Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1920-10-29
COOPERATIVE MARK
ETING OF MILK

Northwestern Ohio and Southern
michigan have come to be recognized
as an important dairy section. The
development of the dairy industry
here has been largely due to the es-
adjustment of half dozen Conden-
sores within a radius of 20 miles
These condensories have without
question been of great benefit to our
farmers.
During the war the export demand
for condensed milk made the condens-
ing business most profitable one at
the price paid producers for milk.
According to reports from contesting
associations the average cost of pro-
ducing milk during the war period
was considerably above the price the
dairymen obtained. But as in other
lines, the farmers was urged to pro-
duce more regardless of cost of pro-
1uction. and he did produce more
milk and more, wheat and other food
stuffs in spite of the shortage of
labor. He and his family did this by
working unreasonably early and late.
Now the war is over and the farmer
no longer feels it his duty to produce
unless he receives his share of the
consumers dollar. In the dairy busi-
ness here in the oondensory district
there is apparently at the present
time no outlet for this milk except
through the condensory. And there
seems to be no market for condensed
milk and while less than Az per cent
of all the milk produced during the
past year was condensed still the
action of condensories threatens to
demoralize the dairy business. All
over the United States cooperative
organizations for marketing milk
have been started for the purpose OF
protecting the dairy industry and
with the idea of stabilizing the mar
ket for dairy products.
The Northwestern Cooperative
Sales Company is such an organiza-
ton. Through the board of five di-
rectors and an Advisory Council Of
about rs members it proposes to carry
out the following program:
First The lowering of the cost
of producing milk by economical
feeding and cooperative buying of
feeds and the disposal of low pro-
ducing and improbable cows.
Second:-An increase in the con-
sumption of dairy products both
among farmers and consumers by an
educational advertising campaign of
the economic food value of dairy pro-
ducts. An effort will be made to dis
courage the use of so-called substl-
tutes for butter.
Third: Am efficient and economi-
cal system of marketing whereby the
producer will be assured of the great
est possible return without infiicting
an unreasonable price upon the con-
sumer.
The Condensories throughout the
country are openly opposed to the
cooperative marketing idea. There
is very apparent concerted effort
on their part to break up all organl-
zation among dairymen. The situa-
ton at St. Louis is an example. Milk
was being sold by the distributors
in st. Louis for 16 cents quart. The
pre<lceefs offered to sell their milk
for $500 per hundred pounds or at a
cost to the distributors of Z "a cents
per quart. The distributors refused
to buy the milk at this price and the
producers refused to sell for lower
price unless the retail price should
be reduced. Accordingly the dealers
raised the price to II cents a quart
to the consumers and are shipping in
the milk from Ohio, Michigan and
Indiana.
One at least of Fulton County's
condensories has been shipping whole
milk to aid the St. Louis dealers in
their unjust war on the producers.
Members of the Northwestern CO.
operative Sales Company whose milk
is being used for this purpose are
asking themselves whether they
should sell it to a buyer who is a
party to such system.
Jaw c.. Bprr, President
The Northwestern Cooperative
Sales Company.