Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1916-02-15
Farmers Beef Clubs
So]ve Meat Problem
and High Prices
Special to Times Republican.

Special to Times Republican.
Shenandoah, Feb. 15.--The farmers
J in this part of the Iowa corn belt be-
lieve by cooperation they can achieve
many things that they could not do II
they failed to work together. They
believe that they are entitled to all the
profits that they can get, and by cut
ting out the middlemen's profits the
income from the farms will be greater
than it otherwise would be.
Such men have in operation in Page
and adjoining counties twenty beef
clubs which have been in operation
! many years, and they are so well
pleased with the results obtained that
many new clubs are being formed in
Page and adjoining counties for next
years business.
The reason for these beef clubs be
ing in existence Is to cut down living
expenses. The price of beef, as with
many other articles in the past few
years, has gone skyward and as the
farmers have their own animals, they
nave learned that they can kill them
cheaper than the butchers in the cities,
VINO have rent to pay. AS result
they have fresh, inspected beef each
week during the summer months, then
they do not have to go to town to buy
it Of the city butchers who sell for a
profit
One Butcher For Five Clubs.
From twenty to fifty members COM
prise each club. Each member may
own one share or any part Of a share.
one member of each club has q sani-
tary slaughterhouse where all beeves
are killed. One butcher does the work
for five clubs or more and receives the
hides and talloW as his share.
Zach club elects president, secre-
tary and two meat inspectors, who
with the butcher inspect every animal
that is to be killed. At the end of the
year the weights are added up and
II one man has furnished more than
his share he is paid for it and if he
has furnished less he must pay the
club. 1t is the object of the club to
have only the healthiest and best
young animals slaughtered. which in
some clubs must not be more than 3
years old. Those which. after being
killed, show signs Of tuberculosis or
diseased liver are discarded. At such
a time each member loses that weeks
meat. which loss is not very great to
each while if the farmers were not CO.
operating the loss Of a beef would fall
heavily on one man.
One Of the oldest clubs in this part
of the state is at Union Grove, Wash
ington township. fifteen miles south
east of Shenandoah which has been
m operation forty-seven years. One
OF the largest clubs in Page county is
the Summit Club, which kills two
beeves each week. This butcher kills
on an average at the five clubs 4,5O0
pounds Of dressed meat a week. An
other butcher, A. w. Green, of Shen-
andoah. who butchers for five el,rbs
kills on an average of $500 pounds of
dressed meat a week.
Inspection Thorough.
The beeves are inspected before
'outchering, and also after. and weighed
both before and after the beef has
been dressed. The average weight of
a beef is from 700 to 1000 pounds. The
beeves are slaughtered in the evening
and left to cool. The butcher gets up
at o'clock a. m. and begins cutting
up the beef and has it all ready for
delivery between and O'Clock. He
puts each kind of meat in q separate
pile and gives each man a portion ac-
cording to his share. 1t costs the
members on an average of IA cents a
pound for his beef This they con-
slider is much cheaper than they can
buy the same grade Of young INSPECTED
beef from the home city butcher. and
they are so well pleased with the beef
clubs results thus far that many new
ones are being formed in nearby
counties,