The Chronicle

BULAWAYO, Wednesday, March 15, 1967 — This is a bonanza year for Matabeleland cattlemen. Their cattle have never been in better condition— or weighed more, it was stated yesterday.” The quality of cattle this year is fantastic”, said the secretary of the Cold Storage Commission, Mr RA Muir.

He said the weight of cattle delivered to the CSC works at Bulawayo in January and February averaged 50lb. a head more than the weight of deliveries in the same two months of last year-474lb against 424lb.

Mr Muir said the quality this year was so good that fewer carcasses than usual fell into the lower grades. But to offset this shortage the Commission would make high grade forequarters available at prices closely related to the prices of lower grades.

He said: “There will be plenty of good quality Rex beef available for the local market, following the temporary shortage of December and January. Consumers should be able to obtain their full requirements of the highgrades.

“But as a consequence of the exceptionally good season there may be a shortage of lower quality carcasses.” To compensate for this they will be a supply of good quality fore quarters available at prices which are closely-related to the prices of the lower grades — and the African butchers should be able to get this good quality beef at low prices”.

A leading rancher, Mr Max Greenspan, confirmed that this was an outstandingly good year for the cattle industry.

“Here in the City’s suburbs you could graze a herd of 1 000 on the verges”, he said. He summed up the reasons for the splendid condition of the Matabeleland cattle:

“Last year’s late rains; this year’s long and good rains and the absence of frost”. “The drought had denuded the veld of grass coverage.” “When the new grass sprang up after the rains, it had the quality of lucerne”, he said.

A factor helping the cattleman this year was the new “and realistic” system of grading cattle, which, he said, is more in accordance with what the export buyer wants and what the Matabeleland cattle producer can give without supplementary feeding.”