The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1922-06-29
HE WEEKLY TIMES RECORD VALLEY CITY, NORTH DAKOTA

HE WEEKL,
report of Dairy Commissioner T. J..
Osterhous, "The producer is today re-
ceiving As cents per pound for butter
fat for which the consumer pays IS
flee records show that during the year
ending June 80, 1917, only 1873 per
cent of all butter fat marketed in the
form of cream was manufactured into
butter at local creameries. The aver
age net price to the producer for but
terfat so handled was 34.3 cents per
pound. During the year ending June
80, 1918, the amount of butterfat
manufactured into butter at the local
creameries of the state was only S.4
per cent of our total marketable pro-
duct. For this butterfat the producer
received an average net price of 42.O7
cents per pound"
In the corresponding years Mime
sofa creameries paid their patrons an
average at 44.32 and 52.72 cents per
pound for butter fat, according to re-
ports by our dairy and food commits
sioner.
To illustrate the benefits of diver
sified and cooperative marketing, let
me quote an interview given last fall
by E. G. Quamme, president of the
Federal Farm Loan Bank, at St. Paul
and a former resident Of North Da-
kota. He says:
eve find that where the farmers
practice crop rotation and live stock
growing, particularly dairying with a
number of good milk COWS on the
farm, they are successful. Right now
we have only $40 delinquent borrow
ers in this district, from one to 80
days delinquent as follows:
"North Dakota 304
minnesota 80
"Wisconsin 10
michigan Fl"
'"To those who follow agricultural
conditions closely, these figures tell
their own story. Generally speaking,
the single crop farmer in North Da-
kota is in the worst position. When
adverse conditions overtake his crop,
he has nothing left to fall back on.
* Compare this with the re-
suits in Minnesota and Wisconsin. The
latter is the first dairy state, and the
former third state, with New York
second. In Wisconsin we have only
thirteen deliquents. Farmers here are
largely dairynien and have a safe and
dependable income-as safe as any,
thing can be made in the farming line
The small number of delin-
quents in Minnesota and Michigan are
accounted for in the same way. Farm
ers here practice diversified farming
and have a safe income from the sale
of dairy products and the growing of
hogs and cattle.
"1n Minnesota particularly the re-
turn to the producer is very high be-
cause the farmers have more cooper
ative enterprises than any other state
in the union.
The farmers mutual fire insurance
is another form of cooperation which
seems to have taken stronger hold in
our state than in yours. According to
the federal census of 1920, there were
277,91S rural dwellings, in Minnesota
and 1880 in North Dakota, yet the
farmers mutual insurance companies
at the last report had $500, 3O9 900 in
surance in force in Minnesota while
your farmers county mutuals in North
Dakota had only $102,217,779 in force.
In other words, while we have less
than two and one half times as many
dwellings, we have nearly seven times
as much insurance in force in farmers
companies. From what I have seen of
your farm homes, l cannot believe
that ours are so much better as to &C.
count for this difference, but I am led
to believe that you have not made full
use Of this method of handling your
own business and saving money for