New-York tribune., 1921-02-18
The F Farmers Milk Pool
Plans of the Dairymen's League Co
operative Association
the Editor Of The Tribune.


To the Editor Of The Tribune
Sir: The day is not far distant
when the Dairymen's League, an or
ganization Of $4,000 milk producers,
will be able to put into operation its
plan to pool the proceeds of milk of Its
members. In a period of a little over
four months over $4,000 farmers have
signed the cooperative contract to de-
liver their milk to the Dairymen's
League Cooperative Association,
membership corporation. The plan
will become effective as soon as $4,000
contracts shall have been filed at
league headquarters.
The cooperative association, as the
agent of the farmers, will sell milk to
dealers for city distribution. The
dealers have always complained that in
flush seasons they have had to buy
more milk than they needed and lost
money manufacturing the surplus into
milk products. Under the plan they
will not have TO worry about surplus.
The farmers will take care of that.
They will sell the surplus to manufac-
turers for manufacturing purposes.
They will manufacture it also into but
ter, cheese, condensed milk, etc. in
farmer-owned plants. In this way the
farmers will be in competition with
the existing manufacturers and this is
why the old-line makers of milk prod
ucts 80 vigorously oppose the co5pera-
tive plan. The cooperative association
now operates twenty farmer-owned
country milk plants.
Because they propose to have a sufi-
cient number Of plants to take care of
the surplus milk, the farmers always
will have a market for the thing they
produce. The dairymen's past troubles
have been due largely to the sudden
disappearance of their market.
For instance, practically all manu-
featuring plants in so-called league
territory were closed October /, 1920.
The manufacturers had many million
sfbllars' worth of milk products which
they had anticipated they were going
to sell to war ravaged Europe and in
the domestic market. But the rate of
foreign exchange fell, Europe could
not buy and exports stopped. With
the closing of the plants 25 per cent
of league farmers were deprived of
their customary outlet for milk. These
plants are still closed. Unlike the
manufacturer, the farmer cannot shut
down his plant-the cow--except in
one way: he can dispose of her as
beef, but this method of curtailing
production is disastrous to the future
milk supply. The public must at all
times have enough milk to go around.
The farmer is satisfied that if he can
do business as a producer every day in
the year, selling as he produces, and
| also as manufacturer of milk prod.
| ucts, he will receive higher average
price for his product. He is also con-
| fident that with an unrestricted market
consumers will pay less for the things
WY pay' ASOWSI pll(cS w CDHSufNcTS
will increase consumption, and in
creased consumption will result in In
creased returns to the producer.
All the proceeds from the sale OF
fluid milk. milk for manufacturing
purposes and for milk products which
the farmer will make will be blended
In acommon fund. After all expenses
OF operation, ETC., are taken out, each
farmer will get the same base price
for his milk, allowances being made, OF
| course, for butter fat, freight and
other differentials.
/ Farmers are selling their milk below
the cost OF production. During Febru.
ary they are getting cents a quart
for average milk, testing SO pen cent
butter tat. The consumer in New York