The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1924-11-14
Farmers Shipping
Association Grows
Cooperative Marketing Is
Gaining in Importance,
Statistics Show.
prepared by the United States Department
OF AgrfcuIture.)

prepared by the United states Department
of Agrfculture.)
As a marketing institution the
farmers live stock shipping associa'
ton is gaining In Importance, accord
ing to q recent statistical study made
by the United States Department OF
Agriculture. 1t appears that the pres
ent tendency as regards this institu-
ton is toward the well-organized as
ISOLATION, with a large enough MEM
bership and operating over a big area
to provide a volume of business ufi
cient to insure the economies which
come with large scale operations.
Furthermore. with the larger units
there appears to be a demand for
managers with training and expert
ence in the marketing of live stock.
The results of the recent study by
the Department of Agriculture have
beer released in a preliminary repor.
prepared by r. II. Ellsworth of the d.
vision Of agricultural cooperation.
The study Is based upon reports re
ceiyed from 1,547 associations located
In the rural sections and 26 farmer
controlled sales agencies established
in 20 of the larger terminal markets.
Active Associations.
One of the existing associations has
been operating since 1883. About one
half of the associations have been ac-
tive for five years, over 10 per cent
have been active for ten years, and
nearly 3 per cent have been active for
fifteen years. Ninety-four per cent
of all the associations are in the II
North Central states. The three states
of Iowa, Minnesota and Illinois are
credited with over nne-half of all the
live stock marketing organizations.
The associations In the same three
states contain AZ per cent of the total
membership of all the associations.
These three states with Ohio contain
over 90 per cent of the total MEMBER
snip. Average membership per asso-
citation ranges from 444 in Ohio where
most of the associations are orga iizej
on a countrywide basis to 80 in North
Dakota. The averages for several of
the leading states are MS follows: In
diana, 2S1 Michigan. 213; Illinois,
206; Wisconsin. 203; Minnesota. 1863;
Iowa, 1873. The average membership
for the United States as a whole is
given as 191 for 1923 compared with
I4e in 1915.
Shipping Association Business.
IL is estimated that the 1,547 asso-
Citations iu the producing sections mar
keted live stock to the value of S162.-
0 1000 in 1923. Sixty-two per cent of
the total business was handled by the
shipping associations in Iowa, Min
nesota. Illinois and Ohio. The amount
credited to each state is as follows
$4,000 coo; Minnesota, $685.
0 10000; Illinois. S15,OOO.O00; Ohio.
s15, 900, 900. During the ten years.
1914 to 1923, the average amount of
business handled by the shipping as !
;ociations increased from $4,000 to
nos. 600. The average amount of bus
ness per association in 1928 credited =
o the leading states is as follows: :
ohio. S231.OO0; Iowa. s127. 900; Hi :
Iois, $4,000. and Minnesota, $4,000. :
There were increases in the average I
mount of business per association for 6
two years ending with 1923 for q
nost of the states. This Increase in .
,hio amounted TO II per cent Mis- n
ouri, 81 per cent Minnesota, IS per
emit; Iowa. 7 per cent; Illinois, Z per q
emit. In Wisconsin and South Dakota |.
here was a decrease in the average h
mount of business per association for I,
ne two-year period. a
II appears that 30 per cent of all Y
he associations are Incorporated, that d
W fr.orDarotaI oSeocfotfonc bova Rf
er cent of the total membership. and
ansacted 81 per cent of the total
in 1923. But IT per cent of
Ie associations are organized with II
stock. However. this percent II
re has - per cent Of the membership II
I'd handled ~ per cent of the 1923 Il
lsiness. Fifty-three per cent of the u
isociations. with - per cent of the u
embership end doing 81 per cent Of v'
e business in 1923, paid patronage u'
vidends. Only 8 per cent of all the
ipping associations had contracts q
tn their members in 1923. =
Cooperative Selling. y
Cooperative selling agencies con-
)lled by farmers have been operat-
: in the terminal live stock markets liy
ice 1917. when such marketing agen-
IS were established by the Farmers
mt the Omaha and st. Joseph m'
The % agencies operating
1923 handled nearly 100000 head
live stock. which would ill about tn
1000 stock cars. The animals were go
d for $192.o0G.0o0 At different
les during the calendar year there
re returned t. the shipper sums is
.ounfing To $4,000 as refunds on a
cunts paid ms commission charges.
both the Kansas City and st. (
I'll markets there were three sales it's
,ncies. In both Chicago and East ing