Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1916-10-24

OF animals in the country as a whoIt
has been found by specialists of the
5. Department of Agriculture from
a survey of the livestock marketing
conditions of the country. The data
obtained by the survey have been pub.
: lished as Part V of a report of an ex-
haustive study of the meat situation
in the United States.
The three general methods of mark
citing found to be in most common use
are:
Shipping to the large centralized
markets, selling to local butchers and
packers, and the sale of farm-prepared
meats to dealers or consumers. The
bulk of the animals from the Central
States, it was found, is sold through
the centralized markets, while some
form of local marketing predominates
in the extreme eastern, western, and
southern sections.
| The great central markets handle
four-ffths of the sheep and lambs,
two-thirds of the hogs, and approx
mately one-half of the beef cattle. For
LEGAL slaughter about one-third of the
beef cattle, one-eighth of the sheep and
lambs, one-twelfth of the hogs are
sold. Nearly one-third of the hogs and
about one-tenth of the beef cattle and
one-twentieth of the sheep and lambs
are slaughtered on farms and ranges.
Relatively more sheep are shipped in
carload lots by owners than any other
class of live stock. Cattle, hogs, and
calves follow in the order named In
sales to local buyers hogs lead, with
calves, cattle and sheep following in
order.
The study discloses that the time If
buying stockers and feeders and the
selling of finished animals is restricted
too generally to few months of the
year Should stock-feeding operations
be better adjusted to market condi-
tions, a decided influence toward
more even distribution of the supply
would be the result.
Cooperative associations of cattle
raisers are becoming an important fac
tor in marketing, the report shows.
Seven hundred and fifty organizations
which market cattle in cooperative
way now exist in Is states. Four hun
bred and thirty of these organizations
are primarily livestock shipping as
sociations. The greatest activity If
this sort was found in Minnesota,
where 215 cooperative livestock ship
ping associations bring greater re-
turns to the farmers because of the re-
duction of marketing expenses and the
realization of the prevailing prices at
the centralized markets, and that they
are also valuable because of their
educational features.
StOckyards and Packing Establish.
mentS.
The system of centralized livestock
farkets in the United States is the
largest single factor in the marketing
Of meat animals. 1t is noteworthy that
this system is peculiar to the United
States, no other country having devel-
oped such markets for their live
stock. Not only is live stock sold for
slaughter at the centralized markets,
but large proportion of stocker and
feeder cattle also passes through these
market centers.
The chief outlet for food producing
animals in this country, the study dis
closes, is wholesale slaughtering and
meat packing. Such industries usual
ly are associated with the great CEN
tralized markets. More than 1900
slaughtering and meat packing estab
lishments were operating in the Unit
ed States in 1914, and turned out pro-
ducts worth $1,651 ,765, 424. The spec
ialists report that one of the striking
features of the industry is the concen
tration of ownership. Packing estab
lishments buy directly from the pro-
Queer in California to a greater extent
than in any other state or section,
This practice, which in the opinion Of
the specialists, will continue to be i'm
portant in those parts of the country
remote from centralized markets, is
most characteristic of the western
group of states in general. There is a
decided difference of opinion among
producers, marketmen, and packers as
to the eeffets OF this practice in sec
tons supplied with central markets
on the general market prices of live
! stock and on the prosperity of cattle
raiserS,
Municipality owned or controlled
~