The Bingham County news. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1918-1930, 1923-06-08
Five Hundred Ohio Farmers Find More
Profit and Stable Demand For Their
Crops AS Result of Using Modern
Marketing Methods.

It pays growers of fruits and vege
tables to consider the consumer first
in grading. packing and marketing
plans.
The 500 odd members Of the Mari
cite Truck Growers Association are
thoroughly sold to this idea and poin'
to sixteen years. successful opera
ton as proof Of its soundness.
The story Of the Marietta associa
ton is one Of never ending effort te
improve quality, to raise grading
standards higher and to better Their
pack. These standards, coupled with
an efficient distributing service that IL
flexible enough to meet the widest
fluctuations in production, has result
ed in making the Ohio association
one Of the foremost in the country as
far as successful sales are concerned.
Back in 1907 a few dozen growers
of corn, cabbage, tomatoes and Gu
cumbers around Marietta decided to
work together in an effort to put up
uniform grade Of vegetables that
would command better price.
Sixty-five Of them banded together
as the Marietta Truck Growers Asso-
citation. They did not attempt to mar
ket collectively the first few years but
bent every effort toward improving
their pack.
Slowly but surely the association
members began to win respect Tor
their pack and as its reliability be-
came known their output found favor
with buyers.
By 1910 the association was so SOL
idly organized that the membership
decided to attempt to sell collectively.
They had been gathering data on mar
keting agencies during 1909 and as a
result of their investigations they re-
uuested the firm Of Crutchfeld &
Voolfolk, with headquarters in Pitts
burgh to present a marketing PROPOSE
ton.
The Crutchfleld & Voolfolk COM
pany, which later was expanded with
other organizations into the American
Fruit Growers Incorporated, was &C
tive even in those early days as an
exponent of better grading and pack
fng. It was well equipped to dis
tribute for such a group as the Mari
eta Truck Growers and early In 1910
the association decided to sell its
entire output through the Crutchfield
& voolfolk sales organization.
Advertising was one of the first |
steps taken by the marketing organ
ization. A campaign was conducted
In the Packer exploiting the Marietta
and through the Crutch-
field 4 voolfolk organization they
we're quoted on the various markets.
Wide publicity was given the associar
lion pack and the results were 30 graf
flying that the distributing organiza-
ton has continued the trade paper
publicity every season.
The new selling arrangement was .
succeeds from the start and the mem
and acreage grew rapidly.
rose from s. IN 1910 TO
sos in 1929 and the sales receipts rose
rom ST., ZOO IN 1910 to $a4e,ez0.2b IN
L923. The association when organized
handled only 20 per cent OF the pro
luce from the district-now 1t handles
10 per cent.
In 1911 the association handled ~
L29 crates Of cabbage and 1881 bas-
kets OF tomatoes. In 1922 1t shipped
500 crates Of cabbage and 270,4z6
baskets of tomatoes.
From the very beginning the asso-
,iation has been eager to adapt its
Methods to suit the requirements OF
consumers and the trade. With the
cooperation Of its distributing organ
cation it keeps in close touch with
astes of buyers in the market and is
uick to effect improvements to meet
heir needs.