The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1921-03-24
FARMERS MAY POOL
THEIR GRAIN CROPS {
CHICAGO CONVENTION OF FARM
ERS OUTLINES PLANS FOR
HANDLING GRAIN

Chicago-(By A. PD-Pooling OF
farmers grain, either on a national
or local scale, constitutes the out
standing feat1re of the national CO.
operating marketing plans proposed
by the Committee of Seventeen, Chair
man c. II. Gustafson said here today,
explaining its details
The committee, whose full name is
the Farmers Grain Marketing Com
mittee of Seventeen, is holding state
meetings this month preparatory co a
ratification conference in Chicago
April g. The committee represents CO.
operative organizations of farmers in
terested in grain marketing, promt-
nent among them the American Farm
Bureau Federation.
As an alternative to the pooling
plans, farmers may sell direct
The national pooling plan calls for
pooling grain with central agency,
selling by grade and then distributing
the profits equally to each contributor
to the pool" Mr.. Gustafson said. 'This
would operate to give each producer
the average price for grains OF a GER
tain grade which he contributed to
the pool 1t would insure the pro
ducer the average price for the year
Pooling products in this manner has
reached its highest development
among the California cooperative or
ganizations.
Products so pooled pass out of the
control Of the individual producer and
the grain will be sold by the directors
OF the pool at the time that they deem
most opportune.
Provision is also made for local
pool by members of single commun-
ity. In both local and national pools
the control is centralized and the |
selling price averaged
"The direct sale plan allows farm |
ers who so desire to bring their grain |
to the cooperative elevators and sell |
on the current market quotation as is i
done at the present time at privately |
owned elevators. Further, they can
avail themselves of the warehousing |
facilities of the cooperative elevators
and terminals and not sell until weeks
or months later Producers who dis
pose Of their grain in this manner /
share equally in the profits of the |
facilities, export corpor-
alton and other national cooperative
departments on the basis of the num-
ber of bushels which they deliver 10
the elevators.
For those farmers who do not wish
to enter a pool or to sell direct, there
IS another avenue of reaching the
One farmer or several far
nerS who have sufficient grain to
make up one or more carloads, may
,onsign grain by the carload through
he cooperative elevator to cooperat-
We marketing agencies to be located
1T the different terminal markets.
such as Chicago and Minneapolis. The ]
grain would then be sold at market {
1rice upon arrival. By handling mis- {
srain in this manner the farmer will
,ay only the actual overhead cost of
marketing it.
Altogether, we believe the new plan
S sufficiently broad to allow the pro-
Iucer to use his own Judgment and
market his products in the way that !
lie considers best, while, at the same
ime, he has the benefit of a complete !
lational marketing machine that has !
% purpose or excuse for existence but :
0 protect his interests and return a !
arger per cent of the market value
0 him without infringing upon the
lights of his consumer customers. OF
hese three alternatives, the method
f marketing which proves most sat-
sfactory and more nearly returns a
rice that will make farming profi- 6
able, will be the marketing method :
1at will develop and increase in pop
larity.
"This plan, is, in fact, we believe
ut the next orderly step in cooper il
ton that the farmers have already e.
ndertaken. Through cooperative b.
evators they are handling today a, F
reat deal of the grain they produce,
ut their cooperative effort stops at az
lie railroad track. With more than hi
900 of these cooperative elevators in M
the foundation is already a
i'd for a new national marketing fl
yency." --...-.-u==-..! -! st