The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1915-10-15
MICHIGAN BEAN CROP
POOR BUT VALUABLE
GROWERS WIML ATTEMPT TO
PROTECT THEMSELVES
Secretary Mcbride Outlines Plan Where
by Short Crop May Bring Con-
sistent Price
To the Michigan Bean Growers:

10 Tie mlCIilBdIl Dean HIoWeTS.
The Convention of Bean Growers at
Flint represented the principal bean
growing section of the State. The
unanimous opinion of crop conditions
was that with even the most favorable
weather the remainder Of the season
that not to exceed one-third of nor
NAL crop was possible measured in
salable stock. Frost in the northern
portion of the State, and with the con-
tinued wet weather, Anthracnose and
Blight have made the most disastrous
season in the states history of bean
growing There is no appreciable stock
of beans of last years crops nor will
there be any of the staple foods cheap
as potatoes were last year. By no
means can the actual cost of the crop
of beans for 1915 be realized by the
masses of growers. The problem then
is to minimize the seasons losses and
maintain a price that will move the
crop as needed for consumption.
The Convention Of Growers adopted
the following minimum price scale for
the bean crop of 1914: October. $500;
November, SO. 90; December, SO 20; jan
uary, SO. 80, aud after that an advance
of cents for each month of the mar
keting season. The object of this
monthly advance is to accomplish the
purposes of preventing dumping beans
on the market faster than the trade
can handle and also provide reasonable
incentive for the grower to carry his
crop and be compensated for shrinkage,
interest and carrying charges. To the
buyer the market will be advancing to
cover the items just named. Bean buy
ing will be a merchandising business
rather than speculative one.
This plan was presented to the Bean
Jobbers' Association at Ann Arbor and
the general plan of cooperative action
in marketing was endorsed. The actual
prices were not agreed to nor opposed
for legal reasons as well as the uncer-
tainties of crop conditions the remainder
of the season. The answer made as to
price was that this year it was wholly
up to the grower. Conservative mar
keting would maintain prices, while
crowding beans on the market would
demoralize prices. All figures of crop
costs, food values and general market
prices of foods this year would make
bean values above the minimum prices
named.
The dangers to price maintenance
based on the above conditions comes
from the possibilities of spectators
who may have sold futures and from
growers crowding beans on the market
too fast. Growers will be advised that
beans are too high for consumption. To
this it may be answered that there were
SO. 90 beans last year on double the crop
of this season. and also that the Belgian
Relief Commission figured $500 beans
as the cheapest food that could be
bought last year.
AS business proposition consult your
banker on price maintenance and financ-
ing the crop in your hands as well as
after selling. The interest on one
bushel of beans at $500 per bushel is
less than cents per month. This, with
some shrinkage, still allows safe mar
gin for conservative marketing, On
the other hand, do not all over stay the
market. This method of marketing the
bean crop has the approval of the u. S.
Division of Markets, and in the Ian
guage of an exclusive bean buyer: cts
up to the farmer to make the market
price for beans"
MICHIGAN BEAN GROWERS ASSN.
]. N. MCBRIDE, Secretary.