The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1930-08-14
WHEAT FOR FEED PURPOSES

The following statement was re-
Gently broadcast by Alexander
Legge, chairman, Federal Farm
Board, Monday, August 4.
"The present severe drought
has reached a point where the
shortage of feed and forage
threatens serious losses to live
stock growers and dairymen over
wide area. The hay crop is the
smallest we have had in years. In
some sections the corn crop will
be reduced 40 or so per cent or
even more. Hay stocks are being
fed out, and the prospect for suf-
ficient winter supplies of feed is
not encouraging. Under these con-
ditions there is danger that farm
ers will dispose of beef cattle and
dairy animals at sacrifice. If
this movement is not headed off it
may mean that a large number of
animals in poor condition will be
forced on the live stock markets,
and still lower levels of livestock
prices.
"While this situation has been
developing we have been faced for
some weeks with an excessive car
ry-over of wheat, with continued
low prices. Receipts at several of
the terminal markets have contin-
ued to break all records, despite
the fact that if the average grow
er would carry what he now has
ON hand over to the next season he
would have supply at price
substantially less that it would
cost him to produce an equal num-
her of bushels in 1881.
There is absolutely no relief
possible from this situation thru
any of the plans that have been
suggested contemplating the dis
posal of the surplus abroad at
prices below the domestic level.
Many of the most important wheat
importing countries of the world
now have legislation in effect that
could be applied to prevent or
penalize any such action on the
part of the growers of this coun-
try, and others are seriously con-
sidering such action. As we have
exactly the same legislation in eff
feet here to protect American pro-
ducers, we cannot reasonably COM
plain of the other nations taking
similar action to protect their own
growers, bearing in mind always
that practically every nation has
wheat growers of its own.
'sThe price of wheat has reach
ed point where we can and
should consider wheat from the
standpoint of it's feeding value for
livestock. The large visible supply
of wheat has been depressing in
fluence on the market. The short
age of feed crops and forage has
pointed a way out. Much as we
may object to disposing of high
quality wheat as feed for live
stock instead of for human con-
sumption, common sense tells US
it is the thing to do, confronted
as we are with a national shortage
of several hundred million bushels
of corn and a surplus of wheat
selling at very low prices. We can
advantageously dispose of a good
deal of this wheat as feed.
"Wheat is a very satisfactory
feed, particularly for cattle and
hogs. At approximately the same
price, wheat has a higher feeding
value than corn. The Missouri Ag-
ricultural Experiment Station
states that with corn at 85 cents,
a l5Ipshel of wheat has livestock
feeding value of Sill.
in general the agricultural col
leges recommend that wheat used
for feed be coarsely ground and
fed as part of a ration including
silage, forage crops or coarse
grains or equivalent. Instructions