Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1916-11-03
MEAT PRODUCERS
GET LARGE SHARE
Farmers Receive 81 to IS Per
Cent of Prices P--..d, U. S.
Quiz Shows.
RETAILERS PORTION VARIES
Amount Taken by Dealers Ranges
From 8 to SO Per Cent-StilI
Smaller Margin Goes
to Packers.

Uncle Sans experts, after year of
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 81 per cent.
while from . per cent to per cent
went to pay market expenses, = per
cent to 8 per cent to the packers and
per cent 10 80 per cent to the retail
ers.
In the local sales from c. per cent
to 81 per cent of the gross returns was
received by the farmers and from 10
per cent to SO 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
dustry. and c. ]. Brand. chief of the
bureau of markets, traced several typ
ical 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 local market
ing predOminates in the extreme
eastern, western and southern sec
tons.
The great central markets handle
fOur-fifths 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-twclfth 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 now exist in Is 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
ihot thcs are uiSO NuludDie because |
Of their educational features.
The chief outlet for food producing
animals in this country, the study
iiscloses. is wholesale slaughter and
neat-packing. More than 1.2OO slaugh-
ering and meat-packing establish
nents were operating in the United
States in 1914 and turned out products
worth S1.65l. 765, 424.
Packing establishments buy directly
rom the producer in California to a
greater extent than i'm any other state
n section. This practice, which. in
he opinion Of specialists, will continue
o be important In those parts of the
ountry remote from centralized mar
let's. is most characteristic of the west
I'm group of states in general.
There is decided difference of
opinion among producers. market men
md packers as to the effects of this
'ractice In sections supplied with CEN
raj markets on the general market
'rices of live stock and on the prosper.
ty of cattle raisers.