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By JIM THOMSON 



PRICES of farm products are ex- 

 pected to decline somewhat but not 

 far from their wartime levels during 

 the next few months, farmers were ad- 

 vised in 85 annual fall livestock out- 

 look meetings held during the past 

 month throughout Illinois. 



In discussions led by extension spe- 

 cialists from the University of Illinois 

 college of agriculture and cooperative 

 marketing agency representatives, both 

 joined later by stockmen from the au- 

 |dience in round table discussions, 

 farmers were advised that the near fu- 

 ture calls for careful planning of crops 

 and sensible buying of feeder cattle to 

 avoid the risk of 

 some downward ad- 

 justment in prices. 



Harry Russell, 

 livestock specialist at 

 the University of Il- 

 linois college of 

 a g r i c u 1 tu re who 

 spoke at 14 of the 

 outlook meetings, 

 pointed out the fol- 

 lowing as the major 

 uncertainties in the 

 outlook : 



1. What will be the policy of the 

 government in continuing subsidies 

 and price ceilings? 



2. How long and how severe will re- 

 conversion unemployment be? 



3. Will we have an early frost and 

 resulting soft corn crop? 



Ending of subsidies without increases 

 in or elimination of price ceilings will 

 result in lower returns to farmers and 

 an extended period of widespread un- 

 employment and reduced consumer in- 

 come would undoubtedly result in a 

 substantial decline in the prices of farm 

 products. He made it clear, however, 

 that this situation is not expected. 



Russell outlined several reasons to 

 support the belief that prices will tend 

 to remain steady in the immediate post- 

 war months and cited the following: 

 "Supplies of food have been scarce in 

 relation to the demand. Prices have 



Harry Rusaell 



been kept down by ceilings. No gen- 

 eral food surplus is in sight in this 

 country before the 1946 crops are har- 

 vested. Food needs for relief feeding 

 in foreign countries will remain large 

 until at least the middle of 1946. Both 

 the United States military and civilian 

 demand will continue to be great. 



At the Woodford 

 county meeting, 

 cattle feeders were 

 told by Walter 

 Howe of Chicago 

 Producers that they 

 had nothing to fear 

 ff their prospects 

 were for a plentiful 

 supply o f feed. 

 Howe also thought 

 it would be wise to 

 get orders in now 

 for feeder cattle but cautioned stockmen 

 to be careful in their buying. 



Walter Howe 



To cattle feeders who are uncertain 

 in their plans because of anticipation 

 of removal of the government's 50-cent 

 subsidy some time during the summer 

 or early fall of 1946, Howe suggested 

 that it would be better to proceed as 

 usual with confidence that the govern- 

 ment will remove the subsidy at the 

 most suitable time. " 1 . •" 



A moderate tightening up of the feed 

 situation is in prospect for the country 

 as a whole in the 1945-46 feeding year, 

 but much depends on the outcome of 

 the 1945 corn crop, extension special- 

 ists said. There will be a wide varia- 

 tion, however, with extremely short 

 supplies in some sections of Illinois as 

 well as in other areas of the country. 



It was further explained that feed 

 grain requirements for the 1945-46 

 feeding season will not differ greatly 

 from those of 1944-45 although they 

 may be increased by the attractiveness 

 of feeding margins. With the end of 

 the war, industrial consumption of all 

 grains should decline, but distillers will 

 shift from the use of other grains to 

 corn when it is freely available. 



The number of grain-consuming ani- 

 mal units on January 1, 1946 will be 

 about the same as a year earlier de- 

 pending upon the size of the 1945 fall 

 pig crop and the extent of cattle mar- 

 keting this fall. 



Present livestock- feed price ratios 

 are above the long-time average for 

 hogs, beef steers, dairy products and 

 eggs. It is possible they reported, that 



Formera planning for post-war ■^wtn saw 

 hints oi agricultural trends in these charts 



used by state university extension spe- 

 cialists at annual farm outlook meetings. 



8 



L A. A. RECORD 



