Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1915-02-04
ST. PAUL WANTS
FARMERS GRAIN
Equity Cooperative Exchange
May sove From Minneapolis.
ORGANIZATION GROWING FAST
Expects to Handle Large Percentages
Of Northwestern Crops Within
Few Years.

Indications are that the Equity Co.
operative Exchange, the farmers ter
minal grain marketing agency, will
move from Minneapolis to ST. Paul.
Business organizations of ST. Paul
are negotiating with the farmers and
If present plans are carried out the
headquarters Of the farmers co-opera.
tive grain marketing movement will
locate in the SANITY City. This means
also that st. Paul will be h%eadquar-
tiers for the cooperative marketing
movement in various other products
In which farmers are interested.
The many Northwestern farmers
who are back of the farmers cooper
alive marketing movement feel that
their terminal grain marketing agency
has received a fair deal from
business men Of Minneapolis. The
Equity Cooperative Exchange has
made steady progress since it was or
ganized in August, 1912, but it has
had the fierce opposition Of the com
bined grain interests in the Mime
apolis Chamber of Commerce right
from the start. The Chamber of
Commerce interests are closely affl-
lated with banks and other business
institutions of Minneapolis.
At the big cooperative marketing
convention held in Minneapolis a few
weeks ago, st. Paul business men in
operative Exchange has shownAthat Ii
can build up a market for grain out
side the Minneapolis Chamber of Com
and with adequate terminal elevator
facilities and fair treatment in bank
ing accommodations the volume OF
grain handled by the Farmers Co.
operative Exchange is expected to in
crease rapidly. This business cleared
through St. Paul would add nightly
to the Sanity City's trade totals and
subtract just that much from the bust
ness OF Minneapolis.
Farmers Want Open Market.
The farmers interested in the co.
operative marketing movement are de-
termined to secure better terminal
marketing conditions. The recent CO.
operative marketing convention in
Minneapolis took steps to carry on the
fight for an open public grain market
and to reform abuses which they say
have grown up in the grain trade.
Some of these abuses they propose to
reform by legislation, others by ere
ating an open board Of trade, which
will be established in st. Paul in case
the Equity Cooperative Exchange
moves to that city.
Exchange Entirely Cooperative.
The Farmers Equity Cooperative
Exchange is entirely a cooperative
organization. 1t is owned by farmers.
The men in charge of the exchange
work on salary. The profits, owe and
above the 8 per CEN dividend on CAPT.
tai stock, are shared among patrons
according to the amount of grain
shipped to the exchange.
The movement to establish a farm
ers' cooperative grain exchange in
vited the farmers to locate their Co.
operative exchange in that city. The
fact that the large volume Of grain
handled by the Equity Cooperative
Exchange is sold almost entirely to
mills and buyers outside of Mime.
I apolis, which would make it possible
for the farmers exchange to establish
it's headquarters in either city, gave
st. Paul its opportunity. ST. Paul
business men see in the Farmers
Equity Cooperative Exchange an op,
portunity to get for st. Paul q good
share of the grain trade.
movement Grows Rapidly.
It is predicted by men who have
given the matter careful study, that
the Cooperative Exchange will be
handling a large percentage of the
Northwestern grain crop in a COM
Drratively few years. The farmers OF
Western Canada entered the terminal
grain markets with their own agency
only q few years ago and are now
handling almost one-half of Canada's
annual grain crop. The Equity Co
the terminal markets originated among
Equity farmers in North Dakota, but
the movement rapidly spread to other
states and there are now on the board
Of directors of the exchange represen-
tatives Of the principal farmers CO.
operative organizations OF Minnesota,
North and South Dakota and Mon,
tAna. The exchange has the endorse
ment Of the genuine farmers, co
operative organizations Of those four
states.
The farmers cooperative terminal
grain marketing movement is the out
growth of the farmers cooperative
elevator movement, which established
the farmers elevators Is important
factors In the local grain markets at