The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1911-02-06
To the Farmers of Carter County

As there has been a great deal said
by the Commercial Club through Ard
more press in regard to the establish
ment of a creamery at this place, l
think it best that the farmers of this
community should know something in
regard to what they may expect for
their milk or raw material, as should
Judge that this is the part that they
are directly concerned about.
We were told Messrs. Leedman and
Roach, the promoters of the cream
cry or ice cream plant, that they in
tended to buy their milk and cream di-
rect from the farmers and would pay
them a stipulated price per pound for
butterfat. They also told us that they
would pay within Elgin for their fat
or raw material which was q cents
per pound at that time.
| have been keeper of milch COWS
for the past IS years and am at the
present time classed as being one OF
the largest individual dairy herd own
ers in the state of Oklahoma, and full
lv realizing the fact that but few OF
the farmers of Carter county know
what is meant when they are offered
a stipulated price per pound for their
butterfat, or raw material, | feel it my
duty to explain to them the prices Of
fered by the promoters of the new
ice cream plant so they may know
exactly the price per gallon their
whole milk will bring them.
We will figure our COWS to give us
milk containing per cent butterfat
(this being a very high per cent for
the average COW Of this country, and
then figuring our butterfat at y
cents per pound We can readily see
that our whole milk will bring us
about nine cents per gallon. And this
is the customary or general 'way OF
figuring the by product of our cows.
At the present time | am getting
from 10 to 80 cents for my butterfat,
and during the summer from 45 to Go
cents for the same fat made into ice
! cream. With reference to the Elgin
market the cost of producing in the
winter is, of course, much higher than
| in the summer, and then as a matter
of fact the market is higher. And, if
| was now selling my products at the
present market prices, figuring feed
Stuffs at the present market value,
and paying my men living wages, 1
would be losing something near So
/ per day for every day that | operate
my business.
/ Now, trust that no one will accuse
me of trying to discourage the farm
ers of this county in any way, and l
am sure that the Commercial Club
] Nhilih NAtiL NitN dlN WI Nliic IVA NAiN
best interests of Ardmore and the sur
| rounding community. But, If you
| farmers cannot get cost of production
how are you expecting to produce?
To you, my farmer friends, am
giving these facts and figures so that
you may know What you are doing or
what you may expect for your milk
and cream before you get the harness
on, but should you decide TO enter in
to the production of milk and cream
and are willing to dispose of same at
the prices offered. l am ready to con-
tract for the entire output and at all
times of the year, and the more can
get the better it will suit me.
1t is well known fact that the
same rule will not apply, with profit,
to the different sections of the coun
try and more especially is this seen
in the dairy business or in operating
creamery. Prices for milk and
cream that would mean a profit to
producers in some sections OF our
country. would mean clear loss to