I
Beef and hog future looks promising
By DIETER KRIEG
UNIVERSITY PARK -
Fifty-eight per cent of the
cattle slaughtered in the
Northeast last year were
killed in Pennsylvania, and
for hogs,, that figure stands
at a commanding 85 per
cent. Pennsylvania ranks
eighth among all states-in
hog slaughter and 12th in
1 cattle slaughter.
Such bits of information
lead Penn State’s
agncultrual economist H.
Louis Moore to believe that
these segments of farming,
at least, are bullish in the
Keystone State. Moore’s
audience on Thursday, when
he revealed those statistics,
was a group of 110 bankers
who are interested in
making loans to farmers.
His message was that for the
(jnear future, lenders should
feel pretty secure, because
the returns are likely to be
there so that producers can
pay back their debts.
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BADGER DEALER
ALLEN ZEiGLER
RRI ' RDIRt.274 523 Willow Rd.
Lehighton, PA 18235 >/z Mi. South Rising Sun, MD 21911 Lancaster, PA 17601
(717)386-4593 (301)658-6923 ■ (717)299-2536
PIKEVILLE EQUIPMENT INC.
RD2
Oley, PA 19547
(215)987-6277
GRUMELLI’S
FARM SERVICE HUTTON FARM McMILLEN BROS. LLOYD L KREIOER
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Quarryyille, PA 17566 Mahaffey, PA 15757 Cochranville - PA19330
(717) 786-731? (814)277-5504 (717)789-3961 (215)932-4700
is improving
Its~position as a livestock
-marketing Moore
began. The state’s share of
the national hog kill stood at
51 per cent in 1965, and for
cattle it was 46 per cent.
Another indicator of the
importance of packing
houses in the Keystone State
-is that 40 per cent of the
federal meat inspectors are
stationed here.
Turning his attention to
current prices and projec
tions, Moore commented:
“Cattle prices have sur
passed beyond all my ex
pectations and it looks like
they’ll stay strong.” He
noted “that'the supply of
cattle for the first quarter of
this year is down by nine per
cent, compared to a year
ago. Calf and cull cow in
ventories show the greatest
decrease.
Explaining the situation,
the agricultural economist
said: herds have
CECIL DAIRY SERVICE SHOW-EASE STALL CO.
ROY CHRISTMAN
RDI
Hamburg, PA 19526
(215)562-7218
been cut back ever since
1975. We have now ex
perienced a 16 per cent
decline - the sharpest ever.
Rebuilding is now un
derway.”
Moore said the number of
cattle on feed is down six per
cent, heifers on feed are
Farming Is bettor with Badger.
HEISEY FARM
EQUIPMENT INC.
RDI _
Jonestown,-PA 17038
(717)865-4526
Lou Moore
down 14 per cent, and 17 per
cent fewer cows are bemg
sent to market, compared to
this time a year ago. All this
indicates that livestock is
being retamed at the farm
for breeding purposes.
Rebuilding is underway.
The beef output for 1979
will be eight to 10 per cent
below what it was a year
ago, Moore predicted. Veal
and cull cows will be shortest
in supply, meaning that cow
calf operators will be in a.
position to realize the best
profits among cattlemen.
Feeder cattle prices have
already increased by 75 per
cent over what they were a
year ago, the agricultural
economist pointed out.
The message to bankers is
that there will be a demand
for money so that cattlemen
can expand.
Hog prices will go down, farm economists predict. That’s due to farrowings for
the first quarter of 1979 being up IS per cent over a year ago. For the fast
quarter a 24 per cent increase is anticipated. For the year, hog farrowings will
be up 18 percent.
4-H meeting held
MILLERSVILLE The Charles, president; Jim Jeffrey Barley, game
Penn Manor Community 4-H Stauffer, vice president; leaders; and Virginia Smith,
Club held its first meeting on Nanette Musser, secretary; news reporter.
Monday, April 30, at the Missey Greider, treasurer; After the elections the club
Eshelman Elementaty Yvonne Eshelman, song watched a slide show, “4-H
School. Ninety-three leader; Guy Eshelman and Someting To Sing About,”
members joined 18 different Tim Hess, gamer leader presented by Lancaster
projects. Officers were heads; Mary Ann Beale, County 4-H Extension Agent
elected .as follows: John Jeffrey Brenneman, and Linda Frantz.
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, May 19,1979—33
Thh hog farmers have also
been expanding, and as is
evidenced in southeastern
Pennsylvania where new
480-sow units are being
opened, growth continues.
ITiere has been an ap
preciable increase in pork
supplies, and that accounts
for the drop in prices. Live
hog prices are already $6 per
hundredweight less than
they were a year ago, and
the slide is likely to keep
going, Moore predicts.
“After July 1, prices will
come down some more,” he
said. His explanation: “Hog
prices were too good in 1977-
78, and it spurred on a major
expansion.” An 18 per cent
increase in production,
compared to a year ago,
translates into lower prices
in this case.
[oore speculates that the
stage is set for the consumer
to shift from beef to pork
because of the supply and
price situation. “The
processors are already
swinging that way,” Moore
noted, pointing out that more
pork js being used now for
such items as hot dogs.
Summarizing his
presentation, Moore said:
“Beef is short and demand is
high; hog supplies are up
and will affect beef
marketing. Hog prices will
decline substantially in the
second half of the year -
possibly to the break-even
point.”
With all this going on, the
Penn Stater sees increased
beef imports as a definite
consideration by the Carter
Administration, but he’s not
concerned because other
nations don’t have big
supplies of beef either.