The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1922-12-01

NIeirch OF Minnesota, representing the
Farmers National Grain Dealers As
sociation; A. L. Middleton OF Iowa, also
representing the Farmers National Grain
Dealers Association: Ralph Snyder of
Kansas. representing the Farm Bureau
Federation; l.. J. Tabor Of Ohio, repre-
senting the National Grange; Clifford
Thorn, and az attorney representing the
National Grain Dealers Association; Don
Livingston of South Dakota, representing
the Public; DR. George Livingston, repre-
senting the U. 5. Department Of Agri-
culture, and Bureau of Markets; r. [.
DonneIl, representing the Farmers Grain
Dealers Association of Missouri.
Nearly seven months were spent in an
exhaustive study OF cooperative grain
marketing. 1t included reports from
foreign cooperative enterprises as we'll as
the successful ones of California and all
the best offered in the United States and
Canada.
Among other things the Committee OF
Seventeen found that enormous profits
were being made by persons who have no
interest in the welfare OF agriculture in the
regarding, mixing and conditioning pro
ce,ses that farmer owned export compa-
MES were returning three cents to five cents
per bushel more than privately owned
concerns; and that biased and often cr-
roneous crop reports were used to in
fucnCc the market. Ii found that far
mers frequently suffered because credit
needed in their business was controlled
by persons sometimes unfriendlv to the
industry; it discovered that grain pur-
chased as low grade proved TO be much
better, when brought on the market, so
that terminal elevators receiving from
20 per cent to so per cent Of No. 1 wheat
shipped out from 20 per cent to so per
cent, and that in Chicago, more than fifty
times as much speculative. or phantom"
grain is sold annually as actually passes
through the market. In the matter OF
transportation, instance after instance
was cited to show where grain was hauled
great distances ard finally consumed as
flour, only short distance from the farm
on which it was raised.
When the Committee was ready to draf.
its final report, it decided that a national
organization was needed and that it
should include these features: finance
body, farmer-owned and farmer-con-
trolIcd; perfect working marketing ma
chine that would bring grain in a steady
flow to market and prevent 'gluts" which
depressed prices to the advantage of the
grain spectators; a farmer owned export .
company; a worldwide crop reporting
service; and producer-owned terminal
facilities with well equipped mixing, re-
grading and conditioning machinery.
Then at a big ratification meeting in
Chicago, on April e-7-S, 1921, Chairman
{. H. Gustafson presented their com
pleted plan to 1903 sully credited delegates
from the IS surprus-grain producing states.
The plan provides for three primary ele-
ments:
/. The Grain Grower.
2. The local Cooperative Elevator
Company, or Grain Growers Association
3. The Central Sales Association
With more than 10000 grain growers
in eleven midwest states electing to sell
all their marketable surplus of grain, ap-
proximating more than 100 100000 BUSH ]
els, through the farmer-owned, farmer
controlled channels outlined by the Far
mers' Marketing Committee of Seventeen +
the u. s. Grain Growers. Inc, today is at
least twice as large as any other co-opera- }
tive organization or single grain 6r.p 70 tht
nation.