Evening star., 1946-10-13
Meat Supply to Be Short
With or Without Ceilings
Heavy Drain on Livestock and Delayed Fattenine
Will Hold Up Improvement of Situation
for Long Period to Come
By Byron Il. Dem0resf
Editor Of tho Omaha Daily journal Stool

. Daily Journa1-Stockman.
not carrying large stocks Of meat IN
storage.
What Government figures do show is
that cold storage stocks OF meats and
meat products on September /, the day
price ceilings went back into effect on
live animals, were the smallest for that
date in years. Largely they were limited
to variety meats-canned lunch meats,
bologna or weiners-or to pork In
process Of being cured. Fresh beef
holdings, other than Government stocks
for the Army and Navy, were the
smallest on record for any September l.
. For that matter, the stories Of heavy
liquidation Of meat animals during the
OPA-free months of July and August
have been exaggerated. Numbers mar
keted during both those months did In
crease over corresponding periods Of
1945-for obvious reasons-but weights
at which the animals came to market
were so much lighter than usual pre-
vented any material increase in meat
tonnage.
Can Act for Future.
For the. present, nothing much can
be done. The die Is cast, and there's
no magic wand that the administration
can wave, no cure-an regulation 1t can
issue, that will change the situation.
But there is still the future to consider,
and 1t isn't too late to do something
about that.
That something is remove price con.
trolls, and the sooner, the better.
Farmers always have resented them,
Just as they resent any form Of
regimentation. During the war they
swallowed their resentment and plugged
along. They had boys of their own in
the service to be fed, and there was .
war to be won.
But the fighting is over now, and tho
emergency is, or should be, over too,
farmers feel.
Another reason why farmers contin-
ued to produce livestock heavily, even
under difficulties. was that they needed
cattle and hogs to keep their operations
AZ peak eInclency.
Crops marketed through livestock all
ways have paid better returns, over tne
years, than those sold on the cash
market. Then, too, farm animals CLEAN
some feed that would have no cash
value. Finally, animals return fertility
to the soil to keep up crop production
In the future-fertility that Is removed
when crops are sold and shipped away,
Short Of Producing Power.
Those arguments are as good today
a. ever, and the Government is still
counting on them to prevent drop in
meat production, just as 1t did all dur
Ing, the war. But farmers won't stop
from reducing production for the time
being, at least, when the market outlook
for the products is not favorable.
Consequently. they are going slow
now on putting cattle In to feed. They
figure they can sell corn for fair price.
and they can get out of lot Of hard
work this winter without sacrificing
income, Just by feeding less stock. So
far, the maximum producing pow.
er Of the country definitely is not being
put to work.
Future pork supplies present even
greater uncertainty. Breeding Of sows
and gifts to raise next springs pigs win
start in November, and reach its peak
in December and January. Those are
the pigs, mind you, which will mature
into the hogs that viii be slaughtered
and eaten In the winter of 1947 and
spring of 1948 more than year from
now. Few city people realize how far
ahead their supply OF steaks, roasts and
chops has to be planned.
II prospects for the future hog mar
ket look good at breeding time. farmers
may heed the Governments plea for q
larger pig crop next spring. II the out
look isn't so bright, they'll raise no moro
pigs than year ago, and maybe less.
That's what they're saying, these farm
ers out here In Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois,
Missouri and the other corn belt States.
Striking? Not at all. Just easing
back to normal after five years Of over
exertion. They don't suffer. But meat
consumers may.
Less Meat Immediately.
To be perfectly honest about the mat
ter, taking price controls of livestock
right now might further intensity the
meat shortage for while. Maybe the
administration knows that and doesn't
want to act until after election. That's
what some farmers think.
II controls were removed at once,
cattle now in feedlots probably would
b. carried on feed longer than they
win II ceilings remain in force. That
would mean less meat in the weeks just
ahead, but lot more in the future.
Hog marketings might be delayed, too.
through longer feeding. And since ad-
ditional gifts for breeding would have
to come out Of this winters hog crop.
marketable numbers for the current
season would be shortened that much.
Against that immediate loss, however.
would come substantially larger sup
plies for consumption In the late win
ter, spring and summer. Not only would
cattle now on feed be carried to heavier
weights, but buying Of additional feed
ing animals would be stimulated.
IS Prices might sky-rocket for q while,
but they'd come down eventually.
Whatever happened. consumers couldn't
be much worse OF than they are today.
There's no law compelling them to buy
meat until 1t becomes plentiful and
more reasonable In price.
Right there Is good place to mem
tion one more factor which has con-
tributed greatly to the meat shortage.
That is increased consumer purchas-
sY,fy y,Nxrrar