Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-08-16
BEEF CATTLE NOW
PAY FARMER BEST
Live Prices All Out of Line
With Those in Dressed
Trade.
BY FRANK l. WELLER.


Beef cattle have become agriculttre's
best-paying product.
In a sense, the market has run away
with itself The race started six weeks
ago. each succeeding week adding a
small but substantial net upturn and
now live prices are 50 to $3.50 above
the low time in late May and all out
of line with prices in the dressed end
of the trade.
There is a healthy beef market and
continued abridgment in the ranks of
highly finished steers and yeariings, but
many would not be surprised to see
things quiet down until dressed prices
have caught up with the advance on
foot
The top on yeaTlings jumped from
SO so TO $40 in one day alone this week.
Prices shot up fully so cents, with in
between grade weighty bullocks and
light yearlings SO to rs cents higher.
Everything that showed any evidence of
having been fed much grain forged
ahead almost spectacularly, as buyers
were forced to substitute merely good
cattle for good and choice kinds.
Feeders Work Up.
The thinning supply of granted
steers is making it necessary for killers
to bid up less valuable stock il for no
other reason than to get numbers. In
many instances the best of the grassy
steers and yearlings shared the upturn,
assdid all short-feds with quality. That.
together with rather prompt clearance
of beef. justifies the belief that dressed
prices occupy position which can be
lifted higher. 1t it is, there is no rea-
son for the cattle market to lose its
advance.
Even stockers and feeders have
worked so to rs cents above the sea-
sons low time. Country demand was
broader this week than the supply
There Is a comparative absence of
rangers, possibly because the run of
Northwestern grass cattle continues
very short. Recent rains in many
drought sections have had the effect
of holding cattle back, especially since
grain-feds have started what looks like
a very determined advance. Mean
while, the country is becoming more in
terested in both cheap" and well bred
thin cattle
Hog prices fell again under increased
total supplies and an increase in the
percentage of Spring crop hogs.
Weights below 900 pounds lost IS to SO
cents, pigs and light lights so to IS
cents and packing SOW IS to so csnts.
Heavier weights finished steady to IS
cents down.
Upturn Appears Upset
There seems to BE- a tendency TO rush
Spring pigs to market in an unfinished
condition, presumably to beat the Fall
break. This movement has served to
upset the usual August upturn.
Relatively little change in fresh pork
prices has been reported since week
ago. Cold storage holdings indicate
that most of the surplus in frozen pork
has been moved. The supply is below
the five-year average, as is the amount
OF pork cured and in cure
The top Of SS75 on lambs is the
highest since July Ia The principal
driving force behind the satisfactory
price trend was shortage of we'll I'm
ished lambs. The accumulatiye advance
measured so cents to sI
Lambs showing the effects of drought
and, to certain extent. the recent hot
weather have become more numerous.
maxim git hadd for killers to keep up
their supplies of choice carcass. This
condition, along with improved shipper
outlet, paved the way for a generally
higher live market, because lower grade
/ lambs had to be used as a substitute.
Cooler weather increased CONSUMPTION
| and dressed prices advanced in the face
of expanded receipts.
The movement of range lambs to the
| country fell off, as killers competed for
/ practically everything on sale.