Bryan daily eagle and pilot. [volume] (Bryan, Tex.) 1909-1918, 1911-07-28
The HIGH COST
OF MARKETING


ger OF he Frisco system of railroads,
{ore the Farmers Congress al IFS
(ednesday session:
There are In Texas one and one-half
illion people engaged in producing
ON the soil. No other state In the
MON Is making such rapid Roadway
agricultural production. Therefore
axas has more to gain than any other
ate by improved conditions In mar
'ting. The farmers do not get as
uch as they should for their prod
|ts, mad no one can improve this but
P farmers themselves. According to
|vernment reports, the producer re-
ives 40 cents for products OF the
rm for which the consumer pay
1t Is not encouraging to the young
fmer boys to see that out of every
|llar being paid for the products of
B farm their share Is only 46 cents,
'ile the remaining "a cents are dis
puted among others before these
)ducts reach the consumers tables.
LAST years agricultural products
be worth nine billion dollars to the
mers. The government used farm
hies in getting figures for this total.
cunning that the farmers kept one
ID OF the products for their own use,
consumers paid over thirteen bill
dollars for what the producers re-
FED six billion dollars. The cost OF
ing the years products from prod
Is to consumers amounted to the
fmous sum OF seven billion dollars.
real problem to deal with Is not
ID cost of living. II Is high cost OF
lind
The industrial exports are increas-
over agricultural exports at the
y OF seven to one, because factory
ducts are marketed In a more bust
&s-like way than farm products. The
Ned States is now exporting two
Non dollars worth of goods a year.
*fhe last twenty-five years our agri-
kural exports have increased 60 per
%, while our commercial exports
&e increased nearly 400 per cent. 1t
Dlain that rural development has not
u pace with manufacturing and city
>wth.
There may be many reasons for this.
there Is one which is more impor.
bt than all others. That Is our long
klect OF the business side of farm
I. The late S. A. Knapp, who had
Urge of farm demonstration work in
department of agriculture, and
10 had more to do with the recent
ricultural development in the South
IN any one man, used to say that
e-eighth of successful farming re-
red scientific knowledge, that three
Ehths was an art and that the re-
inder was simply business. The
Illness end OF husbandry has been
1ly neglected, and that Is the chief
Son why agricultural growth makes
Do poor showing in comparison
kh other national development
The farmers OF this country, to re-
Ne better prices, do not have TO
pertinent with untried theories.
by only have to copy what Others
doing successfully. For instance,
people of Denmark thirty years
!. received twelve million dollars for
~ butter. eggs and bacon. Then
~ began the organization OF market
,ieties. Now the same character of
)ducts brings In over one hundred
lion dollars a year. Nearly all their
Try products are marketed through
operative creameries and their egg
port societies have $4,000 members.
ere Is no such talk of high cost OF
Ing in that little country because
" have a system OF economical mar
ing. The farmers there have organ
d under trust methods. The COM
rcial waste in the distribution OF
1n products is reduced to a mini
ln. They share In the profits OF
|nomical marketing.
Ne know that all farmers are not
y to have their own creameries.
erefore a community of farmers get
ether to build and operate one for
convenience and profit Of all. The
bmery is the concrete unit around
|ch will be constructed the neigh
hood cooperative market. Ad-
Iced methods in handling the busi-
IS OF the farm are bound TO come.
lat we must realize is the cost OF
by. We have already waited too
Z. We should now work for prompt
Droyement in marketing facilities
well managed creameries properly
hted are profitable. In most cases
creamery Is the first step in CO.
ration or in neighborhood market !
Dairying is universal and cream
IS are easy to operate. Cooperation
fruits, vegetables, grain,
ION and other products is just as
g of success when practiced under |
rect business rules. A very little |
ney will add to a creamery facil-
s for making or storing OF ice so |
[ Il can be used by members. Mar |
ing OF poultry and eggs is so i'm
tafr to so many farmers that fach-
$ for the handling of these prod
J will be added to creameries and
,ther marketing plants.
he neighborhood market house Will |
ONE as important and as popular
American life as the country school
se. Popular education has been
strongest force in the development |
America. These neighborhood co
rative selling plants will play al !
IT as important a part in our flu
; as the free schools have in the
t. They will be of important educa-
al value, as they will cause small
ners to make close study and APP
alton of business methods.
hese marketing plants will be
at benefit in improving methods OF
pairing products for markets. Neg
to offer products for sale in the
It attractive and salable condition
he cause of great loss to farmers.
illustrate, the manager of dining
line told me few days ago that
l,,,x,, ohout $40 000 worth of annlpS