The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1913-10-10
COOPERATIVE PLAN
BEING PERFECTED
SCHEME CONCEIVED BY GOVERN
OR TO IMPROVE DAIRY
STOCK OF STATE.
COUNTY AGENTS AS NUCLEUS
These Representatives VIII Organize
a Farmers Pool in Each County
for the Purpose of Buying
Cattle.


st. Paul-Minnesota is about to
put into effect general cooperative
scheme which will have as it's result
provement in the character of the
dairy stock of Minnesota. The plan
has been conceived and is being
lnaugurated by Governor Eberhart as
part of the general farm improvement
scheme which he has had in mind.
The plan involves little or no fnan-
cial risk to the farmer and if sue
cessfully carried out will mean added
millions to the agricultural and dairy
ing wealth of Minnesota. 1t is one
of the most important plans ever
inaugurated for the benefit of the
farmers of the state.
Governor Calls a Meeting.
The governor called a meeting of
the prominent bankers and business
men from various parts of the state
some days ago to confer with him in
the Capitol. With them were Dean
A. F. Wood of the State Agricultural
college and Prof. A. L. Hacker of
the Department of Animal Husbandry
in the same institution. Two county
agents were also included in the
conference. Governor Eberhart brief
ly outlined the tentative plan which
he had in mind, and the plan met
the hearty approval of Dean Wood
and was enthusiastically endorsed by
the bankers and business men who
conferred with him. 1t was decided
to put the plan Immediately into eff
feet in one or more counties, and al
ready the preliminary plans have
been arranged to bring this about
The idea is to work it out in one
county SO that an example may be
held before other counties in the
state of it's beneficial results.
One Purpose in View.
1t was decided at the meeting that
1t would be well to confine efforts
along this line to the one particular
purpose of bringing improved dairy
cows into the state by means of a
cooperative plan, and not to allow
any diversion along other lines which
would naturally suggest themselves
but which would initiate against the
success of the plan through scat
tering of effort. Just as soon as the
cooperative plan of working is made
success, other things will be taken
up, like the importation of sheep in
northern Minnesota for the purpose
of aiding in clearing the land, and
other cooperative plans of similar
character.
County Agent Is Nucleus.
AS at present outlined, the nucleus
of this proposed cooperative scheme
will be the county agent. At pres
ent there are twenty-four of these
county agents in as many different
counties of the state Working through
these county agents, it is planned to
have the farmers organize coop
erative pool, and if they have not
the money to put into the pool, they
can make arrangements with the 10
cal banks at a reasonable rate of in
| terest to buy one, two or more cars
of cattle in accordance with what the
farmer is able to pay. The county
agent or some other competent per-
son is then deputised to buy the cat
tie and ship them into the commu-
nifty for distribution among the diff
ferent farmers who wish to buy them.
! The actual expense of this mans trip
and the freight are charged up to all
the cattle bought and pro rated ac-
cordingly. Under this plan there will
be no difficulty about securing the
money, as the local banks would loan
the local farmers to make the pur-
chases on their own note, and when
the division of the cattle is made,
the farmer can arrange with the To-
cal bank for the amount he will need
for his particular share of the cattle.
On smaller scale the plan has al
ready been successfully tried in Big
| Stone county and in others, and has
been found extremely successful.