Imperial Valley press. (El Centro, Calif.) 1907-current, 1931-09-05

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 5. According
to Federal State Market News Service
alfalfa markets at Los Angeles dur
ing the week ending September 3
were firmer and prices generally a
half dollar per ton higher than
week ago The continued holding
tendency for higher prices on the
part of growers in nearby producing
areas is largely responsible for the
stronger situation at Los Angeles.
Demand, however, at the local
terminals continued of rather small
volume with the bulk of the mod
crate offerings taken by dairymen
on credit transactions. Shipments
were principally from the Antelope
and Imperial Valley, with a few ar
rivals also from the San Fernando
Valley and Riverside and Oxnard
sections. The quality Of the offer
ings averaged mostly medium to
lower grade with large percentage
OF the shipments comparable to U.
S. No. leafy and U. S. No. 2. Re-
ceipts of U. S. No. l hay were OF
limited volume with extra leafy Of
ferings still scarce.
Most sales reported during the
week were at prices well within quo
tationS. Stockyards and feeders
were reported taking regularly mod
crate amounts of soft leafy hay in
addition to fair amounts suitable
for grinding purposes. Cattle in
stock and feed yards in the Los
Angeles area are reported totaling
approximately 10000 head and con-
Stunning larger amounts of alfalfa
hay than usual, principally due to
low prevailing prices, alfalfa being
heavily substituted for straw this
season in feedyard rations.
Most trade reports indicate local
dairymen are also using alfalfa
more extensively in rationS this sea-
son, influenced largely by low hay
and dairy product prices. Many
dairy concerns are using practically
no concentrates in their feed ra
lions at present If this practice is
carried out very extensively in the
feeding of about $4,000 dairy COWS
in the Los Angeles area, alfalfa re-
quirements this season will be some
what increased over last year.
Dairymen, according to observa
tions, have been very light buyers Of
cheap grain hay this season.
Trade reports indicated that at
least 10000 tons of that commodity
was taken by the local dairy trade
last year. A year ago last spring,
green feed was used very extensive
ly by local dairymen from month
to six weeks longer than this sea-
son. That factor alone had ten
dency to increase alfalfa hay re-
quirements of dairymen in this
area during the spring months from
$4,000 to 10000 tons, according to
trade reports. Rains during the
week over practically all nearby
producing areas tended to do con-
siderable damage in some areas TO
hay already cut and in stacks.
Growers in the Antelope valley,
according to reports, received dur
ing the past week prices ranging
from $40 to S11 per ton ranch for
alfalfa grading U. S. No. l. Most
sales, however, were reported at $40
to S1050 per ton, with producers
generally selling slowly at current
bids of hay buyers. Considerable
damage to hay in fields and stacks
was reported in the Antelope val
ley during the week. Nearly an
inch of rain fell in some sections,
while more than an inch was re-
ported by some growers. Grasshop-
pers and butterflies are doing some
damage to fields in the Antelope
valley. Owing to the continued
low prices of alfalfa this season,
many growers contemplate diScon-
tinuing irrigation at an early date.
by truck toward Los An
geleS from Lancaster totaled nearly
1850 tons during the week ending
August 29th, compared with about
1850 tons the previous seyen-day
period.
Alfalfa seed production in the
buyers section was reported delayed
due to two rains in that
area during the past week. This
will have tendency to retard the
first cutting after the seed period
Movement of alfalfa hay by truck
out of the Imperial valley during
the week ending August 20 totaled
close to 1900 tons, compared with
nearly 1850 tons the preceding
period Trading in that section was
reported rather slow during the
past week. with the tonnage NOV
ng on previous sales. Prices to |
growers on alfalfa grading U. S. |
No. leafy mostly averaged around |
% per ton ranch. Producers are