The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1920-12-18
Progressive Farmers Help Solve
Marketing Through Plan Of
Cooperation ~
HAS LARGEST POTATO
WAREHOUSE IN COUNTY
Aids Farmers Through Plan Of
Purchasing Necessities
in Carload Lots !

In these days Of co-operativesm meth
DDS Of merchandising. with this man
ner Of handling every kind OF manu-
featured product so much q part Of
public custom that little thought Is
given to 1t, the striking progress in
marketing of farm products is nearly
lost sight Of. But a short time ago
every farm crop was marketed by its
producer without thought OF the
value to either producer or consumer
in cooperative marketing. Today
there are we'll developed methods OF
comparatively marketing every farm
product and the only reason that all
! such products are not marketed CO.
operatively is the failure Of the farm
er and his neighbors to come to-
gether in frank and sympathetic
consideration Of each others needs.
Progressive farmers organizations
are everywhere, and this includes
Beltrami county, busily engaged in
! the finding Of profitable markets for
their crops.
One Of the progressive and agrees
sive organizations serving we'll its
members is the Northern Produce as
ISOLATION made up Of farmers living
In Northern township and owning q
large number Of potato warehouses
on the right of way of the Reu Lake
railway ut Marsh Siding. In fact
this Is the largest comparatively own
ed farmers warehouse in the county.
Not only is this the largest, being
forty by one hundred feet with
twelve foot posts and twelve foot
basement, but 1t is also one of tho
most carefully constructed! The base
ment Is concrete and Is frost and
damp proof. The main warehouse
floor is double. the walls Of the build
ing are lined inside with Flax-Linum
upon which inch strips are nailed
and upon these a carefully laid wall
Of ceiling. making double air space
entirely around the building. To
complete this all windows are double,
also. 4 very efficient ventilating
system advocated by the State School
Of Agriculture has been installed,
making this Il very we'll built ware
house. All machinery is not yet in
stalled. however, a sack loader is in
use which elevates three sacks per
minute making possible the loading
OF car in two hours with the neces-
sary compliment of three men. All
Of the potato machinery is Toilet
son manufactured and beside the No.
3 grader which is In use now, there
will be ready for next years crop
handling an outside dump scale, an
outside sack elevator, equipment for
distributing potatoes to the several
bins, and Il large hopper bin equipped
for the swift and economical handl-
Ing Of large quantities on short no
| tice.
There is capacity for some thirty
thousand bushels storage though but
ten thousand bushels Of potatoes are
on hand at the present time.
This splendid building will, when
completely equipped with machinery.
represent an Investment on the part
Of the members of the association Of
some eleven thousand dollare. The
investment II so large sum by the
farmers of this community indicates
the stability of the type of men settl-
ing tte cutover lands Of "Clover-
land"
~ may Uc Sdiu JudL LHlS
association is selling flour to its COM
munity at the low price of four dol
lars and fifty-seven and one-half
cents per hundred in barrel lots. 1t
Is planned also to have on hand about
January first car Of corn and oats
secured direct from the Farmers Co.
Operative Co. of Park Rapids, lying
down at Marsh Siding these neces-
sary feed-stuffs at cost, plus Transport
tation. plus one profit, and profit
taken by producers. II there is sys-
tenn more ideal than this method Of
handling farm products 1t has not yet
been mentioned to the world. This
feed can be ground according to tho
requirements OF the purchasers in d
small feed mill at the warehouse and
at most reasonable figure.
AS this association branches out
| to handle such other products ~
| poultry, eggs, butter, fresh meat, gar
den vegetables, ETC., 1t can guaran-
tee standard size and weight and
I quality in these items as 1t has with
/ its potatoes (all hand sorted and
passed over a screen one-eighth inch
larger mesh than that usually used)
and thus offering to the consumer
that most desirable thing, food-stuH
up to the requirements and satisfac-
tory in every respect. In fact, the
very finest markets in the United
States are open to the Produce asso-
citation that will standardize its pro-.
ducts and furnish a regular supply in
season. ..S-z-ss