Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-11-01
FARMERS GAIN BY
OPERATIVE PLAN
BY RALPH BURTON


WASHINGTON, Oct. 29.-Figures
just obtained at the department of
agriculture show that farmers CO.
operative organizations last year did
a business of 1876, 714.66O as against
a little more than 100000 900 ~ 1919.
The figures for 1921. it is claimed.
will show another tremendous gain.
Under the auspices of the depart
ment of agriculture, the farmers
of the country are being led more
and more toward business methods
in the marketing of their crops. Ac-
cording to reports of the county
agents of the department, the farm
ers in the United States have come
to realize as never before that sue
cess in farming is dependent upon eff
fective, organized marketing systems
for farm products. Cooperative as.
sociations, formed among the farm
ers largely through the work OF the
county agents, are increasing rap
idly in number and influences; only
within the past week they have at
tanned recognition by the federal re-
serve board in a way that Is expect
ed to make bank credit more avail
able for farm use.
Last year 79S county agents as
sisted in organizing cooperative en-:
terprises. This was 81 per cent of
the total number of agents in the
field. The business done through
these organizations, as stated.
amounted to 1915, 800, and the saw
ing through the cooperative form
was 21,152,773. The average bust.
ness per agent was $626,121, and
the saving per agent was $43,3O4.
These figures, according to the de-
partment, are very conservative, for
only 5S6 of the 100 agents report.
ed on the amount of business done
and only sos reported the savings
effected.
Rapidly falling prices for products,
inability to get credit to hold prod
ucts until the market was favor
able, have awakened the farmer to
the fact that his interest in his pRod.
uet must be more than is included
in the mere process of production.
He must be able, in part, at least,
to follow the product to the mar
ket.
This the cooperative association
plan enables him to do. There have
been times in the past when the
farmer has been disposed to under.
take cooperative ventures, but un-
til recently there has been an un.
willingness on his part to pay for
high-class management. The county
agents have stressed the Importance
of real business ability in manage
ment to such an extent that the
farmer has now been converted.
Practically the policy adopted by the
department and it's agents is to dis
courage organization if competent
management can not be obtained.
The departments policy is that
the county agent is as much con-
cerned in helping the farmer with
economic buying and selling as he
is in connection with economic pro-
duction. That does not mean, of
course, that he is expected to do
the farmers business for him. It
merely implies that his relation to
production and business organiza-
ton is essentially the same. He can
help determine what crops should
be grown and what business organ
ization is necessary; he advises how
to grow crops efficiently, and as to
the best methods of cooperative or
ANIMATION; he helps farmers to help
themselves, but he should never as.
sumo personally or officially any f.
nancial responsibility or co-opera-
tive business.
The county agent work has been
under way only ten years, but its
'esults seem to have demonstrated
conclusivelyy the value of the pro-
gram. The great jump in the amount
of cooperative business done in 1920,
when it totalled $375.714,660, Is
shown by a comparison with the pre-
ceding year, when the total was
$60,762,177. Figures for 1921 are not
yet available but the farmers inter-
est constantly grOMS.