Evening star., 1932-02-01
LIVE STOCK PRICES
IN F|RMER TREND
Pickup in Consumer Demand
Needed, HoWever-Buy-
ers' Position Strong.
BY FRANK /. WELLER.
Associated Press Farm Editor.

The general livestock market appears
to be in much better shape than a week
ago and may have chance to get back
on more profitable feeding basis if the
rather bad consumer demand picks up.
Medium to choice fed steers and
yearlings gained SO to rs cents for the
week at Chicago and common kinds
were steady to 25 cents higher. Kansas
City was 25 cents to mostly so cents
higher East st. Louis 25 to SO cents
higher on steers mixed yearlings and
heiferS. Some of the early upturn was
lost at Omaha and values closed about
steady with week ago.
Although last weeks closing advance
on hogs was about lost at Chicago the
market wound up steady to cents
higher. There was little change at
Kansas City, but the market could be
said to have been steady to 5 cents
above a week ago. Record receipts at
Omaha knocked to Is cents off light
weights and butchers, cut light lights
10 cents and pigs about so cents.
Lamb Prices.
Fat lambs were mostly 25 to so cents
above the recent low spot at Chicago,
A fairly broad demand boosted prices
25 to 80 cents at Kansas City and 25
to so cents at East St. Louis. Local
packer demand and liberal order buy
ing by the East gave Omaha net ad-
vance OF so to IS cents.
The other side of the picture and
the thing which may be of immediate
effect on livestock prices is the dressed
meat trade.
Buyers were In absolute control at
no aSt VI
bearish attacks benefited from unSea-
Sonal weather. Sellers were helpless
despite moderate supplies. Beef and
pork were penalized most. While choice
steer meat advanced 81 to Sl.50, the
more liberal common to good supplies
lost 81, COW meat so cents, veal so
cents to 81 and pork cuts 81.
It was a forced market all the way
on in-between grades Of beef statesmen
being obliged to push such wares on all
sessions.
The retail meat trade was slow at
New York and while most classes
worked slightly higher there was a
noticeable lack OF buying interest.
Regardless of the dressed market,
however sentiment regarding the fu-
ture strengthens at Chicago along with
the strength in cattle. The action Of
the few buyers in taking speciality
offerings at a sharp premium over the
rank and file suggested that top prices
may stay high and hence the price
spread relatively wide
The advance did not attract a bur-
densome supply of well finished steers.
A larger share OF the yearling crop was
comprised of qualified well fattened
kinds but most Of the heavies were
relatively thiCk-feShed and plain.
Kosher Buying.
This brought up a contention as to
whether killers cam hold the market
on choice cattle as sharply lower as
was indicated last week The best Of
the shortfeds naturally are getting a
little better all the time, but the gen.
eral disposition for the last two months
has been to unload and the likelihood
of burdensome supply of good to
choice offerings seem improbable
No doubt much OF this weeks activ-
ity was due primarily to enforced
kosher buying and that the advance
is likely to make the lower grades more
popular to the detriment of kinds bring
ing ST and better But, it will be
noted that whenever shippers enter the
market for steers grading good and up,
they invariably raise prices swiftly be-
cause the upturn does not have the
effect Of dislodging enough such cattle
to go around
Some observers say that if such con-
ditiOnS continue nothing more than
temporary break in toppy cattle is
probable since they believe the beef
trade stands better chance of showing
than Of becoming worse.