The Nezperce herald. (Nezperce, Idaho) 1900-1957, 1915-06-17
WHY NOT A CREAMERY HERE7

Last Saturday farmer brought q
can of cream to town and left it at
one of the local receiving stations
for creamery in distant city, re-
ceiving for forty per cent. of his de-
livery % cents per pound, net. The
actual price quoted was Is cents,
but three cents per pound was with
held for express charges.
There are delivered at Nezperce
at this season of the year approx
mately $500 pounds of cream per
week, or $4,000 pounds per month.
Estimating the test on this at forty
per cent. butter fat, and putting the
price at % cents per pound THE
current figure the monthly income
to the farmers on this commodity is
ST. 1882.
This is not as it should be. In
the first place, we're conditions right,
the cream delivery at this city would
surpass the above figures many times
over; the farmer would get nearer
the full value of his butter and the
expense incurred in freighting the
raw material down the hill and the
manufactured article-butter, ice
cream, etc.--back up the hill need
not enter into the case.
A thorough study of conditions
here brings the logical conclusion
that at least one town on these
prairies will boast creamery before
many seasons have passed. Which
town shall it be? Here is an oppor-
tunity for show of enterprise worth
while.
But, you are told, a creamery in
this section will not pay. Listen:
"The Country Gentlemen" the COM
ing farm magazine, gives fair ans
wer to this argument in the following
statement of facts:
"Years ago the farmers of Meeker
County, Mimi, were receiving little
remuneration for their dairy pro-
ducts. A farmer bringing his butter ,
into town received only six to twelve
cents pound in trade for his pro- (
duct. This same butter was being t
sold in Minneapolis, sixty-six miles J
away, for twenty cents and more {
pound. The farmers realized that I
the prices they were receiving were l
by far too small to make their effort 8
to produce good butter pay. {
"They investigated city markets. c
They summed up the average amount I
Of butter fat the cows in their herds
could produce. Then they got to-
zether and talked it all over, and
decided to start cooperative cream
:ry of their own, to operate it on
,asis of quality of product, find their :.
wn markets, to build up their herds =
nd reputition for their butter, and =
. make profit commensurate with =
heir investment. =
"Naturally many of the farmers :
ere skeptical, The dairy move ,
lent of the state was in its infancy. =
fany creameries we're being started
nd of course some failed. The gen. ne
raj feeling was that with so many tr
reameries starting the bottom would o,
III out of the butter market. How en-
7er, enough enthusiasm was aroused ge
make the venture possible, and pr
lie first creamery at Litchfeld, w
ecker County, was built in 1894. 80
"This was cooperative creamery
vned by the farmers. The price
i'd to farmers for butterfat ranged Of
ON eight to twelve cents pound at sH
{ beginning of operations. The eV
eamery made money the first year. eV'
be farmers were satisfied with the as
ice they received for butterfat on
ey we're satisfied with the amount pal
business that had been done; and, ,
they we're the stockholders and
ckers of the venture, they received -
At first year on their investment.
'sNot many years elapsed before -,
. business of this Farmers Cooper rS
We Creamery outgrew its first ~.
,ipment. Additions were made
new machinery was installed -
m time to time. The business
II on growing, the demand be- -
1e greater, prices increased and Ii