The courier-index., 1917-11-16
FARMERS SHOULD
GET TOGETHER
Much Money Is Lost Because Farmers
Do Not Use Business Methods in
Selling Their Produce.
BY j. F. Nicholson, Marketing Spe-
cialist, Extension Division,
University of Arkansas.

University of Arkansas.
Farming is business and demands
the use of business methods. A few
years ago farm products were not sc
widely distributed as they are today
Then the farmer could load his prod
ucts on his wagon, drive to town and
dispose OF them with little difficulty
Now he generally finds that some
one else has been to his market Can.
taloupes are there from far distant
states when his cantaloupes should
have filled the demand. Butter has
been shipped in from a large cream
his butter should have supplied the
wants of that locality; and 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 local
grower is soon convinced that he is
in a competitive game. Instead CT
bemoaning 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 Compete.
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 like 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 1t is true that it costs more
to reach this distant market, but II
must be reached in order to sell. The
grower also finds that he must EN-
ploy the services of distributors tc
enable him TO locate his products on
the distant market. This, again, goes
into his profits, but things adjust
themselves in time and eventually he
finds himself in the great game Of
food distribution, operating his bust
ness on small margins and striving &c
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
iessened by uniting his efforts with
those of his neighhors. He then helps
to form cooperative selling organize
lions with the growers Of his locality
who are striving to produce the same
commodity. Jointly they employ an
efficient sales manager in whom they
have implicit confidence. Their com
bined output is of such quantity and
quality that they easily take Their
place in the big competitive game or
distant markets and they find that py
working together they can greatly
lessen the cost of production ana
handling of their products. All Of
this means bigger returns to the
grower individually and demonstrates
that while man may profitably ope
rate individually on large scale he
can do so more successfully and in
a more business-like way by co-ope
rating with his neighbors.
Which Farmer Are You?
This is the story in nutshell of
successful marketing and unless we
recognize the forces now operating
and prepare to meet increasing com
petition. we shall be destined to con
tinue TO labor quietly on our farms
growing only small surplus over
what we can consume ourselves and
trading it for those other necessities
of life which we cannot raise. Will
YOU be good farmer, able to meet
competition intelligently and through
cooperative efforts prontably dispose
of your cash crops, or will you be
just a grower allowing some one else
to profit on your surplus? Remember
producing is only one half the game
of farming selling is the other half
PUT IN WINTER COVER CROPS