Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1920-10-19
New England MIX Producers.

Plans are being made for q series o.
state "dairy days. to be held by ths
New England Milk Producers Assooia
tion early in December. On the day as
signed to each state simultaneous meet
ings will be held In each county with
able speakers to explain the present an6
the future outlook OF the dairy industry
in New England. The aim of the meet
ings is to show the farmers of each
county that dairying is New England
wide business and can no longer be con-
sidered ss local matter.
The tentative plan provides for stimuli.
tsneous meetings in every county In
Maine on Monday OF the week selected,
similar meetings In every county In
New Hampshire on Tuesday, meetings
In Vermont on Wednesday, In Massa.
chusetts on Thursday and In Rhode
Island and those counties of Connecticu,
and New York which come into the New
England Milk Producers Association
territory on Friday. Among the speak
ers will be the field men and district
managers Of the association.
The meetings will be held In connec.
ton with the annual meetings OF the
county branches OF the association, fol.
lowing the meetings of the local branches
in each town in New England. They
will give new opportunity for farmers
to get first hand information az to the
conditions under which milk is marketed
Ia the cities. Boston's milk supply now
comes from all over New England and
some from Canada and New York state.
Its total is about as much as all the
other cities Of New England combined.
Under these conditions transportation
and marketing problems are of vital i'm
portance to the dairy farmers.
The county meetings will give the
dairy farmers of New England an oppor.
tunity to express their satisfaction and
voice their "kicks" at dairying as bust.
ness. Their combined opinions, "kicks"
and satisfaction will have powerful in
huence in the annual meeting of the as
ISOLATION to be held iD Boston in Jan
uary.
Efforts to stabilize the dairy industry
so that farmers will receive more even
income throughout the year from the
sale of milk are being made by the New
England Milk Producers Association.
A special committee is considering ways
of mulsting farmers to produce more
milk in winter when it is scarce, thus
tending to equalize the supply and sta
bilize the price. The stimulation is to
be given through the adoption of rating
plan.
Under the present conditions milk
dealers In the cities have had to 60 into
a wider and wider field to buy milk
enough for the increasing city trade In
the sbort months, while In the months
OF greater production they could get suf
fcient for the city needs much nearer
At present the dealer buys all that the
farmer produces the ear around, and In
the surplus season pays lower price
for that proportion of milk which has to
be made into butter, cheese, casein or
other dairy product and sold at lower
price than whole milk brings.
The proposed rating plan provides that
every dairy farmer will be given rating,
on the three months in which there is
the least surplus milk, and that he shall
be paid whole milk prices throughout
the year for approximately the amount
he produces during these three short
months, any excess over this amount to
be paid for at the lower surplus price.
This will tend to incfease the supply oi
milk in the short months as any farmer
will be desirous of establishing high
rating.
The question Of surplus has been a
stumbling block to all plans for selling
milk on an equitable basis In the past.
Farmers have complained bitterly at the
low prices they have received for a con-
siderable portion of their milk during
the flush season.
If some practical application of the
rating plan can be worked out by the
special committee of the New England
Milk Producers Association the remedy
for low prices for summer milk will be
In each farmers hands. II he wants to
get q more even price throughout the
year he must even up his production.
The higher rating be can establish In the
short months, the greater proportion of
his surplus months milk will bring the
standard price.