Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1921-02-03
COOPERATION AMONG |
BARRON co. FARMERS
Live Stock Shipping Associations
Have Increased Their
Profits.
BY r. L. CUFF.
County AGENT

In 1917 an agitation along the line
of live stock shipping associations was
started in Barron county The pur-
pose of these organizations was two
fold: First, to save the profits made
by the local stock buyer; second. to
educate the people to know the class
Of stock for which the market would
pay the highest price
Under the regime of the stock buyer
the farmers with inferior cattle or
hogs were likely to receive Just as
much as those who had better stock
received. This gave the man who
raised good stock no incentive to CON
tinue building up his herd; and the
man who owned poor stock knew that
he had no great reason to improve his
herd.
Another thing which happened in
this county was that stock buyers
who shipped to the terminal market
would invariably receive back into this
county at least one carload Of grade
or scrub ShorthornS, or at least red
bulls. This somewhat retarded the
growth of dairying, but during the last
year more purebred bulls have been
shipped into Barron county than had
been shipped in for the last forty
years before.
Barron county claims the honor Ge
having the largest number of live stock
shipping associations of any county III
the state of Wisconsin. These asSo
Citations are nearly all Single-purpOSe
associations, devoted to one idea.
Where managers are hired to handle
stock and stock only, there is little
chance for disagreements.
The method of organizing a live
stock shipping association is to call
five farmers together and appoint them
as a board of directors, each one a
director representing his district. Each
should be vitality interested in live
stock shipping. This board of direc-
tors has an annual meeting, and other
meetings are called whenever neces-
sary Each director is paid from
one to two dollars for each meeting he
attends.
A manager is hired by the directors;
he should not be a member of the
board of directors. The success of the
association depends upon the manager
upon his ability and the interest he
takes in the association. If a manager
does not care how things run the as
ISOLATION is likely to fail. None Of the
associations in Barron county has
failed.
The managers in the county are re-
ceiving on the average of ten cents
per hundred pounds of live stock
shipped Each manager has the differ
ent county telephones installed in his
house so he can list carloads easily,
and he is always at the local stock
yard On shipping day to receive all
animals. The hogs are weighed and
graded according to the class to which
they belong. If there are to be any
cuts on the animals, such as bears,
stays or piggy soWs, the manager
makes a note on the receipt which is
given to the shipper and also on the
copy which is sent to the terminal
market Each individual that is
marked is sold separately. The man
ager usually accompanies the car to
the terminal market to look after the
animals, as some of the smaller ones
might fall or other injuries occur.
From two to four cents per hundred
pounds of live stock shipped is al
lowed for injuries. This is in the
sinking fund. Barron county has had
little trouble with injuries to cattle
shipped.
The shipper who has good sheep,
calves and cattle is paid according to
their worth. The manager goes to the
terminal market with the cars Of cattle
on Wednesday and Thursday, and on
Saturday goes to the bank and pays
each shipper what he has coming to
him. At the end Of the year, if the
sinking fund is large, it is usually pro-
rated to the patrons according to the
amount of stock they have shipped
during the year. IF the members do
not care to do this, they have improve
ments made for the benefit of the as
ISOLATION, such as installing tele-
phones and water systems at the
yards, houses built over the scales. etc.
One thing which we have noticed
and that is that in live stock shipping