The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1919-11-11
5enator Currie, Stock Raiser Of
Nebraska, Makes Ex-
pertinent.

Meat is high; the packers admit IL,
though they say that other foods are
higher in proportion. The farmer says
he Is not getting too much for his cat.
tic, In fact not enough. he says. How
about numerous local slaughterlng
plants scattered throughout the com.
munities ~ eur country, or more di-
rect-from'farmer-to-co relation
ship7
There Is almost sentimental attrac-
tiveness about the thought, like dreams
of ones boyhood home. It looks So
simple. Indeed, 1t is simple after
fashion, and Is the way most meat
was handled before the industry grew
to national and international proper
lions. But would 1t payf
Tried to Build Up Local Market.
Experimentation and testing is
doubtless the best teacher. And in.
quiring minds have not hesitatei to
dig into the matter. Senator Y. NJ.
Currie Of Broken Bow, Neb.. himself
stock raiser, relates bit OF expe-
rience OF his own along this line.
He tried for years, he tells us. to
establish market for fat cattle with
local butchers, invariably finding that
he could not meet the price made to
them by the packers.
"In other words" he says, "the pack
ers could pay US more for our cattle
! on foot, and sell the product to our
local butchers for less money than
they (the butchers> could pay us for
our cattle and slaughter the beef them.
selves"
During the fore part of the present
year he carried his inquiry further. He
| shipped two carloads of cows to
Omaha. and they were sold to Armour
and Company for $500 per hundred
weight. Among these was one COW
! which he wished TO have himself for
beef. This COW weighed $40 pounds
and therefore brought MIN S66.36. The
| animal was tagged and the identical
carcass was shipped to him by ex-
press to Thedford, Neb., and charged
to him at the prevailing whole
! sale price Of such meat on that day in
Kansas City, Omaha and Minneapolis.
The carcass included carrying charges
Of about $500, cost him S6011, or
S625 less than he sold the animal for
in Omaha.
What Cow Would Cost Consumer.
"Now," continues the Senator, Sup
pose a consumer in Omaha had or
dered this meat direct from me- and /
had slaughtered the beef at the ranch
and sent the meat direct to the con-
| sumner. Taking as a basis the price
received for this COW in Omaha, S66.36,
less the freight of 17la cents per hun
drcd, il would make the COW worth on
the ranch $65O0."
To this S65.O0 he adds $500 for
slauChtering at home and $500 for ex-
press from ThedfOrd to Omaha, and
he deducts 500 credit for the hide.
According 10 these figures the
dressed carcass of his COW would be
worth $1,000 in Omaha, as against the
packers price of approximately $500
(Which is derived by deducting the eN-
press charges 20 Thedford, 5000, from
the price the carcass was sold to him,
$G0.11).
Cheaper to Buy Than xiii.
"After thorough investigation" the
Senator says, II am convinced that
IL does not pay for US to slaughter
our own meat at the ranch; that we
would better ship our cattle 10
Omaha, and buy our beef from the
packer. have been engaged in the
,se0ttie producing business all my life;
=, e Is no particular reason why
II Nd be friendly to the packers, but
: thoroughly convinced / am re-
" Ng, and always have received
for my cattle on foot, than Il l
ecn able TO sell direct to the con-
and consequently the consumer
zen able TO buy my product for
Oney through the packer than
any other system which is
to business up to the present