Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1921-09-09
FARM BUREAUS WILL
SAFEGUARD FARMER
c. E. Gunnels, Treasurer Of National
Federation Discusses Grain
Marketing Enterprises.

safeguarding the farmer against
grain marketing associations that are
not on sound sane business basis
is part of the work of the farm bu-
reaus of the grain producing states
according to G. E. Gunnels, treasurer
of the national federation of farm bu-
reaus who with Neal Swanson, editor
of the Minnesota farm bureau news
service stopped in Morris last Thurs
day night in the way to Sauk Centre
after attending the Browns Valley
Fair.
"They are determined that the
farmer shall not be asked to invest
his money nor contract his grain in
any project until the farm bureau,
the organization which launched and
financed the Committee of Seventeen
and is responsible for it's plans, knows
that those plans are being put into
operation on sane, sound business
basis'
''It is better to go slowly and be alb
solutely right than to rush into any
thing blindly," Mr.. Gunnels said.
when we go before the farmers of
the state with a grain marketing
plan we intend to be sure it is right
and has a fair chance of success" !"
Mr.. Gunnels said that farm bureau
federatiOns including several thous-
and farmers in the principal grain
producing states Of the middle west
are taking steps toward launching CO.
operative finance corporations and
cooperative grain marketing corpor-
ations along state lines, as the best
means Of advancing the American
Farm Bureau federation's national
marketing program.
The national grain marketing
plan worked out by the Committee of
Seventeen after eight months of in
vestigation is absolutely sound and
practicable, in the opinion of the
American Farm Bureau federation.
Farm Bureaus of the grain producing
states are determined that the farmer
shall have his own corporation thru
which he can put his grain on the
national and the world markets in
an orderly manner, at the lowest pos
sible expense. The U. S. Grain Grow
ers, Inc, established as the first step
toward putting into operation the re-
commentator of the Committee of
Seventeen, has been confronted with
tremendous obstacles. The organiza-
tion of finance corporation to pro-
vide credit for the marketing of the
farmers. grain has faced even graver
obstacles. Not every state has been
as progressive as Minnesota in it's leg
islation to put the cooperative en-
terprise on an equal footing with 9TH
er business projects.
MANY state farm bureau fedora
tions are taking steps to form their
own farm credit corporations to pro-
vide better means of financing the
production and marketing of farm
products. Several are seriously con-
sidering the organization of the
grain producers of their states into
cooperative associations, SO that
these state organizations will be
ready to fit into the national market
ing program of the Committee of
seventeen as soon as 1t can be put
into operation on nationwide scale.
'"The cooperative marketing enter
prise has been built from the bottom
up. First came the local co-opera-
tive elevator, the local shipping as
sociation of livestock raisers, the To-
cal cooperative creamery. Then came
state federations of these local units,
such as the Minnesota Farm Bureau
federation has just launched for the
marketing of livestock and dairy pro-
ducts"
"There will be no attempt to organ
ize Minnesota farmers to market their
1921 crop under the plan of the Com
mittee of Seventeen, Mr.. Gunnels
said. Some grain will be moved
through existing organizations which
co-operated in the formation of the
U. S. Grain Growers, he said, but
farmers will not be asked to contract
their 1921 crop to the national or
ganization.