White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1924-11-21
Five Hundred Ohio Farmers Find More
Profit and Stable Demand For Their
Crops AS Result of Using Modern
Marketing Methods.
::arketing Methods.

It pays growers of fruits and vege
tables to consider the consumer first
N grading, packing and marketing
plans.
The 500 odd members OF the Mar
cite Truck Growers Association ar
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 Il
improve quality, to raise grading
standards higher and to better thei
pack These standards, coupled will
an efficient distributing service that II
flexible enough to meet the wildes
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 q 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
WOulu COululAA0 a OSGtSA PAASOs
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 for
their pack and as its reliability be-
came known their output found favor
with buyers.
BY 1910 the association was 30 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-
quested the firm of Crutchfeld &
Voolfolk, with headquarters in Pitts
burgh to present marketing proposi-
ton.
The Crutchfeld & Voolfolk COM
pany, which later was expanded with
other organizations into the American
Fruit Growers Incorporated, was &C
tive even in those early days ms an
exponent of better grading and pack
ing. 1t was we'll equipped to dis
tribute for such group as the Mari
eta Truck Growers and early in 1910
the association decided to sell its
entire output through the Crutchfield
g. Voolfolk sales organization.
Advertising was one Of the first
III ktr,o
ization. A campaign was conducted
in the Packer exploiting the Marietta
vegetables and through the Crutch-
field & Voolfolk organization they
were quoted on the various markets.
Wide publicity was given the associa-
ton pack and the results we're so graf
flying that the distributing organiza-
ton has continued the trade paper
publicity every season.
The new selling arrangement was a
success from the start and the Nom
bership and acreage grew rapidly.
Membership rose from 65 in 1910 to
COG in 1922 and the sales receipts rose
from $35, 900 in 1910 to $346,62O,25 In
1922. The association when organized
handled only 20 per cent OF the pro-
duce from the district-now 1t handles
80 per cent.
In 1911 the association handled T.
129 crates OF cabbage and 44.841 bas-
kets OF tomatoes. In 1922 It shipped
ss,010 crates Of cabbage and 27o,426
baskets OF tomatoes.
From the very beginning the asso-
citation has been eager to adapt its
methods to suit the requirements OF
consumers and the trade. With the
cooperation OF itn distributing organ
ization 1t keeps In close touch with
tastes of buyers in the market and is
quick to effect improvements to meet
their needs.