INCREASE AND DECREASE FACTORS SINCE 1920 TO 1926 



Marketings and calf crops are the two chief factors of decrease and in- 

 crease operating to change inventory numbers of cattle. Estimates of calf 

 crop are made annually on basis of a large number of reports from cattlemen, 

 which are used to estimate the calf crop on the basis of January 1st numbers 

 of breeding cows. Marketings records are actual computations from railroad 

 shipments, stockyard receipts and brand inspections records. Other factors of 

 increase and decrease include imports of cattle and calves from actual records; 

 losses from disease and exposure which have been estimated from the actual 

 experience of representative owners; and farm and local slaughter, based on 

 actual data in census years and a fairly constant factor. In the aggregate, the 

 last three factors are of much less importance than the first two. 



The Livestock Commission of Montana through its system of brand in- 

 spection secures an accurate check upon all cattle shipped out of the state. The 

 following table, taken from the secretary's report for 1921, shows the total 

 number of all cattle sent out each year since 1885: 



CATTLE SHIPMENTS FROM MONTANA 



(1885-1926) 



Year Output Year Output . Year Output 



1885 79,089 1899 203,499 1913 172,299 



1886 119,620 1900 160,055 1914 158,623 



1887 82,134 1901 151,986 1915 173,936 



1888 167,602 1902 230,000 1916 227.828 



1889 123,880 1903 210,573 1917 333,056 



1890 174,035 1904 288,775 1918 406,415 



1891 260,000 1905 267,966 1919 641,337 



1892 203.000 1906 276,722 1920 211,242 



1898 279,158 1907 214.642 1921 147.413 



1894 302,655 1908 241,320 1922 246,378 



1896 206,460 1909 255,178 1923 342,687 



1896 254,864 1910 243,662 1924 320,644 



1897 252,162 1911 205,873 1925 407,365 



1898 232,225 1912 188.675 1926 504,472 



In the graph on page 49 are shown yearly inventories by classes plus 

 the increase factors of calf crop and imports, and the yearly decrease factors, 

 or marketings, losses and local slaughter, for all cattle in Montana for the 

 period beginning January 1, 1920, to January 1, 1927. Marketings by classes 

 are shown as well as inventories by classes. Classification of the other increase 

 and decrease factors was estimated in the original data, but is not detailed 

 in the graph. The inventory as shown is computed from January 1st estimates 

 of classification of steers, cows, and bulls, all aged one year and over. The 

 January 1st number of calves, under one year, were distributed into the three 

 main classes of the inventories as shown in the graph. The trends of total 

 supply line, inventory line and marketing line are considered quite representative 

 of what has occurred in Montana's cattle industry during the period 1920 

 to 1927. 



CATTLE AND CALVES— RECEIPTS AND SLAUGHTER, SIXTY-FOUR STOCKYARDS, 

 UNITED STATES. 1926 AND 1925 



T ^«oi Stocker and fr^f„i 



Cattle and Calves Receipts Girlf^KL^ Feeder ck: Ji!^.,+, 



Slaughter Shipments Shipments 



1925 24,066,684 14.462,034 3,822,859 9,348.049 



1926 23.871.560 14.349,668 3,712.223 9.404.018 



Per Cent Decrease 0.8% 0.8% 2.9% 0.4% 



Calves alone show total receipts 1.6 per cent lower than in 1925 and local 

 slaughter of 6.5 per cent less. Stocker and feeder shipments of calves in 

 1926 were 11.5 per cent larger than in 1925. 



Compared with the 1921-1925 (five year) average, 1926 receipts of cattle 

 and calves were 4.7 per cent larger; slaughter 10.6 per cent larger; stocker 

 and feeder shipments 10.4 per cent smaller and total shipments 3.0 per cent 

 smaller. 



