Mexico Missouri message., 1916-11-09
MEAT PRODUCERS
GET LARGE SHARE
Farmers Receive 81 to 95 Per
Cent Of Prices Paid, U. S.
Quiz Shows.
RETAILERS PORTION VARIES
Amount Taken by Dealers Ranges
From to SO Per cent-StilI
Smaller Margin Goes
to Packers.

Uncle Sans experts, after year Of
investigation into the livestock and
meat markets as to the relative cost of
different factors or steps In, marketing
animals and proportions of final price
reaching farmers and other parties to
transactions, both through centralized
markets and where the animals were
disposed of locally, have reached these
conclusions:
In the centralized markets the
farmers share of the gross returns
ranged from "a per cent to So per cent,
while from 2 per cent to 5 per cent
went to pay market expenses, 2 per.
cent to 8 per cent to the packers and
8 per cent to SO per cent to the retail
ers.
In the local sales from GO per cent
to 81 per cent of the gross returns was
received by the farmers and from 10
per cent to 80 per cent by the retailer.
Central Sales Bring Most.
The detailed figures indicate, howev-
er, that even when account is taken
of the fact that lower grade stock is
sold locally, the returns from such
sales are not as great relatively as
those from sales through centralized
markets.
The investigations covered the lead
ing markets of the country. The spe-
cialists, under direction of A. d. Mel
win, chief of the bureau of animal in
nj ~ Of hn
bureau of markets, traced several typ
cal lots of beef cattle from producer
to consumer.
The three general methods of mar
keting found to be in most common
use, says the report, 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 central states is
sold through the centralized markets,
while some form of q local market
ing predominates in the extreme
eastern, western and southern sec
! items.
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 local slaughter, about one-third
| of the beef cattle, one-eighth of the
sheep and lambs and 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.
Cooperation Big Factor.
! Cooperative associations of cattle
raisers are becoming an important fac
| tor in market, the report shows. Sew
en- hundred and fifty organizations
which market cattle in a cooperative
! way Eow exist in 10 states.
The department specialists declare
that these associations bring greater
reurns to the farmers because of 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.
[ Lie cLleI OuLleL LOT IOOu producing
animals in this country, the study
discloses, is wholesale slaughter anG
meat-packing. More than 1000 slaugh
tering and manipulating establish
ments were operating in the United
States in 1914 and turned out products
worth $1,651, 765, 424.
Packing establishments buy directly
from the producer in California to {
greater extent than in any other STATE
or section. This practice, which, IL
the opinion of specialists, will continue
to be important in those parts OF thu
country remote from centralized mar
kets, is most characteristic of the west
ern group of states in general.
There is a decided difference o
opinion among producers, market mel
and packers as to the effects of thi
practice in sections supplied with cen
trail markets on the general marke
prices of live stock and on the prosper
ity of cattle raisers.