The Dickenson County herald. [volume] (Clintwood, Va.) 1927-1930, 1928-09-20
CATTLE OUTLOOK IN u
NlTED STATES FAVOR
ABLE
(By Carter w. Wermeley)

(By Carter W. Wermeley)
Richmond, Va, Sept. Is Re
cent information concerning the
cattle outlook compiled by the
United States Bureau of Agri-
cultural Economics will be in
teresting to cattle growers in
Virginia, as a continuation of
! the present favorable situation
during the next twelve months
is indicated.
Cattle marketing this fall
will doubtless be somewhat
smaller than a year Iago, but
the number coming to market
during the first half of 1929 will
probably about equal the first
MALT OF this year. The present
active demand for beef is ex-
pected to continue.
The number of cattle on feed
in the Corn Belt on August LIST
was estimated to be 6 per cent
less than a year ago, which was
below the average for the past
five years, SO the estimated
numDer OF cattle on feed is con-
5iderably below the average of
recent years.
On January list of this year
there was the smallest number
of beef cattle on farms and
ranges in the United States
than for any January during
past fifty years. Cattle receipts
at the twenty leading markets
OF the country during the first
eight months of this year were
only slightly over 100000
head compared with 100000
years ago, and 100000 during
The same period five years ago.
This is a decrease of about one
sixth during the past five
years.
The marketings of cattle
from the seventeen Western
States during the last five
months of this year are esti-
mated at about six per cent
smaller than during the same
live months a year ago. With
the greatly reduced number of
;attle on ranges and a desire to
1old back heifers for breeding
he supply of feeder cattle will
probably remain low for some
lime. The demand for stocker
md feeder cattle for the entire
United States this fall is expect
ed to equal or exceed that of
year ago, and to center largely
on calves and light weight cat
lie. The shortage of cattle in
The United States and other
important producing countries
coupled with the increasing
demand, which is sending ligh-
Ter weights to markets, indi
;att 5 a high level of prices for
sometime. Cattle producers,
now ever, should remember that
while the outlook for the next
few years is favorable, the cat
tie industry has a rather defin-
ite cycle, which in the past has
oeen about fifteen years from
one high spot to the next. All
present production seems to be
It q low point in the cycle, and
prices at a high point Previous
peaks in the price cycle occurred
lbout 1912 and 1898.
The number of beef cattle in
Virginia had been declining for
sometime until this year, when
here was an increase due to "a
arger number of feeder cattle
shipped into the State and to 2
arger percentage of calves kept
N farms than usual. The value
of cattle and calves sold and
slaughtered during 1927 was
estimated at approximately
S11,000,000. Shipments this
season will probably be larger
than last year and as prices are
better, the value of cattle and
calves will be greater than in
he preceding year.
The following new subscrib-
ers have recently been added to
our list of readers: Mr.. Rufus
Stiltner, Jane, Va, Messrs w.
R. lessee, John Ratliff, Ferd |
Sanders, II. d. Selfe, M. l.. Sen
ter, Clinton Sutherland, of !!
Praise, KY, w. M. Raines,of |
Seaman, Ohio, Floyd Deel, Jr.,
of Murphy, Va, and Holiday |
oquin, Of Bee, Va.