Changes in the Cattle-Feeding Industry Along the North and South Platte Rivers, 1953-1959

Excerpts from the Introduction: A major cattle-feeding area of the United States is located in the irrigated valleys of the North Platte and South Platte Rivers in northeastern Colorado, southeastern Wyoming, and the Panhandle of Nebraska. Within this area, the feeding of cattle for slaughter is a major agricultural activity. Directly or indirectly, it is responsible for a considerable portion of the area's agricultural income. About 60 percent of the 5,600 irrigated farms in the area fed cattle in 1959. During the past decade, the number of cattle fed has increased more rapidly than the national rate of increase, and major changes have occurred in the structure of the feeding industry. The number of operators feeding cattle has declined significantly, and changes have occurred in marketing methods and the general type of cattle fed. The objective of the study reported here is to describe the trends in structure and organization of the cattle-feeding industry, to evaluate the impact of changes on the industry, and to appraise possible future changes within the industry in the area.