The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1921-03-26
COOPERATIVE
GRAIN SELLING
Farmers of The West Organize
TO Cut Out Middlemen and
Increase Profits

tnlcaSO, March 23.-PoCling Of
farmers grain, either on a national
or local scale, constitutes the out
standing feature of the national CO.
operating marketing plan proposed
by the committee Of seventeen, Chair
man I. II. Gustafson said here today.
explaining its details.
The committee, whose full name is
the Farmers Grain Marketing Com
mlttce of Seventeen, is holding state
meetings this month preparatory to
ratification conference in Chicago,
April 6. The committee represents
cooperative organizations of farmers
interested in grain marketing, prom
lncnt 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 q central agency.
selling by grade and then distribut-
ing the profits equally to each con-
tribGtor TO the pool" Mr.. Custafson
said. This would OF crate to give
/ each producer the average price for
grains of certain grade which he
| contributed to the pool 1t would
insure the producer the average price
for the year. Pooling products in
this manner has reached its highest
development among the California
cooperative organizations.
"ProductS 50 pooled pass out OF
the control of the individual pro-
ducer 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 loc-
pool by members of Il single com,
munity. I'm both local and nationa
pools the control is centralized and
the selling price averaged.
The direct sale plan allows farm.
crS who so desire TO bring tn Iii
grain to the cooperative elevator:
land sell ON the current market quo
tation rs is done at the present tim,
at privately owned elevators Fur
thcr, they can avail themselves of tn,
WarchousinS facilities Of the coopcra
tlV" elevators and terminals and no
sell until weeks or months later
Producers who dispose OF their graf,
IN this manner share equally in tn,
profits of the warehouSing facilities
export corporation ana other nationa
cooperative departments on the hasi
of the number of bushels which the,
deliver to the elevators.
'For those farmers who do no
Wish 10 enter a pool or 30 sell direct
there is another avenue Of rcaChini
the markets. one farmer or ScvcrI
FARMERS who. have sufficient grain Z
make up one or moro carloads. ma,
cOnsign grain by the carload through
the cooperative elevator to COopora
tive markets, such as Chicago an,
Minneapolis. The grain would the
be sold at market price upon arrival
by handling his grain in this man
nor the farmer will pay only the ac
tual overhead cost of marketing it.
Altogether, we believe the ney
plan is sufficiently broad to allow tn
producer TO use his own judgment an
market his products in the way tha
ne considers best, while. at the sam
time, he has the benefit of a com
pletc national marketing maChin
that has no purpose or excuse for eX
istcnco but to protect his interest
and return n larger per cent of tn
frinGing upon the rights Of his con
sumner customers. OF these three al
ternatives, the method of marketing
which proves most satisfactory am
more nearly returns price that viii
make farming profitable, will be tn
marketing method that will devclol
and increase in popularity.
This plan is, in fact, we belicv
but the next orderly step in coopera
ton that the farmers have ;lrcad
undertaken. Through cooperative Gle
vatorS they are handling today
great deal of the grain they produc,
but their cooperative effort stops a
the railroad track. With more than
5000 Of these cooperative elevators II
operation the foundation is alrcad,
laid for new national markctin;
agency.
ITH0MpS0N Talks