Evening star., 1947-10-31
D. c. Puzzled Over Food Saving
But National Plan Is Explained
Reasons Outlined
For MeutIess and
EeeIess Days

For MeutIess and
| Eggless Days
Members of the Districts Food
Conservation Committee are net the
only Washingtonians confused over
the value Of poultryless-eggless
Thursdays or meatless Tuesdays,
either. The Star has been receiving
phone calls from citizens who also
want to know the why's and where
fores.
Many of the callers have figured
out for themselves that the meat
less -poultryless-eggless days will, in
fact, have just the opposite effect
Won't the animals which are not
eaten stay on the farm and them
selves eat up more grain than ever?
That's what The Star has been
asked.
Committees Thinking.
Here, as a matter of public in
formation, is the ABC of the think
ing behind that part of the National
Food Conservation Committee pro-
gram:
Meat: Americans have so much
money today they are eating more
meat than ever before-l55 pounds
per capita this past fiscal year COM
pared to 125 pounds before the war.
Although there is more meat avail
able, there is not enough to meet
the increased demands and no ra-
tioning to evenly divide what there
is. Result: Prices have shot UP,
especially for the best cuts.
Farmers have found, therefore,
that they can make more money by
fattening up their livestock as much
as possible before 1t goes to market
And the way farmers fatten live
stock so steers and pigs will sell as
prime meat is to feed them grain.
Grain Feeding Gagged.
In normal year, three -fourths OF
all the grain raised in the United
States goes into livestock feeding.
1t requires about seven pounds of
grain to produce a pound OF meat,
but twice that amount to produce a
pound Of high grade meat.
So if you, the consumer, insist on
high-grade meat at the butcher
counter, you are encouraging the
farmer to use that extra I pounds
of grain to produce each pound OF
it. And, of course, you help keep
up the price to yourself and other
customers for choice steaks, chops,
roasts and bacon.
On the other hand, you can take
the suggestion of the food commit
tees and eat meat one less day a
week than you did previously. The
committee doesn't really care
whether you do this on Tuesday or
some other day, but only that you
cut your weekly meat consumption
by one-seventh. If you and most
other Americans not on farms do
this, the demand for meat will fall
The price will 60 down because the
demand has fallen. And the farmers
will quickly stop feeding that extra
grain to produce that extra fancy
meat-or at least they will stop
feeding so much grain.
Price Drop Curbs Feeding.
I Wheat is very expensive today
hence the farmer will feed it to hi
livestock only so long as he can
get back the cost-plus profit. II
1.-THE demand for meat-and then the
price-drops, he won't be able to af-
ford to fatten his cattle the way
he's been doing.
- Hogs usually are fattened on corn
But our corn crop this year is bei
a#aow ncrnial becauseSof ibad weather
4.Se. farmers have been substituting
wheat as hog feed. This has helped
to push up wheat prices.
But if we buy less bacon and pork
and ham and other hog products
prices will drop, farmers will FIND
it doesn't pay to feed very much
expensive wheat to the pigs. Wheat
will be available for human beings
instead.
True, if city consumers cut dowr
on their meat purchases, there will
be more animals down on the farm
But the farmer won't have the
incentive to feed them wheat, be.
cause it won't pay to do so. The
cattle will be fed on grass anc
other fodder, which costs less ane
turns out lighter animals but
doesn't alter the food value of the
meat.
Poultry and Eggs.
Poultry and eggs: The poultry
raisers have been saying that. Al
we consumers eat less poultry, mor'
chickens are left on the farm tt
eat more grain-again the revers'
! of the food drives aim.
Secretary of Agriculture Ander'
son says that, since poultryles
Thursday began, sales have faller
: about 10 per cent. Instead OF thi
extra 10 per cent Of the hocks re-
naming on the farm to eat grain
however, fewer chickens have beer
Matched by the poultry farmers
simply because there's no marke
Tor the surplus birds. And thu
, grain which would have gone TO
feed is not being bought by tn
farmers and can be shipped, In
stead, to Europe.
The price of grain today, MI
i. Anderson said, it too high for poul
. trymen who grow their own Il
use it all as feed in the face of ,
10 per cent drop In demand ant
consequent price decline. Th'
poultryman can get more for hi
grain by selling it as grain ant
culling his flock of chickens 81
' there aren't so many mouths II
feed.
Cold Storage Available.
! Mr.. Anderson added that, al
though storage stocks of poultr.
were at record high the first of thi
month. there is more cold storag
space available than ever before