Sharp County record., 1917-09-21
farmers SHOULD
GET TOGETHER
Much Money Is lost Because Farmers
Do Not Use Business Methods in
Selling Their Produce.
By J. z. Nicholson. Marketing SDe-
cialist, Extension Division,
University of Arkansas.


University of Arkansas.
Farming is a business and demands
the use OF business methods. A few
years ago farm products we're not so
widely distributed as they are TODAY.
Then the farmer could load his prod
ucts on his wagon, drive 10 town and
dispose of them with little difficulty.
Now he generally finds that some
one else has been to MS market. Can
tAloupes are there from far distant
states when his cantaloupes should
have hlled the demand Butter has
been shipped in from a large cream
cry hundreds of miles distant when
HIS butter should have supplied the
wants of that locality; ana even the
bacon, that he used to furnish, now
comes from packing plants that he
never heard of before This change
is due TO increasing competition on
the part Of producers everywhere.
Groups Of farmers unite their efforts
in producing a given food crop. They
find they must seek larger and more
extensive markets. They push their
products out farther and farther I'M
til they reach every corner OF the
earth Unless the local grower can
compete in quality and kind, he finds
that the other fellow has taken his
place on his home market. The IoCat
grower is soon convinced that he is
in competitive game Instead Ut
bemnaning his fate he determines
that to succeed he must follow the
methods of those who have crowded
him out.
Must Produce Quality and Guam
tIty To conuete.
He learns that he must produce
quality in order to interest the buyer
who used to take his home product.
When he has done that Ike his COM
petitors he must begin to develop new
markets for his products He looks
about for a wider outlet and finds It,
in many cases, miles distant which
requires shipping in large amounts
generally in car lots, in order to leave
a profit. It Is true that It costs more
to reach this distant market, but It
must be reached in order to sell. The
grower also finds that he must EN-
plov the services Of distributors 10
enable him to locate his products on
the distant market. This again. goes
into his profits, but things adjust
Themselves in time and eventually nc
finds himself In the great game of
food distribution, operating his bust
ness on small margins and striving TO
increase his earnings by a greater
and better production.
Cooperation Increases Profits.
The day will come when the grower
must conclude that some OF the cost
OF conducting his business may be
lessened by uniting his efforts with
those OF his ueighbors. He then helps
to form cooperative selling organizR.
tons with the growers OF his locality
who are striving to produce the same
commodity Jointly they employ m
efficient sales manager in whom they
have implicit confidence. Their com
bined output Ia OF such quantity ana
quality that they easily take their
place in the big competitive game on
distant markets and they find that by
working together they can greatly
lessen the cost Of production ana
handling Of their products All II
this means bigger returns TO tho
grower individually and demonstrates
that while a man may prontablY ope-
rate individually on a large scale he
can do 40 more successfully and In
more business-iilse way by co.ope.
rating with his neighbors.
Which Farmer Are Your
This Ia the story In q nutshell of
successful marketing and unless va
recognize The forces now operating
and prepare to meet increasing com
petition, we shall be destined to CON
tlnue to labor quietly on our farms,
growing only small surplus ovor
what we can consume ourselves and
trading II for those other necessities
OF life which We cannot raise. win
you be a good farmer, able to meet
competition intellEently and through
cooperative efforts prohtably dispose
Of your cash crops, or will you bc
lust grower allowing some one olae
10 profit on your lurplus2 Remember.
producing is only one half tho game
OF farming In the other half.
PUT IN WINTER COVER CROPS