3 5^ 1 



-p ■ Cooperative Extension Work in Agriculture and Home Economics 



J.ilUU'^ur University of Illinois College of Agriculture, ^Jrljana, Illinois, 

 ^2-- and U, S, Department of Agriculture cooperating 



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WEEFOLY REVIEW ^AND FARM OUTLOOK LETTER "'^^ o q 



By G. L. Jordan ■"- ' ' "* 



Professor, Agricultural Economics 

 University of Illinois 

 College of Agriculture 



(Prepared February 2U, 19i^i|-) 



The hog marketing situation has eased enough at Chicago to do away with the 

 restrictions on shipping that have regulated the hog receipts at Chicago for the past 

 month. The hog- corn ratio for the United States for January was 11.5 compared to 11.9 

 for the long-time January average. In addition to the unfavorable hog-corn ratio, the 

 hutterfat-feed ratio was also about 7 percent below the long-time January average, and 

 the egg-feed ratio was down almost 25 percent. However, including special subsidies 

 to dairy farmers, the milk-feed ratio was slightly above the long-time January aversige. 



The extent of the wartime rise in livestock numbers in the United States is 

 indicated by the comparison between the January 1, 19^^, figures (preliminary esti- 

 mates) and the January 1, 19^0, figures for the various classes of livestock. In the 

 following tabulation the 19ifO figures are in curves and all are in millions: all cat- 

 tle and calves, 82.2 (68.2); dairy cattle and calves, U0.9 (36. U); beef cattle, U1.5 

 (51.8); hogs, 85.8 (61.1); and sheep, 51.7 (52. i^). 



In the United States U^l+36 million eggs were produced in January 19^U. That 

 was the largest January egg production on record, but the Crop Reporting Board reports 

 farmers* intentions to purchase 17 percent fewer baby chicks this year than they 

 bought in 19^5. 



According to the Bureau of Agricultural Economics, a larger turkey crop is 

 expected this year. February 1 returns suggest about 35*8 million turkeys. This 

 would be 2 percent larger than the 19^3 crop. The east north- central states, includ- 

 ing Illinois, expect to increase their output 15 percent. 



Mr, Marvin Jones, War Food Administrator, has asked farmers to reduce cattle 

 supplies on feed by three million head this year. This suggestion is made as a means 

 of conserving feed and bringing livestock numbers more nearly in line with our feed 

 supplies. 



Reports reaching us suggest that the interest in victory gardens is not as 

 pronounced as a year ago. It would be a national catastrophe if certain current de- 

 velopments were to leave the impression that victory gardens were no longer needed and 

 that we should have plenty of food without them. We shall have very small supplies of 

 commercially canned fruits and vegetables available for civilian consumption if the 

 armed forces use the quantities they have ordered canners to set aside for them, and 

 food will be one of our most critical war materials in 19^^. 



The soft winter and spring wheat areas have been hard hit by a drought con- 

 dition since September. Between Soptomber 1, 19^3, ^^^ January 31^ 19^^^ the precipi- 

 tation in Illinois was only 59 percent of normal. In January it was only 2k percent 

 of normal. Fortunately, the 19^^ crop will depend more upon precipitation during the 

 spring and summer than the amount to date. 



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