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THE BATTALION Page 5
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 1981
Iftsifc
AML
:Will
MSC.
activitie
bers ar
AMU TRAP ^
nizational me
iTERPHETAI
Room 502, Rudder Tower.
m
m
■v'" ; . f- ■
■
le
are
Building. Beginners and a)
iFF CAMP
mittees and
201, MSC.
MERICAN IN
GINEERS:Me
will speak on
REMED/DE
Student Affairs,
7:30 p.m. in Room 321,
4YETTE
first meeting of the year to
m. in Room iuy. Military Sciences
" hunters are welcome.
com-
j.in. in Room
ICAL EN-
and Pete Radecki
real world.
, Associate Dean for
edicine, will speak at
hold the
6:30 p.m. in
organizational meeting at 7 p.m. in Room
gineering Center.
TEXAS A&M STUDENT DIETETIC
:WiIl have a guest speaker and salad supper at 6:30 p.m. ir
Room 126, Kleburg. All members should bring an ingredient.
TYLER HOMETOWN CLUB:WU1 hold a meeting at 7 p. m.
in Room 404, Rudder Tower. Everyone from the Tyler-Smith
Area is invited. Elections will be held for club officers.
Wednesday
EL PASO HOMETOWN CLURrWiH hold an organizational
meeting and elect officers at 7:30 p.m. in Room 504 Rudder
Tower.
TEXAS STUDENT EDUCATION ASSOCIATION:Dean
Corrigan, Dean of College of Education, will speak along with
membership drive at 7 p.m. in Room 701 Rudder Tower.
EUROPE CLUBkOrganizational meeting and discussion of fu
ture events at 9 p.m. at Mr. Gatti's.
Today s Almanac
\\ectronic marketing foreseeable
Today is Tuesday, Sept. 15, the
258th day of 1981 with 107 to
follow.
The moon is moving toward its
last quarter.
The morning star is Mars.
The evening stars are Mercury,
Venus, Jupiter and Saturn.
Those born on this date in his
tory are under the sign of Virgo.
Republican William Howard
Taft, 27th president of the United
States, was born Sept. 15, 1857.
On this date in history:
In 1942, armies of Nazi Ger
many began the siege of Staling
rad, Russia.
In 1963, four black girls were
killed in the bombing of a church
in Birmingham, Ala. Two black
boys also were shot to death that
day as citywide rioting broke out.
In 1966, Gemini 2 splashed
down in the Atlantic Ocean after a
then-record, three-day space
flight.
In 1972, two former White
House aides and five other men
were indicted on charges of con
spiracy in the break-in of Demo
cratic National Committee head
quarters in Washington (Water
gate).
A thought for the day: English
author John Ruskin said, “That
country is the richest which
nourishes the greatest number of
noble and happy human beings.”
iroved i
Buyers bullish over computer beef
By ERICA KRENNERICH
Battalion Reporter
ittlex,” a computerized cat-
rketing system developed at
A&M University, com-
its first year of operation
3, proving that cattle can be
[onically marketed.
U _Jtlex, which stands for cattle
■yHngc, is a joint research pro-
tf the Texas and U.S. Depart-
‘nts of Agriculture as well as the
Agricultural Extension Ser-
nd the Texas Agricultural
S Biment Station, both bran-
espthe Texas A&M System.
Dr Ernie Davis, an extension
k marketing specialist and
of the system’s developers,
d at least jjthe idea for Cattlex started in
)eared when he organized a group of
almost s
wounds,
ey, whos
u the "ll
roved tk|
adbyf
al associate
tomy i
took industry leaders to look
'estock marketing alterna-
Javis said they became in-
sted in computer marketing
iewing an electronic mar-
system for cotton. “They
nterested to know if (Texas)
om two tM could develop a similar sys-
ded bef( | for cattle, particularly feeder
cture tip},'’ he said. Grant money be-
be avail tie available and Cattlex went
animal I :o development, Davis said.
, theewThe Cattlex system began with
t yet kiBwperators and has since
asheaviown to 29 cooperators state-
wormside, including 11 feedyards and
it anda'S
13 auction markets. Each cooper
ator is a computer terminal loca
tion with a printer and cathode ray
tube (CRT) which resembles a
television screen, Davis said.
The 29 CRTs are linked
together by telephone lines. Reg
ular auctions occur each business
day at all terminal locations.
Cattle offered for auction are of
two types, ranch and delivered.
Ranch cattle are those for sale in
truckload or larger lots. A truck-
load lot weighs about 44,000
pounds. If a seller has a truckload
lot, he can have a Cattlex grader
go to his ranch to grade and de
scribe the cattle while they remain
on pasture, Davis said.
Davis said the cattle must be
delivered to a Cattlex location to
be graded and described prior to
auction if they weigh less than a
truckload lot. The minimum lot
that is offered over the system is
10,000 pounds. Cattle also can be
offered on a contract basis for fu
ture delivery, Davis said.
Graders attend a two-day school
at Texas A&M to become certified
and trained. “Most of them (grad
ers) have been cattlemen all of
their lives and they are already
order buyers or auction market
managers, people who sort cattle
for auctions and order buyers,”
Davis said. “All we do is standar
dize the way they grade and de
scribe cattle.”
Currently, 55 graders have
been certified, he said. They list
the sex, age, grade, breed, weight
and flesh condition of the cattle.
Sellers pay a listing fee and infor
mation on their lot is put into the
computer and becomes available
to buyers at all terminals, Davis
said.
Each lot listed is offered to all
buyers, who view CRT screens, at
the same time. Each lot is subject
to competitive bidding for 16 mi
nutes before it is taken off the auc
tion for the day. “Sellers can set a
no-sale price on their cattle before
the auction,” Davis said. This
price specifies the minimum price
the seller will accept.
Davis said the greatest advan
tage of the Cattlex system is its
cost efficiency. “You don’t have to
travel all over the country to locate
cattle,” he said. “You can trans
port them straight from the seller
to the buyer and the cattle get
there in a healthier condition,”
Davis said.
“The buyers have been very
satisfied with the cattle that were
delivered,” Davis said. “Sellers
have been happy because they
have received about $1 per (100
pounds) of cattle more on Cattlex
than their local markets were sell
ing for on a particular sale date.”
held
m^ervice
said Tw
Ci Austin for
causes f
results I
y shed4
ty, herf]
^ v \lfjifeek in Austin for 1st Lt. De-
irv ap 1 * aS0n ’ a distinguished
itvSBry graduate of Texas A&M
1 u * T ersity. His F-105 aircraft
ted off the Danish coast Aug.
'gie flier
Memorial services were held
m '
sou.
;S was S®
Iveston*’
|, where 1
niAuc'
f e after r*
onditi*?
h. iM
Texas Student
Education Association
1 st general meeting
Sept. 16 7 p.m.
Room 701 Rudder
DEAN CORRIGAN, Dean of College of
Education will speak.
bon, Class of ‘75, was on a
mg mission with his Air Force
rve unit, the 508th Tactical
ter Group, at the time of the
lent. The unit is based at Hill
in Utah.
| native of Austin, Mason was
of retired Col. and Mrs.
jht Mason. He joined the Air
Reserve soon after gradua-
Mason was a member of Squad-
FOOlli jj j n tjjg Texas A&M Corps of
Its and a member of Alpha Phi
h-
u
AY
#
Steak
•wy
esar'd
ilher
INT QEALTY
all us BEFORE you
eed us. Free consulta-.
ion or buying and sel-
g.
846-8179
t
jirista Pandey, Broker
4015 Tex. Ave., Bryan
next to Taco Bell
-J
Christian Fellowship
vE* CAnrejzsujiy house
cptscopAL sruOenr cenrejz
would like to welcome you to our
Wednesday Evening (5-30) Eucharist and Supper
other activities available are—
Friday morning (6 ; 30) Eucharist ancl breakfast
Evening Prayer
Bible studies
LiPe Small Qroup (small sharing groups)
prayer partners
student center chapel (St. Jude’s) open H4 hours
study space and TV room open until 11 pm daily
002 jeftsey sr. across pjzom rhe Bonptfze sire
606-0774 OR 696-ms
IWSC CAMAC
presents
LOS CRYSTALES"
(a mariache band)
commemorating
exico^s Independence
« date: Sept. 16
B ‘ time: 11 a.m.-l p.m.
Ial place: Rudder Fountain
Day
Davis said there have been no
major problems in operating Cat
tlex and the current phase simply
involves trying to increase the
volume of sales over the system.
“The market has been basically in
a tailspin ever since we started and
people will put a no-sale price on
their cattle that is generally higher
than the market, ” he said. Many of
the cattle are retained and go onto
a feedyard under the same owner,
he said.
Another problem, Davis noted,
is the short-term length of the pro
ject. He said some people are
afraid to try the system since it will
be shut off in December. “Some
people are afraid to lose their mar
ket contacts,” he said. Also, some
people are uninterested and some
do not understand the system, he
said.
Davis said despite good press
coverage there are still many peo
ple who have not heard of Cattlex.
“But I think definitely in the next
two to three years there will be a
commercial unit,” he said.
before you
^ i
IT’S NO
tacipEHT
THAT 600 ENGINEERS CHOSE US (ALL CIVILIANS)
^ It was intarssting work with computars, aircraft, jet engines and
many other kinds of equipment and accessories belonging to the
Air Farce (we aren’t recruiting for the military—we’re civilians ).
9It was our permanent location in Oklahoma City, with moderate
weather, low cost living—especially for homes and apartments,
and a wide variety of life-styles.
0 It was our faster-than-average advancement to better-than-average
pay , benefits and long-range stability.
CONTACT YOUR PLACEMENT OFFICE AT 845-6551 TO INTERVIEW.
FOR FURTHER DETAILS, WRITE TO: MR. ROBERT RIVERA
EMPLOYMENT OFFICE
ON CAMPUS: SEPTEMBER 15, 1981 0KLA CITY A,R LOGISTICS CENTER
TINKER AFB, OKLA. 73145
OR CALL COLLECT: (405) 734-3807
we are an equal opportunity employer
anoma city air logistics center
MSC FREE UNIVERSITY
REGISTRATION
WEDNESDAY
10 a.m. to 5 p.m,
Juggling
Photography
Human Sexuality
Slimnastics
V
Judo
Guitar
Dancercise
Yoga
Second
Floor
MSC
C&W Dance
Jitterbug
Dorm & Apt.
Security
IS
LAW SCHOOL
FOR
YOU?
Join the Pre Law Society SP find out!
1st general meeting
Wed. Sept. 16 7 p.m. 301 Rudder Tower
Items to be discussed include:
• MOCKLSAT
• WOMEN’S LUNCHEON
• RECEPTION FOR
LAW SCHOOL DEANS