The break in she-stock prices ranged anywhere from 25¢. to $1. Declines
were most severe at Chicago, where medium to good grades of fat cows and
the same classes of grass heifers frequently showed a break of 75¢. to
$1 compared with the previous week-end. A spread of $3.75 to $5.75 took
the big end of the week’s supply of grass cows and heifers, while
canners and cutters ranged largely from $2.25 to $3.25. The best of the
light, corn-fed heifer yearlings sold well in line with finished steer
yearlings, but they had to be of the baby-beef type. Owing to scarcity
of corn-fed cows and a slackened demand for kosher cows due to the
approaching Jewish holidays, few heavy cows were good enough to bring $6
at any of the large western markets.
Bulls sold steady to lower at most points, while calves were sharply
lower at both Chicago and St. Paul, little changed at Kansas City and
St. Louis, and higher at Omaha because of meager receipts.
The demand for stock and feeding cattle, which has been gaining breadth
during recent weeks, was comparatively liberal during the closing week
of September and the total movement to the country was the largest of
the year to date. Except Omaha, where stocker and feeder cattle shared
in the general price upturn, prices of such cattle at points under
review were at the lowest levels of the year to date. Well-bred
yearlings and light feeders were in strongest demand.
With the exception of a few steers on the fat cattle order, few cattle
went to the country costing over $6.75. The bulk of the feeder steers
sold within a range of $5.25 to $6.25 and stockers largely between $5
and $6. Some of the best stock steers, however, sold right up with the
choice heavy feeders and many plain and common light stockers sold
downward from $4.50. Kansas City reported a fully steady market for
stock cows and heifers with a good many cows going out at $3.50 to $4,
and many stock heifers at $4 to $5 with a few as high as $5.50.
=RECEIPTS, SHIPMENTS, AND LOCAL SLAUGHTER FOR THE WEEK ENDING OCT. 1.=
---------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
Markets. | Cattle and calves. | Hogs. |
+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+
| Re- | Ship- | Local | Re- | Ship- | Local |
|ceipts.| ments.|slaugh-|ceipts.| ments.|slaugh-|
| | | ter. | | | ter. |
---------------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+
Chicago | 79,076| 25,332| 53,744|126,432| 27,148| 99,284|
Denver[1] | 9,482| 7,767| 2,272| 2,793| ... | 2,675|
East St. Louis | 30,067| 14,640| 10,101| 48,094| 17,536| 22,904|
Indianapolis[1]| 9,533| 4,398| 4,919| 60,437| 32,349| 27,399|
Kansas City | 78,446| 43,851| 31,002| 28,914| 8,109| 20,926|
Oklahoma City | 7,767| 2,509| 4,557| 4,574| 272| 4,142|
Omaha | 35,557| 23,657| 11,900| 30,607| 5,687| 24,920|
St. Joseph[1] | 13,639| 5,006| 9,101| 21,122| 2,953| 17,541|
St. Paul[1] | 24,301| 13,023| 12,163| 31,339| 4,445| 27,035|
Sioux City | 15,032| 11,659| 4,296| 28,068| 9,874| 16,285|
Wichita[1] | 7,554| 5,422| 2,415| 4,236| 127| 4,270|
---------------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+
Total |310,456|157,264|146,470|356,616|108,560|267,381|
Previous week |324,438|153,997|154,269|373,574|100,615|258,235|
---------------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+
---------------+-----------------------
Markets. | Sheep.
+-------+-------+-------
| Re- | Ship- | Local
|ceipts.| ments.|slaugh-
| | | ter.
---------------+-------+-------+-------
Chicago |148,779| 57,903| 90,876
Denver[1] | 44,713| 34,469| 4,086
East St. Louis | 7,434| 1,081| 4,062
Indianapolis[1]| 2,823| 1,547| 1,323
Kansas City | 47,121| 12,179| 24,234
Oklahoma City | 165| ... | 165
Omaha |126,966| 73,496| 53,470
St. Joseph[1] | 28,565| 8,123| 17,545
St. Paul[1] | 19,209| 6,823| 12,381
Sioux City | 8,242| 4,293| 4,564
Wichita[1] | 399| 251| 169
---------------+-------+-------+-------
Total |434,416|260,165|222,875
Previous week |403,963|169,947|213,446
---------------+-------+-------+-------
[1] Week ending Friday, Sept. 30.
=DAILY AVERAGE WEIGHT AND COST OF HOGS FOR WEEK ENDING OCT. 1.=
[Price per 100 lbs.]
------------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+
| Mon. | Tues. | Wed. | Thurs. | Fri. |
| | | | | |
------------+---+-----+---+-----+---+-----+---+-----+---+-----+
|Wt.|Cost.|Wt.|Cost.|Wt.|Cost.|Wt.|Cost.|Wt.|Cost.|
------------+---+-----+---+-----+---+-----+---+-----+---+-----+
Chicago |272|$7.10|255|$7.29|262|$7.31|246|$7.30|246|$7.43|
E. St. Louis|195| 8.22|188| 8.16|188| 8.16|204| 8.00|209| 7.94|
Kansas City |209| 7.53|209| 7.52|209| 7.54|225| 7.35|221| 7.23|
Omaha |304| 6.41|292| 6.61|289| 6.84|300| 6.44|290| 6.96|
S. St. Paul |243| 6.58|235| 6.83|245| 6.95|236| 6.95|246| 7.20|
------------+---+-----+---+-----+---+-----+---+-----+---+-----+
------------+---------+---------+---------+----------
| Sat. | This wk.| Last wk.| 1 yr.
| | | | ago.
------------+---+-----+---+-----+---+-----+---+------
|Wt.|Cost.|Wt.|Cost.|Wt.|Cost.|Wt.| Cost.
------------+---+-----+---+-----+---+-----+---+------
Chicago |280|$7.06|259|$7.25|263|$7.42|247|$15.74
E. St. Louis|201| 8.10|198| 8.10|192| 8.17|196| 16.35
Kansas City |270| 7.33|213| 7.46|213| 7.77|220| 15.79
Omaha |292| 6.41|294| 6.55|299| 6.86|273| 15.72
S. St. Paul |211| 7.02|240| 6.86|236| 7.16|...| ...
------------+---+-----+---+-----+---+-----+---+------
The above prices are computed on packer and shipper purchases.
_Hogs._--The hog market had a fairly healthy tone and the erratic
fluctuations which marked the trade for several weeks previous were, for
the most part, missing. While during the preceding week, average cost of
hogs at the markets under review showed a decrease, Chicago prices
dropping to the lowest levels since early in 1916, closing prices of the
week under review were generally 10¢ to 15¢ higher than the previous
week-end. A broader eastern demand was partly responsible for the
advance.
While the proportion of new crop hogs showed a seasonal increase at
practically all points, the continued heavy receipts of packing sows
caused considerable comment. Traders at Chicago do not recall any recent
period when receipts at this time of the year carried so large a
percentage of packing sows as do current offerings. Packing sows were of
almost uniformly good quality, many of them being almost as smooth as
barrows. Several of the smaller packers at Chicago turned from heavy
barrows to good and choice sows.
Many of the new-crop hogs showed very little finish and buyers
complained that many were “dopey” apparently suffering from the effects
of initial rations of new corn. On almost every day butcher hogs
averaging 200 lbs. to 240 lbs. sold at top prices at Chicago, while the
160-lb. to 170-lb. kinds closed considerably under top quotations.
The closing top at Chicago was $8.30 with the average cost that day
$7.06. The average cost of packing and shipping droves for the week at
that point was $7.25, with the average weight at 259 lbs., the lightest
since the week ending Aug. 6. The closing top at East St. Louis was
$8.35, at Kansas City $7.65, at Omaha $7.75, and at St. Paul $7.60.