The Snyder signal. (Snyder, Tex.) 1887-????, 1921-09-02
WEST TEXAS NEEDS MORE
CATTLE ON SMALL FARMS


News.
Fort Worth. Txas, Aug. 21.-Con-
ditions point Enthusiastically to the
dawn OF a new day in the live stock
industry of the Southwest and IL
seems certain that the bulk OF Texas
beef cattle of the near future Will
not be produced on the grass or the
ranches. but in the feed lots OF thous-
ands of small farmers and feeders.
Ranching, which for generations held
its own against the advance of the
"nester" and farmer into the Plains
regions of the Southwest Is no long
or the only method for live stock
production over vast territory,
parts of which are gradually coming
under the pillow. In a time OF tight
ened credits and scarce money with
which to purchase and Craze steers at
tention Is being directed To much
more economical side of the live
stock business, namely. producing
beef cattle in numerous small groups
on numerous farms. Grassing steers
has had its day and just as II has dis
appeared on the prairies of Iowa, Ne
braska and Kansas. must II disappear
from the Southwest in large meas
ure. except on such land as is too
arid for farming and too remote from
irrigation waters.
The recent Texas banker-farmer
tour through the Middle West and
Northwest showed a real prosperity
based upon intelligent live stock
farming and dairying Not farmer
or banker on this trip but who real
lied why the corn belt is prosperous
one year with another.
Ranching used to be profitable,
but II has not been profitable of late
years. according to the testimony be-
fore Congress and other bodies on the
part OF leading ranchers who have
been hard hit by the price decline.
Time was when rancher could get
practically unlimited credit. often
with the cattle as chief collateral
New regulations have gone into Ell
feet among bankers making cattle
loans who demand bedrock security
before such loans are made. The
prime reason for this Is the hlt-and-
miss side Of the cate business When
grass Is good on the range and cattle
are cheap the rancher may make
some money In times past he has
made fortunes in disposing OF his
vast herd increase. In dry years he
suddenly may be ruined At all times
his live stock business is not as safe
as that OF the farmer who raises
both cattle and feed and fattens his
own animals
Baby Beef OFFERS Ck,ncc.
The production of baby beef on
the small farm offers unusual OPP
portunities to the man OF limited
means who will study the live stock
business and raise his own feed. A
comparison between ranching and
farm beef production will show a de-
cided advantage in favor of the latter
system OF live stock raising. c. C..
French. industrial agent for the Fort
Worth Stockyards Company and
formerly baby beef and pig club
agent of the extension service Of
Texas A. & NJ. College. presents in
teresting figures on this subject as
follows:
Two ranchers living side by side
raise beef cattle at the same time I'M
der equal conditions of grass and
season Each has sufficient pasture
to support 100 stock cattle. SoTe are
fat. some are poor and some are me-
dunn Allowing 100 per cent effic-
iency for both ranches. each will
have on the ranch twenty cows, TWEEN
ty calves. twenty yearlings, twenty
2-year olds and twenty S-year old
steers. Under ideal conditions grazing
the highest possible average weight
for finished steers in one year would
be about 900 pounds or total of
$4,000 pounds OF meat from twenty
steers ready for market.
The other rancher takes his I Wen
ty S-year old steers and puts them
in feed lot and adds 800 pounds to
their weight by feeding concentrates
and a balanced ration and when he
is ready to put his cattle on the mar
ket they will average 1900 pounds
in weight, or total of 24.00 pounds
. To-,