Cattle feeding situation

a' *"UNITED STATES DEPARTI.ET O AGRICULTURE
/ 1 BUREAU OF AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS
*WASHINGTON 25, D. C.

November 10, 1952



CATTLE FEEDING SITUATION NOVEMBER 1, 1952

The cattle feeding situation to the end of October indicates a volume of cattle
feeding this season somewhat larger than last year, the Bureau of Agricultural.
Economics reports. Prospective large increases in some Corn Belt States will be
partially offset by decreases in feeding sections outside the Corn Belt. The move-
ment of feeder cattle into the Corn Belt continued large during October, reaching
a record.volume for the month. The July-October inshipments were 20 percent above
last year. Cattle feeding is expected to be as high or higher .than last year in all
of the Corn Belt States except Kansas. Feed grain supplies are larger than last
season in the Plestern Corn Belt, but below last year for other regions of the country.
Hay and roughage supplies are generally adequate in most feeding areas, but demand
for hay is strong from drought stricken areas,

In the West, cattle feeding operations will probably be below last year. In
both California and Colorado the number of cattle on feed is expected to be below
the record high number fed last year bat still at a high level. In other Western
States the trend is mixed with operations indicated to be higher in some States and
lower in others. Cattle feeding in Texas will be sharply reduced from last year.
Wheat pastures failed to develop in the Great Plains due to continued drought.

Shipments of stocker and feeder cattle into the 9 Corn Belt States for which
records are available for the months July through October were about 20 percent
larger than last year. All of the Corn Belt States exceint Nebraska and South Dakota
show increases over last year in the July-October inshipnents. Largest increases
were in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Ohio, all of which reported increases of over 50
percent. Other States showing increases were Indiana, Illinois, Iiichigan and Iowa.
Feeder cattle inshipments from public markets were below a year ago for Iissouri and
Kansas.

Feeding activity in California probably will be somewhat lower than last season,
but still at a very high level. Colorado, the leading feeding State in the 1.ountain
area, will feed fewer cattle than the record number fed last season. In Washington,
Oregon, and Utah more cattle are expected to be placed on feed than last season. In
the remaining States the number of cattle to be fed will be about the same or smaller
than last year. The number of cattle fed in the irrigated ior'th Platte Valley of
western Nebraska and eastern Wyoming is expected to approach the rather larger
number fed last season. Numbers fed in Oklahoma and Texas are expected to be sharply
below last year because of short feed supplies. As a result of drought, little
wheat pasture is available for livestock in the southern Great Plains. In this area
native pastures and feed of all kind are very short.

The 1952 corn crop is expected to be the second largest on record. The crop is
of excellent quality, and there is no pressure to feed the crop rapidly as was the
case last year in areas where considerable quantities of soft corn had to be fed
rather quickly to avoid deterioration. Hay production in 1950 is less than the very
large crop harvested last year, but is ample in most of the important feeding States,
However, demand for hay from areas hit by drought has pushed up hay prices in the
feeding areas of the Plains and Mountain States.


(OV .R)




The price of feeder steers at 8 feeder markets for the week ending October 30
was $24.20 per hundred pounds or $8.80 lower than for the Same week last year. The
average price per hundred pounds during October was about $9.50 below last October*
and the July-October average was about $8.50 lower. Contract feeding is generally
on a larger scale than usual. Some ranchers, disappointed in lower prices for
feeder cattle this fall, are placing their cattle in commercial and farm feed lots
for custom feeding rather than to sell at prevailing prices for feeder cattle.

Many lightweight cattle have been purchased for long term feeding. The record
for 8 markets shows thaL during the July-October period the number of feeder calves
and steers under 700 pounds shipped to country points was up 11 percent from last
year and made up 57 percent of the stocker and. feeder cattle and calves going to the
couitry. The number of aeavy f aeder steers weighing over 900 pounds shipped from
these 8 markets during, uuly-Oztober was down 5 percent from a year ago.

S7)ecial surveys made Oct:ber 1 in the three leading cattle feeding States in
the Corn Belt-Illinois, Iowa and iiebraska--showed 14 percent more cattle on feed
than on October 1, 1951.

UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA I

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