The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1924-09-11
BLACKFOOT MAKES
RECORD AS POTATO
SHIPPING STATION
Importance Of Keeping
Grades to Standard
Emphasized

By M. L. Dean, director bureau
plant industry: Blackfoot should
be proud of her record and of her
reputation as a potato producing Sec
ton. Only two other points in the
state shipped a greater number of
car loads than was sent out of
Blackfoot, and with over seven hun
dred car loads which went out I'M
der certificate, the grade on only
one car was questioned. No ship
ping point in the state has a better
record.
We occasionally find growers aud
sometimes dealers who feel that the
inspection is too rigid, but, after
carefully showing them the defects
they usually admit that they them
selves would not buy them for No.
l stuff until graded. l often won
der If the growers appreciate what
1t means to them to have their po-
tatoes properly graded and sent to
market under standardized grades.
Do you wish to destroy this reputa-
tionfor your own product? If the
growers in 1928 had not had a high
standard of quality demonstrated by
careful grading we believe that
many potatoes would not have
brought freight charges.
This would probably have discour-
aged many growers to the extent
that it would have injured the indus
try and therefore damaged the gem
eral prosperity of the section. Can
growers afford to try and force any
defective spuds in the grades so as
to reduce their value? l do not be-
lieve that representative growers in
any section wish to destroy the rep
utation of the community to that
extent. 1t would reflect upon the
reputation of the whole state.
With fifty different inspectors In
the field some 1ault will be found;
we expect that. No man is perfect
to err is human-but when the
percentage of error is only one to
seven hundred it is surely reduced
to the minimum. That kind of grad
ing places Idaho potatoes as leaders
in every market, and man who
tries to break it down by shipping
oelow-grade potatoes does not have
he best welfare of his community at
heart. Leave the little ones at
lome," is the slogan adopted by the
zig new potato growers exchange re-
GENTLY organized in Minnesota. Ida
los slogan has always been Leave
he little ones and the rough ones
md the Gull ones at hOme.'
AS rapidly as necessity demands
trades are promulgated for addi-
ional crops. This is also true with
he federal grades and the time Is
lear at hand when all agricultural
will be markted under rec
gnized grades.
Idaho now has federal state
rades for apples, peaches, prunes,
ettuce, onions, potatoes, wheat and
ay and clover seeds. The United
tates bureau of agricultural eco
omics Is now working on grades
Or beans and ,hay and hope to have
hem ready for the 1925 crop.
One of the greatest aids in the
uccessful marketing of agricultural
roducts is standardized grades. In
ecent years the marketing and dis
ribution of farm products have been
objected to the most careful study,
OF only by economists, but by the
,aders in finance and industry
Production problems are import
Mt but the demand is not SO much
,r greater quantity as for better
uality
In the geneal marketing of I'M
raded agricultural products the
,ndency is to pay a flat price based
pom an average value. This is GER
Linly poor encouragement for the
an who strives to produce quality
while, on the other hand,
aiding on a quality basis Is great
imulus to better methods Of pro-
lotion. No discussion of the in
uence of standardization would be
'mplete without reference to the
action upon production and hand
lg practices The enforcement of
andard grades at the point of pro-
lction not only directs the atten-
On of the grower to his mistakes,
us prompting him to correct them,
It insures him proper renumer-
ion for adopting more careful and
ficient methods.
Agricultural products must be
1t is necessary that
ey may be marketed in conformity
tn the sound business principles
at are recognized in the channels
trade and distribution of all mar
table products.
There Is scarcely one important
arketing function that cannot be
more effectively when the
mmodity Is graded to recognized
grades.
Wheat has been sold by grade for
IRE than seventy years and No.
hard Is standardized and recognize
in the markets of the world the
ne as is the United States gold