The Monte Vista journal., 1917-02-24
GOOD MARKETING METHODS


was in Roswell, New Mexico,
ring the busy potato shipping sea-
the past fall and winter, and be-
interested in the success of the
mers' Union Association, of Mon
Vista, l naturally observed and
died the potato marketing prob
MS. A merchandise broker occu-
ed offices in the building in which
was located, and every day l en-
uired relative to the quotations on
donte Vista, Greeley and California
potatoes.
wanted to know for my own sat
isfaction, as well as for information
to be given to your association, as
to the success or failure of your mar
keting methods. Realizing that sue
Cess or failure is not wholly based on
the amount of money received for a
commodity, studied the potato mar
keting problems from every conceiv-
able angle, and am taking this oppor-
tunity to present a report of my in
vestigations to your association.
You will no doubt remember when
/ made report of our 1915 potato
selling campaign, l stated that at the
time SO cent quotation was sent to
New Mexico dealers from Monte
Vista, that California was quoting 80
F. o. B. With the freight added
to these quotations Las Vegas dealers
would be obliged to pay $1.00 hun
dred pounds for Monte Vista pota-
toes and sl.65 hundred pounds for
potatoes from California. Or, in
other words, Monte Vista potatoes
we're quoted 65 cents a hundred less
than the market price, because Cal
ifornia potato growers maintained
an organization to look after their
interests and Monte Vista did not.
This year Monte Vista growers
were organized, and during the ship
ping season the past fall and winter
the daily quotations Roswell brokers
received always quoted Monte Vista
potatoes delivered. within ten cents
a hundred of the delivered price
from California. This signifies that
the growers in California received
approximately the same prices. as
there is a difference of seven cents
in freight rates to Roswell in Monte
Nista's favor. This proves the re-
suit of organization and system in
business, and for the potato growers
to be succ ssful in obtaining the high
market price for their crop while the
association is less than two years
old, is enough to make every potato
grower in this valley enthusiastic
over the future possibilities of this
organization.
Now listen. the past season has
been very profitable one to the
potato growers in the San Luis val
ley, and under the existing condi-
tions 1t would have been a paying
one even II your organization had
not been born. But you can rest as
sIred that the spectators and buy
ers would not have paid within 81 90
a hundred of the price you did re-
ceive, If they had been dealing with
you as individual growers. And
could you really expect them to be
this liberal when a little more than
one year ago they forced you to ac-
cept the 65 cent cut in the market
price when the +. o. B. Monte Vista
quotation was only So cents?
Is 1t not fair to presume with the
, high price prevailing this season that
the buyers and spectators would
have been tempted to cut the mar
ket price more than Sl.O0? | think
so, and it is my honest and candid
opinion that the only reason you
growers received the top market
price for your spuds this season, was
because you had an organization and
through this association have de-
manded the marke; prices for your
product.
Now, ! want to impress upon the
minds OF every potato grower in the
San Luis valley the Importance of
becoming member of the Farmers
Union Association. And ! also de-
sire to call to the attention of the di-
rectors of this association, the abso-
Lutte necessity OF adopting market