50 years ago

THE massive write-off of the value of cattle could force some Western District graziers off their land next year, Victorian Farmers’ Union official, Mr. Harold Price, of Cavendish, warned yesterday. Graziers trying to outlast the price slump could be faced with a huge stockpile of livestock and ruling giveaway prices when pressured into selling cattle by seasonal conditions, he said. Good seasons for keeping stock on the land could work against graziers this way if the stockpile developed. Mr Price warned of the prospects which faced cattlemen unless there was a rejuvenation in Australia’s beef export market. Mr Price is the VFU’s Hamilton zone president. “There’s no doubt about it, a lot of people are going to lose a lot of money,” he said.