The Farmington times., 1922-03-17
MINNESOTA FARMER GIVES
MARKETING VIEWS
From Sioux City Live Stock Record.

out system OF SelllnE live STOCK by q
new and dreamy affair that does not
provide "a method for checking back
to find out whether or not stock has
been sold for full market value: 1t is
one thing to cut commissions, and it
may be all right providing it is shown
that the stock has sold for the full
market. 1t is another to be able to
show that your stock has not been
juggled through the weighing up pro-
cess, which is, to say it mild, a sus-
picious proceeding. We would not put
up a claim that a cooperative com
mission company cannot be run as
economically and efficiently as can
commission company belonging to an
organized market. but we append
herewith letter written by Mimi
esota farmer and live stock shipper
relative to the operation of co-opera-
tive commission house marketing in
Minnesota. It is well worth some
study and thought. 1t was written by
Will Kiewel, of Granite Falls, Mimi,
and is as follows:
"In regard to this news we have
been getting in our local paper, sup
posed to be Farm Bureau or agricul-
tural news, it all has been coming
from the Central Cooperative asso-
citation, South st. Paul.
"Now, / have always been working
for cooperation where it would bene-
fit the farmer and no one has put in
more honest effort than 1 have to
make our shipping association a sue
cess, and tried to get the farmers the
most dollars and cents for their stock
entrusted to me, at the lowest possible
expense, striving all the time to hold
down expense which ! could have
held down more if had had a little
more cooperation and help from the
farmers in regard to getting more
stuff which would enable me to load
heavier and by getting in full weights,
help a lot to hold down expense.
"Well, to make long story short
and to get back to what intended to
explain, is that to some one who has
been on the market every week and
has watched conditions and has ship
ped to the Central COOPERATIVE Com
mission association and to other firms
this news looks very misleading and
unfair to me, to be placed in front of
the farmers only from one side.
"Now, / have been waiting for some
one to explain these things, but have,
only seen one side of it in the paper.
Now as | am on the market every
week and know conditions ! think 1t
would be an injustice to the farmers
for me to keep still and have them
LIZ, ,Jfa1Jnd bNy etInh t1puQ
"Now they come out and try to
make farmers believe they have saved
them $4,000 or more in commissions.
1t is true they have charged less in
commission, but the total expense on
a car of hogs to them or to any other
firm is almost always the same so
there is not as much saving as their
commission is less, as they figure, for
their sales were not always under the
sales of other firms, at least, ours
were and / have compared statements
with some of the adjoining towns
when we were in on the same days
when they shipped to the Central
Cooperative, and / to other firms,
and my hogs had sold from 15c to 45c
per head more than theirs on the
same quality hogs.
"Cattle sales were worse than that
as thew have a stocker and feeder di-
vision and in many instances just
weigh them up to it at any old price
to suit themselves and either ship
them on somewhere else or resell
them the next day or so. Now do you
want YOUR cattle marked up that way
or world Won sooner have them sold on
a competitive market?
"Thev tell YOU they are doing away
with t6e speculator. but they don't
tell Won thew are taking the place of
the speculator themselves, only are
having much easier sailing than the
old speculator for he had to go out
in the omen competition as there al
wavs were other buyers besides him
self. while ali they have to do is to
weigh It up to the stocker and feeder
division at a price to suit themselves.
81 regret to say that they have
caused more dissatisfaction among the
associations than anything that has
ever come up at the South St. Paul
market. AS it is an impossible thing
to prorate out a shipment and have
vour customers satisfied unless we
oct a good sale according to the mar
I'll % - f,,o,o TX In Ak cantu under