The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1921-03-24
OPERATIVE PLANS
Farmers Organizations to Meet in
Chicago on April to Consider
| a Giant Merger.
Grain, Livestock and Other Marketing
Propositions to Come Up
for Consideration.


ed States are officially considering the
most extensive cooperative market
ing plans in the history of the country.
Two well-developed projects for
handling grain already have been
worked out and are now being pre-
sented to farmers. If adopted, they
will 60 into effect this summer. Eff
forts are being made to unite the two
farm groups concerned on single
system.
The final ratification meeting for
the greater of the two plans, which
includes the handling of all grain, is
set for April 6 in Chicago. The other
organization, which concerns itself
only with wheat, already is signing up
members.
On April z, at the seine place, the
first working meeting of a national
livestock marketing committee will
take place. It's object is to develop
national livestock marketing plan.
Coincidentally with these two meet
ings, fruit growers of the country will
have conference in Chicago, at
which consideration will be given the
possibility of national cooperative cf-
fort.
The prime movers in the plans men,
toned are the American Farm Bureau
federation and the Wheat Growers As
ISOLATION of America. Both organiza--
tons are developments Of the last few
years.
The "wheat strike" of last year first
attracted attention to the Wheat
Growers association, which has its
headquarters at Wichita, Kan. With
the assistance of Aaron Sapiro, Cali
fornia marketing expert, it has
worked out system and is pushing
a contract campaign in the wheat
raising states. In Kansas effort is
being made to sign up 5O;OOO,O 900
bushels, or about half the crop, in
wheat pool.
The general grain and livestock
marketing plans are those in which
the American Farm Bureau federation
has taken the lead. The federation
was permanently organized only a
year ago on the foundation of the
county farm bureaus, already long es-
tablished.
| The grain marketing plan, which
has the federation's support and is to
be presented to farmers in the various
states between now and April 6, is
the outcome of six months work. It
was drawn up by farmers and other
experts under the committee of II,
with C. H. Gustafson of Lincoln, Neb.,
chairman.
While the two grain plans differ in
detail and elasticity, each calls for a
national sales agency. Whether the
livestock committee will similarly adj
wise national livestock commission
sales company is one of the questions
UCAOAc VAI. 1uSCdlSOI Is ulSO CI.1lI-
man of this committee and H. w.
Mumford Of the Illinois Agricultural
association is secretary Dr. Num-
ford reports there are 5000 co-opera-
tive livestock shipping associations
and half a dozen cooperative livestock
commission companies in the country.
Cooperative business being trans
acted at the present time by farmers
runs into the hundreds of millions of
dollars, according to figures collected.
The capital farmers have invested in
cooperative grain elevators totals
other millions. The national organiz-
ing movement also has touched the
hundreds of farmer owned co-opera-
tive elevators.