The L'Anse sentinel., 1924-03-07
rhe associatlon began marketil

| over the mills and market their own
! rice In the clean. This was just the
| situation that the organizers of the
marketing company had expected from
the beginning; and they were prepared
! TO meet IT, Although the association
had no mills or money, the milling
problem was easily solved. Tentative
contracts with several large rice mills
were made through which TO mill the
rice of the cooperative members when
II no longer paid the organization TO
sell the rice in the rough. The War
Finance corporation offered to loan the
rice growers 60 per cent Of the market
value Of the rice as II was delivered.
This money was 10 be used for the
first advance payments 10 the grow
ers. The other payments were not to
be made until the cleaned rice was on
the market.
Made More Than Neighbors.
The rice farmers OF Arkansas began
their milling operations in the last
week Of November. 1921. This was
not until the bulk OF the choice rice
In the state had been sold 10 outside
mills in the rough All that was left
was the lower grades, but even with
these the association averaged on all
grades and varieties a fraction over
90 cents bushel The bulk OF the
entire crop in 1920 had gone at 80
cents per bushel. During 1921 the as
sociGtion handled 137,7oO.oo0 pounds
Of rice. for which It's growers netted
100000. The Arkansas rice grow
ers received more for their rice than
the growers of any other section. They
made from 10 10 35 per cent more
than their neighbors In Louisiana,
a In 1907 il was discovered that the
twamp land Of the Upper Sacramento
valley would grow rice The japanese
Immediately took advantage of these
! acres, renting them on one-year
lease. Then they pitched IN with their
Oriental pugnacity 10 make rice pro-
! duction pay, As the California rice
| industry developed there grew up with
1t an organization half cooperative.
The Japanese needed someone to
sell their product for them. In 1918
| the Plclfic Rice Growers association
was organized, 10 serve merely rs an
/ agent with the exclusive right 10 sell
/ all the members rice. The grower,
however, had the privilege OF accept
| ing or rejecting the bids. Under this
/ system each growers rice was kept
/ separately and was accounted for sep
/ arately after the expenses OF handling
! had been suhtracted.
This way of selling was almost like
! a public auction The association
wasn't real producers cooperative.
But it did give good results for about
five years. but in 1920 IL failed be-
| cause the millers were afraid to buy
! the crop. The association was forced
to adopt new plan Toll milling
\ was tried. This meant selling pol
/ lshed rice. Most Of the growers were
working their land on a one-year
lease, and this prevented the aSsocia-
tion from buying and operating its
own mills. But the tolls plan didn't
work out SO they fixed up the original
/ plan under new name-the Rice
4 Growers Association OF California.
The one-year contract was heightened
to five; that was the one big change
in the plan. The title cf the rice was
! to pass To the association upon deliv-
cry, but the original plan of selling
! each lot separately was retained The
association continued to refer all bids
, to the growers for acceptance. The
! War Finance corporation made them
substantial loan and the plan
worked. There was no dumping Of
! rice on the market in 1921. That year
the association handled more than
/ 100000 bags OF the 1927 crop and
| sold them for an average OF $2.65,
! which was almost 40 cents per bag
| higher than was made by the I'M
organized rice growers OF Texas and
Louisiana.
Under One Contract.
Texas and Louisiana saw what CO.
operative marketing was doing for
Arkansas and California growers; they
decided to give the marketing game a
| whirl for themselves In 1920 the
' Louisiana Farm Bureau Rice Growers
! Cooperative association was organ
lied. II was an exact pattern OF the
Arkansas association. A similar plan
Is now being worked out for east
Texas. When Louisiana and Texas
groups are we'll under way, 1t is
planned TO coordinate the three
southern state associations under one
overhead machine.
Rice farmers are putting their faith
In cooperative marketing. They are
giving 1t trial lease on their rice
fields. In 1921 not one pound OF the
2OOOOOO,OO0 pounds of rice produced