The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1921-02-24
COMMITTEE OF II
MARKETING PLAN
Based On A Grain Growers CO-Opera.
tive National Sale Assn

Hlittee Vi seventeen On F~eDfuary 10Th,
voted unanimously to recommend to
the farmers of America a grain-mark-
citing plan based essentially on the
incorporation of a grain growers CO.
operative National Sales Agency. 1t
is proposed to incorporate the Nation
nj Sales Agency In the form of a
non-stock, non-proft, grain-growers'
cooperative membership organization
which will provide for the marketing
of grain by virtue of contracts with
farmers cooperative elevators or with
local grain growers cooperative as
sociations.
The growers of grain will take men,
bership in the National Sales Agency.
They will then effect an agreement
with their local cooperative elevator
or with their local grain-groWers' as
sociation to deliver their grain on the
basis OF either a sales contract or a
pooling contract. The local elevator
or grain-growers' association will CON
p tract with the National Sales Agency
to handle the grain.
Ii is contemplated that the National
sales Agency will control, through
ownership Of the voting stock, the fol-
lowing:
A. Terminal Agencies.
Branch sales offices will be provided
at important grain markets to handle
the grain for each natural grain dis
trict. Wherever possible, use will
probably be made of all farmers CO.
operative machinery such as now ex-
lists. Effort will be made to open
boards of trade to farmers cooperative
~,UpnGipst hpGirinn tn nnnrata fhrnuoh
seats. on the exchanges.
b. Warehouse Incorporation.
In connection with the branch sales
Offices, it will be necessary to provide
Government-licensed warehouses from
which warehouse receipts will be issu-
ed and Used as a basis of credit.
These warehouse facilities will be ac-
quired through lease, purchase, or
erection.
e.. Finance Corporation.
A finance corporation is contem-
plated in order to provide adequate
farmer-contrOlled credit facilities
whereby country elevators may proper
ly finance the moving of the crop in
an orderly fashion. The capital stock
OF the finance corporation will be sub
scribed when growers are asked to
sign up their membership in the Ma
tional Sales Agency. The finance cor
poration is designed only to supple
ment existing financial machinery.
ID. Export Corporation.
The farmer-controlled Export Cor
poration will provide proper facilities
for marketing the exportable surplus
of grain.
T. Service Departments
The service departments are design
ed to furnish accurate information on
local, regional, national and world
wide conditions which affect the grain
trade. Transportation, legal, s~tatisti-
cal and other department will be in
cluded.
The membership subscriptions of
the growers will provide the National
Sales Agency with the initial working
capital necessary for the acquisition
of facilities for the immediate handl-
ing of grain on consignment. Later
the running expenses of the National
Sales Agency will be secured by as
sessing a handling charge on the grain
marketed through it's offices.
Farmers Cooperative elevator COM
panies. composed of grower-members
and organized on a patronage dividend
basis. are to be asked to contract with
the National Sales Agency for the sale
of the grain of its members. Where
a farmers cooperative elevator does
not exist, a local cooperative assOci-
alton. composed of grain growers only
will he organized and contracts arrang
cd between it and the National Sales
Agency. The local cooperative asso-
Citations will provide local elevator ia
%cilitics, either by contract with exist
ing elevator companies or by leasing,
buying or building elevators. Prob
ably n~cn-Operative local elevator COM
panies will be requested to change
their form of organization so as to
become cooperative and to meet the
requirements for dealing with the Ma
tional Sales Agency.
1t should be clearly understood that
the option Of the method of ~disposing
of his grain rests with the grower. He
may consign his grain to the local
cooperative elevator for exclusive
aaIe thru the National Sales Agency,
or he may vote to pool his grain and
provide for its sale through the Ma
tional Sales Agency Provisions will
probably be made so that two or more
elevators or local grain growers as
sociations may pool their grain, when
the pool is approved by three-fourths
Of the members of each local group.
Doubtless. the Farmers Grain Market
ing Committee of Seventeen believed
that this optional method would pro-
vide tho acid test for the pooling sys-
TEN and would eventually lead to a
survival OF the fttest as between the
methods.
Having erected and approved the
skeleton of its plan. the Farmers
Grain Marketing Committee of Seven
teen is now diligently applying itself
Ia the details. Sub-comnittees are
hard at work ~perfecting various
phases of the plan. As soon as the
structure and phrasing of the con-
tracts and organization forms are com
plsted they will be submitted to a
committee Of the most eminent attor-
ntys In Ameriea Tor further revision.