PROGRESSIVE BEEF CATTLE RAISING 



Price fluctuations provide the sorest 

 Why Markets spots in marketing that the producer 

 Fluctuate faces. It has never seemed logical to 



him that a steer worth one price today 

 may be worth a different price a week from today when the 

 costs of the feeds and labor as he has handled them, have 

 not varied. Furthermore the food value of the meat from 

 the steer is approximately the same during a period of 

 several weeks in the finishing of beef animals. From the 

 producer's viewpoint these ideas seem perfectly proper, 

 but producers should take into account the fact that 

 the main factor in meat prices is the existence of a ready 

 market. Farm produce, except fruits and vegetables, does 

 not fluctuate like finished beef products, because it is not 

 quickly perishable. Once it is put into a perishable form, 

 however, farmers and feeders must take chances with 

 others. Beef is just such a perishable article and unless 

 the market can move out of the coolers and refrigerators 

 a sufficiently steady stream of meat to make place for that 

 incoming from the daily kill of cattle, slaughter at the 

 prices being currently paid becomes almost impossible. 

 Lowered prices do two things, they give a slight margin 

 which will help pay the charges on such beef as has to be 

 stored for a few days, and they cause the producer to hold 

 up shipments until a more favorable price may be received, 

 thereby permitting the market to work off excess supplies. 

 As long as the consumer varies in the amount of meat he 

 eats daily, thereby affecting the buying power of the 

 retailer, just so long will there be sudden fluctuations in 

 the prices of beef. 



There are two general classes of 



The Two Classes price fluctuations. One class is ex- 

 of Price pressed as trends, due to causes that 



Fluctuations affect prices over a considerable period 



of time, while the other is the day to 

 day fluctuation that results from the variations in receipts 

 on the market, variations in the ability of 'the markets to 



Page Fifty-three 



