•—Lancaster Farming,
Saturday, March 16,1968
Production-Of
Feed Grain Is
Up 12 Percent
Feed grain production was 12
percent higher in 1667 than in
IMt and - the highest on record.
Prices are sharply lower. There
is great danger that this will
«a«se a serious overproduction
•f Meats and eggs in 1968.
This unfavorable situation is
primarily the result of govern
aieiit programs and action.
Wheat acreage allotments
were increased one-third in con
junction with pleas from Wash
ington that much more wheat
was needed to help feed a hun
gry world. Feed grain and soy
bean producers also were en
aouraged to step up their pro
duction.
The resulting bumper crops
Mti depressed prices of these
crept will encourage increases
mi the production of livestock
and poultry products which are
already in over-supply. Produc
ers of hogs and poultry are es
pecially vulnerable in the com
ing months.
Dr. Karl Hobson, of Washing
ton University, makes the fol
lowing outlook predictions for
hags, cattle and lambs in the
yew ahead;
“Some improvement in hog
prices gan be expected this
Spring as it is usual at
this time of the year. Prices
■ext fall and early winter, how
ever, are likely to be the lowest
in the present cycle. That’s be
cause the large supplies of
cheap corn in the Corn Belt
seem to make an increase cer
tain for next spring’s pig crop.
“Recovery from the low hog
prices of late 1968 will be slow.
Thee isn’t likely to be much
money in hogs again until about
1970.
“The next period of favorable
cattle prices seems likely to
tune around 1970-72 if weather
favors good pastures and feed
crops at that time. A strong
holdback in cattle for increas
ing herds may be under way by
then, and pork suppliers may be
■ear the low point of the next
hog cycle.
“No big change in cattle
prices seems likely for 1968 un
less there’s a severe drought or
a sharp change in economic con
ditions.
“Fed cattle marketings are
likely to be fairly large next
spring, bringing some decline
in prices from winter levels.
The cattle-on-feed reports show
a substantial increase m feed
lot animals that will reach mar
ket weights and finish in the
spring. If spring prices are
weak, the usual summer re
bound can be expected
“Lamb prices are likely to be
moderately higher in 1968. Few
er lambs are being fed, and
the coming lamb crop will be
smaller again.
“Sheep and lamb numbers in
the US. declined in 1967 for
fee eighth successive year.”
It is estimated that January
1968 stocks of frozen turkeys
Were over 100 million pounds
larger than the stocks a year
ago.
A» 18-percent reduction in
the number of turkeys raised
for market next year was re
ccMMcended by USDA m its
1968 turkey marketing guide.
To help accomplish the re
duction, a 22-percent decrease
in the number of breeder hens
ma Jan. 1, 1968 was suggested
by Department officials.
Such a reduction of the tur
key flock from 1967 levels is
expected to result in a producer
price averaging between the
levels of 1966 and 1967, the De
partment said.
Idaho Farmer Enjoys Low-Cost Cains in Crowing Cattle
Rex Wood of Hazelton, Idaho, figures his feed cost
at 12c per pound of gain on a growing ration of corn
silage and alfalfa LMS (haylage).
He puts cattle on feed at about 400 pounds, feeding
% corn silage and % alfalfa LMS. Changing $lO per
ton for the silage, he has a feed cost of 12 cents per
pound on these growing cattle. In one 66-day period,
he got 1.9 pounds per day gain and he says, “My gains
usually are 1.6 to 1.7 pounds per day year-round.”
When he feeds alfalfa LMS only, he feeds two pounds
of gram per day.
Wood feeds out 1,000 head of cattle per year with
his two 600-ton Butler structures. Before purchasing
the Stor-N-Feed Systems, he fed out 150-200 head of
cattle per year on chopped baled hay and grain. He
sold the rest of his hay crop for a cash crop.
Wood says, “I was looking for a better way to
handle my hay crop. I couldn’t get labor to stack bal-
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ed hay; sometimes it would lay in the field two weeks
before I could get it out. Now, I need no extra labor
during hay harvest. I figure I get one more ton of dry
matter per acre on the hay crop when I put it up as
LMS, and there’s not as much field loss. I believe this
is the answer for the hay producer.”
Wood gets three cuttings of alfalfa per acre with
yields of 12-tons and 50% moisture haylage per acre.
Wood says, “The savings in harvesting costs alone
will pay for my structures. I save $7.00 per ton on
harvesting costs. It costs me $2 per ton to harvest
LMS, where it was costing me $3.50 per ton to bale
hay, $3.50 to stock the hay, and another $3.50 per ton
to chop it before feeding.”
Wood likes the feed coming out of his Btuler struc
ture. He also says, “I have had excellent service from
Butler. The unloading is fast (10 tons per hour), and I
am well-satisfied with my structure.”
Wood prefers this method of feeding cattle. He
says, “It takes very little labor to feed the cattle; in
fact, I would have the same labor whether I fed cattle
or not.”
Wood is considering some double-cropping with
small grains. He harvests winter wheat in July, and in
1968, he is going to try replanting barley for silage. He
believes it will be in the boot stage by t October for a
silage crop.
STOR-N-FEED •
-INC.
Phone: 717-354-5374