E BATTALION
Wednesday, July 18, 1973
College Station, Texas
Page 5
Retail Price Freeze Changing Poultry Industry
fail |
; fell ?j I
ds per ; An A&M poultry science pro
decade lessor said last week the Presi-
lent’s 60-day national retail
es in n Hce freeze is bringing about
product onie changes in the state’s poul-
ranlu p industry that will mean
nd Floj shorter food supplies for con-
bmers.
oduced i poultry price-squeeze
by (| hows the flaw in the freeze, Dr.
and Car ^ F. Krueger, professor and
lead of the Poultry Science De-
lartment, said.
“Agricultural commodities are
effectively boxed in by retail
price ceilings, although the farm
commodities do not have ceilings
imposed on them at the farm
level,’’ Krueger added.
The industry’s output costs
weren’t frozen, but the wholesale
selling price was. This has re
sulted in some poultry producers
destroying chicks and eggs as the
price freeze and costs ensure
losses, Kreuger explained.
“Over the past six months, in
gredients for poultry feeds have
risen more than 100 percent. Fac
tors affecting these skyrocketing
feed costs have been shortages
of soybeans and grains, increased
fuel and transportation costs,
speculation and rising credit
costs, the professor, whose field
is poultry breeding and manage
ment, said.
Poultry industry leaders point
out that the timing of the freeze
set the retail price level for
chickens at its lowest point in 90
days in the week ending June 8,
the base period of the freeze.
At the same time, the price of
soybean meal feed shot up to
about $450 a ton from about $110
a year earlier. Soybean meal is
the main source of protein in
the poultry ration.
“There’s no question about it,
poultry producers are in a di
lemma and here’s why,” Krueger
said.
“The cost of producing one
pound of dressed broiler today—
the total dock price—is 45.7 cents
to the grower. This includes feed,
chick, contract grower fees, serv
ice, processing and management
costs. But he can receive only
about 39 to 41 cents a pound for
them at the processing dock.
That’s a loss of 5 to 6 cents a
pound that must be absorbed.
“Today’s cost of producing one
pound of live turkey totals 42.8
cents. This includes the poult,
feed, grower, service, transpor
tation, insurance, fuel, deprecia
tion and electricity costs. Tur
key processors can pay no more
than 36 cents a pound for the
live birds.
“Production costs for a dozen
eggs today average 53 cents,
based on a hen producing 240
eggs per year. All poultrymen
realize that many hens are under
ALBERTSONS
DRUGS & FOODS
w<SALE
SPECIALS GOOD WED., THURS., FRI., SAT., JULY 18, 19, 20, 21, 1973
U.S.D.A. GRADE A
WE CARE
BOYD HALL,
BRYAH/C0LLEGE STATION’S
MAN IN
Gold
TALKS ABOUT
OUR COMPLETE,
DEPENDABLE PHARMACY
COMPLETE DEPENDABLE PHARMA-
J CY. The drug ond phormocy depart-
^ mentj at Skaggs-Albertso(i's will feature
the same, dependable service that have
been the trademark of Skaggs Drug
Centers since they began operations
Fast, friendly service will be available
in the Pharmacy department, where a
team of registered pharmacists will give
careful, personal attention to each pre
scription.
U.S.D.A.
GRADE
A
CUT-UP
(WHOLE 46c LB.)
neuhoff ’?
BOOTH'S
FRYER
BREAST..:™‘a. 88'
US.D.A.
BREAST QTRS. ‘ ,.49< 1
DRUMSTICKS..:.""*,./^
leg qtrs..45* 1
PARTS
thighs.....::.™ ,
• 3 BREAST QTRS. • 3 LEG
DHPI/PT 0TRS. • 3 EXTRA WINGS A Ft 1
bU inti 1
P LONGHORN CHEESE
SLICED BACON
FISH STICKS
RIB EYE STEAKS
BARON OF BEEF
TOP ROUND STEAK
SKAGGS-ALBfRTSON'S.
HALF MOON I
DELICATESSEN-SNACK BAR
SKAGGS ALBERTSON'S TAKE HOME FOODS!
1 LB. ECKRICH SAUSAGE
1 LB. POTATO SALAD
1 D0Z. DINNER ROLLS . 0NlY ..
NOODLES .4.188*
JELLY 2 & 88*
GRAPE JUICE f::"....M88*
COOK I ES r!™”™ 2^88*
this production level, thus in
creasing the cost. And one must
consider the fact that not all eggs
are large eggs—and that medium
and small eggs are less valuable.
Costs involved include feed, hen
depreciation, grading and pack
aging, delivery, storage and in
terest on investment,” Krueger
explained.
Thus, producers are cutting
back on their broiler output and
turkey owners are having some
of their breeding hens processed
now, rather than waiting until
the end of July, the normal
slaughter time.
Egg farmers are also taking
steps to cut operating costs, in
cluding culling of flocks and
moving older, less productive
hens to slaughter plants much
sooner than usual.
Overall, it appears that the
broiler cutback may be about 10
percent, Krueger, also jointly em
ployed by the Texas Agricultural
Experiment Station and Texas
Agricultural Extension Service,
said.
“Nevertheless, poultry and eggs
—and all foods—have been and
continue to be a bargain nutri
tionally and economically. Eggs,
broilers and turkeys are some of
our most economical sources of
animal protein. Today’s con
sumer spends only about 16 per
cent of his take home pay on
food—lower than any other na
tion and lowest of any time in
our history,” Krueger said.
Federal Funds
Received For
Rehabilitation
Baylor College of Medicine, the
Texas Institute for Rehabilitation
and Research and Texas A&M
University have jointly received
federal support totaling $298,805
for continuation of studies bene-
fitting handicapped persons.
Funds for the second year of
a proposed five-year program
were provided by the Social and
Rehabilitation Service of the De
partment of Health, Education
and Welfare.
The program is conducted
through the Rehabilitation Engi
neering Center headed by Dr.
Paul H. Newell Jr. of A&M.
Newell, who also heals A&M’s
bioengineering program, said the
center’s initial work involves re
search on effects of pressure on
tissue. Information gained
through the project is being ap
plied to direct skeletal attach
ment of prosthetic appliances—
artificial limbs— and studies of
skin metabolism.
Co-directors for the center are
Dr. William A. Spencer, chair
man of Baylor’s Department of
Rehabilitatoin and TIRR direc
tor, and Dr. Lewis A. Leavitt,
chairman of the medical school’s
Department of Physical Medi
cine and TIRR’s educational pro
gram director.
The center is designed to pro
vide a multi-disciplinary approach
to rehabilitation engineering.
Mission-oriented teams of engi
neers, physicians, scientists and
allied health professionals work
together in the research, develop
ment and application of new tech
niques which can benefit handi
capped people.
Administered by the Texas
A&M Research Foundation, the
project has received support
totaling $676,905 to date.
AGGIE CLEANERS
July & August Special
Men’s Knit Suits
Cleaned & Pressed
$1.00
Men’s Knit Pants — $ .50
111 College Main
College Station
REX THEATRE
333 University
(upstairs)
Phone 846-9990
Open 3 p. m. till midnight
7 days a week
Clip Ad for
FREE
Membership Card
REX THEATRE