The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1921-09-15
Federation Warns Farmers
Against Grain Sales Deal

Proposed arrangements for con-
centrating the marketing of the grain
of Minnesota, South Dakota, Mont
ana and Wisconsin in the hands of
the Equity exchange as the conclu-
sive sales agency of the u. S. Grain
Growers, Inc, endangered the sue
cess of the whole cooperative mar
keting movement in the northwest
the Minnesota Farm Bureau fedora
ton says in an official statement
sent to the county farm bureau to-
day.
The statement was sent out to
every county bureau in the state, and
also to $4,000 individual farmers, as
a warning that in the opinion of the
farm bureau federation, which help
ed to launch and to finance the in
vestigations of the Committee OF
Seventeen, proposed contract de-
signed to put the marketing plans of
this committee into operation in Min
nesota, "does not merit the support
of the farmers nor warrant their in
vestment at the present time"
The decision to issue the warning
was reached at a meeting of farm
bureau federation directors from the
county farm bureaus, in St. Paul
The statement received here declares
that a contract drawn up. between the
U. S. Grain Growers, Inc, and the
Equity Cooperative exchange, but
not yet signed, complexities the pro-
cess of grain marketing instead of
offering "the slightest improvement
over present methods"
"The Minnesota Farm Bureau fed
GRAFTON is absolutely back of the u.
S. Grain Growers, Inc, and the plan
of the Committee of Seventeen" the
statement says "The plan is sound.
The farm bureau will not rest until
it is put into successful operation.
The federation has been ready for
four months to organize the U. S..
Grain Growers in Minnesota, in CO.
operation with other organizations,
as soon as practical arrangements
could be made for marketing the far
mers' grain under control of the U.
S. Grain Growers, Inc. 1t is ready
to do so now, as soon as notifications
can be made in the proposed contract
so that the individual farmers in
terests will be properly protected.
The objections Of the federation to
the proposed contract do not apply
in any way to the U S Grain Grow
ers or the plan of the Committee of
Seventeen. We are asking changes
in the contract in the interests of the
grain producers.
''The plan, of the Committee of
Seventeen calls for an organization
equipped to handle enough of the
grain of the United States through a
single cooperative system, to-. exert
stabilizing effect on the market, to
put grain on the market in an order
ly manner, and to prevent gluts and
violent price fluctuations. This pur-
pose can be accomplished only by one
centralized, controlling sales agency.
But the proposed contract would
make the Equity, local organiza-
ton, the exclusive selling and ware
housing agency for all grain market
ed comparatively in the whole spring
wheat district. We can come to no
other conclusion than that the U. S.
Grain Growers, Inc, contemplates
signing similar contracts with the
several other cooperative selling or
CARNATIONS represented on the board
of directors of the national corpora
ton.
''This will give the farmers of
America four or more selling agen-
cies, and cannot do otherwise than
place the farmer back in the same
position he was before cooperative
marketing in the primary terminals
was attempted. 1t will prevent the