Excerpt from Livestock and Meat Situation, Vol. 229: October 1979 Retail pork and poultry prices are expected to average well below year-earlier levels during the first half of 1980, but beef prices will be slightly higher. At the same time, lower hog and broiler prices will squeeze producer profits. These price forecasts are based on anticipated record-high lev els of red meat and poultry production, very large feed grain supplies, and a slowing in the growth of consumers' incomes. Current prospects suggest a substantial increase - possibly to record levels - in both pork and broiler production this fall and during the first half of 1980. Beef production is expected to be well below 1978 levels during the fall but will probably average near year-earlier production in the first half of 1980. Retail pork and broiler prices are expected to continue to decline this fall, while beef prices may average near the summer quarter level. The September Hogs and Pigs report indicated that there will be very large supplies of pork for the rest of 1979 and through the first half of next year. The inventory of market hogs was 17 percent larger than a year ago, and the breeding inventory was 10 percent larger. Producers indicated they intend to farrow 13 percent more sows during september-november and 10 percent more sows during december-february. Hog slaughter was at record levels during the third quarter and is likely to continue near a record pace through next summer. Slaughter may be up near 20 percent during the fall and into the winter of 1980. Because of the continued high rate of hog slaughter, hog prices will decline from their third quarter levels. Barrows and gilts may average in the mid-$30's per hundredweight this fall, and prices may be even lower at times. Hog prices are expected to remain low during the first half of 1980. In the cattle sector, excellent grazing conditions, higher feed prices than a year ago, and large financial losses on fed cattle marketed resulted inabout 25 percent fewer cattle being placed on feed this summer, compared with a year earlier. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.