Barber County Kansas

The cattle feed lots are returning large profits this year, according to Robert Ruggles, wealthy Medicine Lodge cattleman, who attended the Kansas National Stock Show with his family, Thursday.

Ruggles told a story packed with the lore of the cattle country and what the Kansas National Livestock Show and the Union Stockyards mean to the producer of the southern tier of counties. He said: "I am not speaking of myself alone but of the common experiences of ranchers thru'out that section."

"I have never seen better times for the feeder." Ruggles asserted. "There are nowhere near the number of cattle in the bush as there were last year, and, of course, that will mean that the present high level of prices will probably continue to prevail."

Ruggles brought a load of good fat heifers to the local exchange last Tuesday where he received what he considered a very good price.

"I found 1927 a good time to buy thin cattle, stuff that has now become ready for the slaughter, and now 1928 has proven a good year to sell. It looks to me as tho' the producers, who are willing to produce and refrain from speculation, are all set to recover some of their losses of the last decade this year.

"Yes, I have been shipping to the Union Stockyards for years. One of my friends tried to persuade me to ship to one of the eastern river markets once, but I never did. I raise pretty good whiteface cattle and I find that the Wichita prices are right. I guess the motto, ‘The Market That Satisfies,‘ pretty nearly calls the trick."

Mr. Ruggles was high in his praise of the livestock show. He had seen one of the opening performances and decided that he should bring his family to Wichita to see the close.

"It is the best one that was ever held here," he concluded. "All of us were interested. It is vital to us."

Thanks to Ed Rucker for contributing the above information and images to this web site!

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