The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1922-08-31
MARKETING FARM PRODUCTS

TX. c. Moore, County Agent)
For over a century the United
States Department of Agriculture
concerned itself only with the farm.
ers' problems of production. It would
seem that it considered farmers good
enough business men to compete with
other business men in the sale of their
commodies, but did not think that
they knew how to farm. This was
not, however, the departments atti-
tude.
In the earlier days of the country's
history there were very few market
ing problems and until recently there
was no specific authorization for the
department to take hand in the sale
of farmers products.
The efficiency of modern means OF
distribution has complicated the
problems of putting farm products
into the hands Of the consumers. The
efficiency of farm operations and
farm machinery has reduced the cost
Of production, SO that a very much
greater proportion of the countrys
population is fed by smaller num-
Der of farmers.
But the costs of distribution have
grown in much greater ratio than the
costs of production have decreased.
This has been the outcome of a con-
centration and specialization of other
industries, and consequent demand
for Service"
Mine operators, manufacturers anu
transportation companies have al
ways studied the selling end of their
businesses as the part of ultimate i'm
portance. From the nature of their
production and for reasons that will
appear later farmers have fallen be-
hind In the selling game.
Some of our best farmers-growers
OF high grade truck crops-are still
packing these valuable commodities
in out of date containers and con-
signing them to commission merch-
ants who may have given them fair
service in the past, or who may be
a new concern and utter strangers tu
them. The stuff usually goes To
some big, well known city without
knowledge of or regard for how many
thousands of other farmers are pour.
ing the same identical products into
the same city. Furthermore, they dc
not know how long it win be in
transit, what condition it will arrive
in, how much better other shippers
may be grading and putting up theh
truck
Several years ago when production
was smaller and single crop was
not made speciality by all the grow.
ers of community-in other words
when no community had enough OF
any one thing TO warrant their going
to the expense of shipping and selling
it together, and when the spirit of in
dependence, liberty and ''I1l paddle
my own canoe" was prevalent, and
when we didn't have any examples o1
successful cooperative selling asso.
Citations, it became necessary t
evolve the system of spectators
! commission firms, produce merchants
brokers, jobbers, retailers and huck
sters.
It has been necessary until righ
recently to have all this sales ma
chinery operating. They are servin,
the producer and consumer in wa,
that they could not serve themselves
i But this vast system of amiddl
men" has grown to be a burden.
many instances it seems that the
have studied the problems Of distribu
|. ton with an honest effort TO retur
to the producers all they should &C
and TO give the consumers fair deal
ing. But on the other hand, we &c
the impression from facts and figure
that class of these middle men ar
| squeezing all they can out of the des