The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1921-11-18
Farmers Consider Move
In Chicago
REPORT READY TODAY
Committee Of Fifteen Will Out
line Cooperative Project ."
At Meeting


Chicago, November 10.-For the
second time this year farmers Of the
country meet here today to consider
launching of a national cooperative
marketing movement. This time it
Is Of livestock. After working nine
months a farmers livestock COM
mittee of fifteen named by the Amer
lean Farm Bureau Federation brings
in its report today to a ratification
conference representative Of live
stock producers.
Unlike the national grain market
ing plan adopted last spring and in
corporated in the u. 8. Grain Grow
ers, Inc, the livestock plan calls for
no pool contract covering a period of
years.
Establishment of a national live
of the outstanding features of the
program laid before today's meeting.
More important yet, az the heart of
the plan, is the creation Of coopera-
tive livestock commissian associa-
lions at the various stockyards, with
allied stocker- and feeder companies.
Cooperative livestock commission
companies, which have recently
grown numerous, are to be strength
ened. A program Of orderly market
ing is to be worked out. A trans
ed. Livestock statistics are to be
interpreted. In addition it is ad
vancing public appreciation Of meat
as a food.
What the plan proposes to do. In
short, is to greatly extend the CO.
operative marketing of livestock
from the farmer to the packinghouse,
to do this through a national organi-
working out plans, and to eventually
regulate to a considerable degree
the flow of livestock to market so as
to prevent gluts and disastrous
price breaks.
What is expected for the farmer
is a large voice in the sale Of his
livestock, a saving in marketing
costs, saving in purchase and sale
Of stocker and feeder cattle and
eventually more stabilized market.
Through large members Of farmers
marketing together it is anticipated
they may be able to sell to better
advantages than the individual farm
er does today.
If the plan is ratified today, as 1t Ia
anticipated it will be. formation Of
the National Livestock Producers
Association is expected at this meet
ing. Several cooperative livestock
commission houses have recently
been formed, and more will be esta5-
lished as soon as practicable.
The livestock business runs into
hundreds of millions of dollars an
nually and proponents Of the plan
anticipated a substantial share OF
this but have no expectation of get
ting in ALL Extension of the plan
will chiefly affect small and inef-
ficient privately owned livestock
commission firms on the various
markets, according to the committee,
which says it is generally recognized
there are too many Of these now
operating to handle the business ef-
fently. -
Problem of Orderly Marketing
The problem. of orderly marketing
however does not admit of so ready
an approach. The orderly market
ing sub committee reports today that
the accomp1is hment of the more or
derby marketing of the different
kinds Of livestock is a large time
process. There is no easy way or
any outstanding short out.
A broad campaign Of education,
dependable statistical information,
intelligently interpreted, organization
of large numbers of producers on q
strictly cooperative basis, and some
regulation of conditions and volume
of production are declared essential
to orderly marketing.
Chairman of the committee bring
ing in the re~t of livestock mar
keting committee is c.. H. Gustafson
of Lincoln, Neb.. who performed a
similar task this spring for the
farmers grain marketing Committee
of Seventeen. Fl. w. Memford. direc-
tor of the livestock marketing de-
partment of the Illinois Agricultural
Association, before that a professor
in the agricultural college of the
University of Illinois, is secretary
of the committees