are greater
economy in the use of forage both
on the range and the farm, the use
of more high grade bulls and better
management of the breeding animals
through the year. The last two, it
is said, offer the possibility of in
creasing the calf crop five to ten per
cent and the average weight of two
year old steers perhaps thirty pounds.
Where winter feeding is practiced
it is believed that yearling steer
will cost approximately $50 and a
"long" two-year-old $45. In the range
sections of the southwest, on the other
hand, the costs may be estimated at
from $15 to $l9 for yearling and
500 to $25 for a two-year-old. With
sheep there is similar variation.
In California the cost of producing a
lamb is placed at $l.55, in the south.
west at Sill and in the northwest
at sl.S2. In considering these fig
ures it must he remembered that
they all may be materially altered
by increasing or decreasing the per
centages of births in the herd and
flocks. Better methods, it is pointed
out, will almost certainly Increase
the calf and lamb crops and in the
way reduce the cost of production
per head.
In estimating these costs the inves.
tigators charged against the stock
market value, In the vicinity, of all
tho feed consumed