The Monticellonian., 1915-07-15
HOW PRODUCER CAN SUCCEED
Cooperation, to Be Prosperous, Must Grow Through Gradual Evolution
 Uniform Standard Needed.
cBy {. HAROLD POWELL,

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 The average producer is not busi- ness man. nor is he skilled in the art of competitive business He is nat urally strong individualist He Is slow to delegate authority over his affairs to anyone. and when he IS face to face with the skillful arguments of those who aim to break the organiza- tion and keep him working as an in- diyidual. he Is likely to weaken and finally leave the organization unless he has felt the effect of hard times, a helplessness arising from eombina= tion of those who buy or sell his prod ucts, excessive freight, or commission charges. or other forms of oppression. It is historical fact that the invest ment of the farmer must have been threatened by existing conditions be- fore he has been able, in the past, to overcome his individualism suffi- ciently to work with his neighbors in cooperative work. The country is strewn with the wrecks of co-opera- tive organizations that were born pre- maturely and which died by the way side. because the farmer himself de- serted in the first real conflict with the established agencies that have handled his business. Cooperation, to be successful, must be founded not only on economic necessity, but must grow through gradual evolution. It must have a small beginning and grow in strength through experience step by step, rather than by leaps and bounds. The fundamental mistake that is being made in many localities is to form a farmers organization all at once on the plan of an organization that has taken years to develop. The plan may be sound, but a cooperative organization can only succeed when given the unfiinching support of the members who through years of ex- perenee have acquired an appre- citation of the fundamentals that underlie a successful association of this kind. The success of any organi- zation depends on it's members, not on its form.
 
 ization formed to handle the growers product will succeed or fail on the skill and integrity with which the prod uct is harvested, handled. graded and packed. In the average association the individual grower does not pos sess sufficient skill to harvest, handle. grade or pack his product carefully, uniformly, or attractively enough to permit the association to establish standard of quality and therefore acquire reputation for its brands or grades A uniform standard of quality in the brands shipped by an associa- tion is fundamental to success. Poor handling in harvesting, improper handling in preparing the product for sale. careless or dishonest grading, or lack of skill and knowledge in grading and packing are com mon rather than unusual conditions in the conduct of many cooperative associations where the handling of the product is controlled by the individ ual members. The output of an as sociation, therefore, acquires no sta. ble merchandising value. The brands are not a guaranty of quality A reputation for uniformity in grading and packing can only be acquired when the product of all the members is handled under uniform conditions The standardization of product can result only from standardizing it's handling. grading and packing