PROCEEDINGS CORN BELT MEAT PRODUCERS' ASSN. 497 



to know fairly definitely as to what is this situation as to intended mar- 

 keting. As a matter of fact, I think cattle feeders are apt to be rather 

 reticent in giving very much information as to their business, perhaps 

 more so than men in other lines of business. I think the experience from 

 this first questionnaire has been that the sheep feeders were much more 

 willing to tell what they were doing than the cattle feeders were, and 

 that we got a much larger percentage of replies from sheep feeders than 

 we did from cattle feeders. But we have not yet been able to build 

 up as large a list and as dependable a list of feeders in these various 

 states as we intend to develop as fast as we can get hold of the men 

 whom we can depend upon to furnish us with the information. 



That is the problem. That is up to men such as you are to help us 

 out. Unless we can get information direct from the men who are en- 

 gaged in the business that will tell us what the situation is, why we are 

 not going to be able to give back to you as dependable information and 

 as much information as we would like to. 



I might explain to you some of the reasons of the questions that are 

 contained in these questionnaires and the use that we make of them. 

 The first five questions relate to the individual's own farm. Number of 

 cattle on feed December 1, 1921 (last year), and the number of cattle on 

 feed December 1, 1922 (this year). Those two questions would enable 

 us, if we could get enough replies from individual feeders that would be 

 fairly representative of the industry, would throw considerable light as 

 to the comparative number of cattle on feed on that date last year and 

 on that date this year. 



Then follow questions as to the weights of cattle going into the feed 

 lot divided into four classes: 1,000 pounds and up, 750 to 1,000 pounds, 

 750 pounds down, and feeder calves. The reason for those questions was 

 to find out what was the character of the cattle, and whether they were 

 heavier or lighter, and such information as that would throw light on 

 the probable time that the supply would move to market. And the next 

 question had to do with the time when — the months in which it was in- 

 tended to be ready for market, December, January, February, March, 

 April and May. 



The next question asked the total number of grain finished cattle 

 marketed by you during the twelve months from December 1, 1921, to 

 December 1, 1922. The reason of that question was so that we might 

 know whether the feeders who were replying to these questions were 

 large feeders or small feeders, or what you might call medium sized feed- 

 ers. That is, if the great bulk of them were large feeders or the great 

 bulk of them were small feeders, it would be fairly evident whether they 

 were entirely representative of the feeding industry; and we also wanted 

 to know which class of feeders we could depend upon to get out best 

 replies. 



The next question was the total number marketed during the last 

 twelve months; how many were raised on your farm, how many were 

 bought at the public stockyards, and how many were bought and shipped 

 direct from the range. We desired that information because we have 

 not any present source of information as to what is the proportional 

 part in the number of cattle that are fed for the market of those that 



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