Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1916-10-13
Organizing a Marketing Association

In the marketing Of cattle attention
must be given to the proper finish of
the animals; that is, they must be ripe
and IN condition 70 sell as stockers,
feeders or for immediate slaughter. The
ratiOns fed, therefore, should be designed
u put the ANIMALS i'm condition to sell
under one of the clauses indicated. In
Que instance, "a maintenance ration may
he desirable; in another, a half fatten-
ing ration; and in the last instance
full ration. The profit from placing
cattle on the market will be determined
largely by the ration fed Cattle fed
on very succulent rationS and not fed
and watered in transit will shrink very
much. If silage is used as the chief
roughage, then some hay and cotton
seed meal and corn meal should be fed
for a week or two before shipment is
made. When this is done the shrinkage
will be greatly reduced and the animals
Will go on the market in better condi-
ton. Where animals are sold for inn
mediate slaughter, they must be ripe
and finished that is. the body must be
well covered with firm, elastic flesh.
They should not be excessively fat as
may result sometimes from the exclus-
i've feeding of corn, but they should be
finished so that the fat and lean will
be interblended and thus the choicest
quality of meat obtained. Remember,
| that a ration may cost from five to
| twenty-five cents day, and should
therefore be selected with skill and
care, and should be fed for a definite
purpose and the animals not shipped
until they fully meet the requirements
of a certain market standard or de-
mand.
In any community local selling is to
be preferred. BY this is meant an en-
deavor to get the buyers to visit the
locality and purchase the animals f. o.
b. the cars. If the cattle are bought
right, fed right and sell reasonably we'll,
the feeder should have a safe profit to
reward him, even if it be small The
demand for beef is such now that it
should not be a difficult matter to in
duce local buying. Another plan which
may be followed is to ship on partial
or complete guarantee; that is, the own
er is Offered a certain price and a per-
centage of sales above a given price
after costs have ben deducted This
would be a better plan to follow as
ne industry becomes more firmly es-
tablished in a given section. OF course,
after a community organization has been
developed and is well financed and sup
ported direct shipping may be under
taken.
In the matter of marketing live stock,
the railroads can help materially. Most
of them now have industrial depart
ments and a farmer should avail himself
of the aid they are able to render in
| order that he may discover the best
market and be able to secure the high
est price for the animals he has fin.
| ished In selling live stock, the pro-
| Queer should keep in touch with the
different markets to which he can ship
with profit. He should study the sup
| ply going to these markets and find
| out when they are likely to be glutted
and when there is likely to be a search
| ty. He should ship so as to place his
cattle on the market, if possible, on
| Monday or Wednesday. Of course there
should be a market for live stock every
| day unless possibly Saturday. The
| feeder should study the situation and
| attempt to place his animals on the
| market at the stategic season and there
| is one i'm every section of the country.
| In other words, there is a time when
| the market is bare of desirable animals.
| 1t is often possible to so handle Or
| finish cattle as to have them ready for
| sale at such a season. Naturally, the
| price tends to increase under such a
| situation and the animals can be dis
| posed of to better advantage. When
/ the community can produce several cars
/ of cattle, the owners can afford to en-
| ploy either one of their own number
| or a market man to aid in selling the
/ cattle. He can either accompany them
/ as they are shipped or travel ahead so
/ as to be there to receive the cattle when
| they arrive and see that they are prop
| erly fed and watered and groomed pre-
/ vious to selling, and so displayed as 20
| best impress the buyer with their quail
/ ity. In this connection, of course, the
| railroads should undertake to guarantee
| delivery at a certain time and an eff
i fort should be made to produce enough
| cattle in a number of communities along
| the line to enable the railroad to run
/ a through live stock train. Whenever
| this is practicable the cattle can be
/ delivered more promptly and In better
| condition and can no doubt be handled
| at a lower cost.
i Community organization for the feed
1 ing and shipping of five stock is not
i a new enterprise Work of this char
/ acter was commenced at Litchfield,
Mimi, in 1908, and there are now more
than five hundred organizations of this
Il character i'm the United States. The
i advantage of these shipping organiza-
! tons is so obvious that they need not
i be considered here in detail. For the
information and guidance of any who
may desire to organize a cooperative
feeding and shipping association in
their community, the constitution in