The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1912-05-23
COOPER
ALIVE cREAMERlES

&c. L.. Martin, Prof Dairyine,
! North Dakota gricaltural College.
! Every spring the question Of or
ganizing creamery companies comes
mp for consideration. This is espe-
cially true in sections like the north
Wet where the farmers ere beginni' e
10 realize that the dairy COW is a fac
>or that needs to be considered where
the old system of general grain farm
ing rs to be replaced by system of
more diversified farming. ,
The local cooperative creamery is a
necessity where the largest returns
ere desired from the dairy business
so the question of proper organization
is very important for where thoro.y
organized the cooperative creamery
seldom fails. >''
How to Organize.
| 1Helo are TWO ways OF tOrmiEy
creamery organizations. One way is
to have It done by creamery promo
ters-persons Interested only from
their own standpoint and the other
way is for the farmers to do it them
selves. The best way i~ 70 call
meeting of farmers and business men
in the locality where such an orgari-
cation fs desired. Arrange to have
attend some disinterested dairymen
! from the Department of Agriculture,
State Dairy Commission or the Agri-
cultural College who is thoroly famll-
lar with every detail of the business,
willing to cooperate freely and able 10
answer any question that may come
rom the farmers. An excellent plan
is to invite some farmer who is az. or
ficer in some successful cooperative
creamery in neighboring locality to
be present at the meeting. Ere
quently good plan is to send some.
Interested farmer to a community
where good cooperative creamery
is in operation and have him learn the
plan of organization and operation.
any of these methods will aid in get
ting the proper foundation laid fer a
good cooperative organization. A
cooperative creamery organization
Is only as strong as it's weakest msm-
Der; hence the necessity Of a thoro
knowledge from the start.
Preliminary Committees.
A good plan is to select temporary
officers at the first meeting and have
committees appointed to report on
the number of COWS. number Of shares
plan OF organization, and cost IF
building and equipment. At Sec
ond meeting the committees may he
ready to report and if it is desired to
effect permanent organization a
letter to the secretary of state will
secure blanks and Information neccs-
sary to form a cooperation. The
strength of any cooperative organi-
zation depends a great deal upon the
number Of persons interested in the
matter. For that reason it is adj
visable TO secure as MANY share
holders as possible. 1t is urged that
limit of four be put upon the MUM
Der of s25 shares which may be held
by any one person thus insuring a
wider distribution of interests.
The first requisite of creamery l.
sufficient number of cows. With
the kind found in the northwest, no
creamery can hope to succeed without
at least 400 COWS within radius Of
five miles from the creamery. This
is the very point that the creamery
promoter" will overlook and large
percentage of the "closed creamer-
res" over the country have been built
by the promoter and failed from Lack
of COWS together with too large ar in
vestment in building and equipment.
The cost of building, equipping ard
operating creamery will depend H.
on the volume of business. For the
northwest building sufficient to
handle the product of 400 COWS, if put
up by the company, ought to cost MT
over $500, if built by the promoter
often costs $4,000. The machinery
required to properly equip such
creamery will depend largely upon the
volume of business. 1t is much bet
ter to begin with only what Is actual
ly necessary, then later to install
such machinery as needed. In many
of the promoters creameries can be
found expensive new machinery that
has been cast aside because there is
no use for It, The first cost of start
ing creamery fs large enough at best
and ~ horA = Ia - ,,no0nc~ ycn<yJa},,-