A26—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, February 13,1982 BY BETH HEMMINGER SHIPPENSBURG - Forty-two years ago, Wayne F., Craig of Shippensburg admists, he was un certain about his future in the livestock marketing business. But those uncertainties faded away a long time ago as his livestock business grew rapidly and gained repect and notoriety in the East, Midwest, and West. His success over the years has earned him a spot on the national board of the livestock Marketing Association. Craig’s debut in the livestock business began at the early age of sixteen. He recalls, “I began learning the trade from my father who dealt in the buying and selling of dairy animals.” When he was only thirteen years old, Craig took a job with a livestock dealer and three years later opened his own operation Wayne F. Craig livestock. In those beginning years, he dealt in local marketing buying livestock from area farmers and selling to local butchers and packing houses. Soon the business grew until Craig was shipping several thousand head of livestock each month to packing houses in the state. Eight years ago, Wayne F. Craig Livestock became Wayne F. Craig and Sons, a partnership with sons Wayne Jr. and Jeffrey. “Now," Craig says, “I let the boys do the hauling, buying and weighing of the beef cattle, hogs, and sheep. I enjoy taking care of the livestock on our five farms and doing the bookkeeping for the business.” The Craigs raise a small portion of the livestock they ship to packing houses, buying calves and raising several hundred cattle each year. Craig explains that he feeds them out as quickly as possible the first year feeding the calves silage, then transferring them to a dry f eedlot to finish them to a high-good, low-choice grade. Most of the beef animals shipped to the large packing houses weigh between 1,000 and 1,400 pounds. The feed to fatten the Craigs’ cattle is mostly home-grown. Jeffrey Craig, the youngest son and partner, takes an active part in the family business. Here he herds a group of sows to a different pen, making room for new arrivals. Shippensburg livestock businessman reflects “With five farms, we have ample land to do it,” Craig comments. Through his activities with the national livestock association, Craig has had the opportunity to visit and see many livestock operations throughout the U.S. Comparing his business to others, Craig states: “Our operation is definitely not as large as those in the Midwest and West. We work on a day-to-day basis and will buy as little as one animal from a far mer.” Craig explains that his family business still supplies several small-scale butchers with livestock while, at the same time, they ship trailer loads to the large packers on a weekly and sometimes daily basis. “We couldn’t operate that way in the West supplying both the small businessman and the large operations. Western ranchers work on a scale 50-100 percent larger than ours,” Craig observes. Regardless of the comparison in size, Craig and Sons shipped 343 head of beef cattle, 2,685 head of hogs, 364 calves, and 258 sheep to various packing houses in Penn sylvania during the month of January a considerable number of steaks, hams, and lamb chops considering the somewhat depressed market. To find out the forecast for the future of the livestock industry in 1982, Craig and his eight fellow directors of the Livestock Marketing Association recently traveled to Las Vegas, Nevada. There, in panel discussions, the regional directors shared predictions for “Marketing Outlook'B2." Craig, himself, brought out the point that beef prices in the East would be lower than last year with 400-pound calves selling for $5O-$55 a hundredweight. This same price range, he forecast, would apply to steers weighing about 700 pounds, with fat cattle prices in the $6O-$64 price range. “But, at the same time, livestock feed and forage will be plentiful with prices from 1981 levels,” he said. Back home in Shippensburg, on past to predict future Why the large reduction? “Well,” says Craig, “the livestock businessman is feeding a new kind of consumer a consumer who has been nurtured on beef but who now is experimenting and turning to natural foods, fish, poultry, and lots of other things.” Craig points out that cattle producers should not anticipate a rapidly growing market, but a slow increase in the demands for red meats. Like others in the livestock in dustry, Craig expresses his con cern about rising interest rates and financing costs, “AH lending in stitutions have tightened their belts. Even those people who have good equity position, but, who unfortunately can’t show a profitable cash-flow, are being turned down,” he notes. “The young producers are the ones being hurt because they haven’t had the years to build their operations and don’t have anything to fall back on.” Analyzing the opinions, facts and figures projected for 1982 and beyond, Craig says he feels all livestock businessmen realize that hard times are ahead for the in dustry. On a more optimistic note, he adds that the major consensus is that livestock industrymen “will all weather through it. ” Craig, a 13-year veteran of the Livestoc Marketing Association, praises the work that the organization does. He says, “The Association provides credit references to buyers and sellers, keeps everyone abreast of agriculture news, and increases business among members. It is an organization that serves its members.” The Shippensburg livestock businessman has been a director in the Association for the Eastern region for most of his membership. In this position, he provides in dustry information about his region to the main office of the Association located in Kansas City, Missouri, keeping them abreast of price fluctuations, grain costs, and the financial outlook for the Eastern livestock industry. He is on call to his region’s members, Wayne Craig of Shippensburg has been in a successful business in partnership with his the livestock business since he was a boy of two sons which gives him more time to take an sixteen. That’s when he began operating his active role as Eastern director of the national own livestock dealership. Now Craig operates Livestock Marketing Association. Craig continues to reflect on the future of the livestock industry: “Looking at the cattle industry, herds will be reduced in 1982 by approximately 10 percent. This decrease in numbers will create ample feed and transportation in the North American livestock industry.” Along with the livestock dealership, the Craigs own and operate five farms. But just keeping the truckloads of hogs moving is a fulltime task for Wayne Craig Jr. on a Saturday morning. answering their questions or for 42 years, says he has the ad referring them to professional vantage of looking back on the past people who can help them. and applying that knowledge to the Craig, a livestock businessman future. Rus joins NPPC staff DES MOINES, la. The Rus received a Bachelor of National Pork Council announces Science degree in Agricultural the addition of Larry Hus to its Communications from the staff. Hus, who is currently the’ University of Illinois in 1964. executive secretary of the Hamp- Following his graduation, he shire Swine Registry, will join became a field representative for NPPC as director of Producer the Hampshire Swine Registry and Affairs on April 15. later became the managing editor In this position, Rus is respon- of the Hampshire Herdsman. Rus sible for the planning and coor- joined the Chester White Swine dination of NPPC’s producer Record Association as executive communications, activities, and secretary and editor of then allied industry relations. He will journal in 1969, and in 1973 moved also supervise the operation of the to his present position as executive Council’s Special Activities, secretary of the Hampshire Swine Research and Education, and Registry.
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