The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1925-12-25
Wool Marketing
Shows Increase
Cooperative Plan Dates
Back for Half Century
in United States.


Wool has been sold comparatively
by farmers and ranchers in the United
States for half century or more. The
Oldest cooperative wool marketing or
ganization in existence is believed to
be the Putnam County Wool Growers
association of Greencastle, Ind. Farm--
ers in that locality have been selling
wool comparatively since 1885. There
is little doubt, according to the De-
partment Of Agriculture, that the be-
ginning of cooperative wool market
ing in this country dates back consid-
erably farther than the available rec
ords 60.
Nevertheless the largest growth in
the wool cooperative movement has
taken place in the last six years.
There was but little increase in the
number Of wool cooperative associa-
lions in the ten years prior to 1919.
Since that year, however, the number
has more than doubled. Moreover.
about Is per cent Of the wool handled
comparatively in. 1924 was handled by
regional or statewide organizations.
twenty-five associations of this type.
operating In % states, handled nearly
l2,5OO,OOO pounds of wool in 1924.
Their total membership was In the
neighborhood of 10000.
Handling Facilities.
Cooperative handling of wool Is IA
cilitated by the fact that the commod-
ity is practically nonperishable. An
other advantage is that wool selling Is
not a complicated business. Some
times a single sale will dispose of a
years output for a large number Of
wool growers. These features Of the
crop have often enabled wool growers
! to cooperate in marketing without
any formal organization and without
any large amount Of capital. Local
wool co-operatives have frequently
followed this method. In recent years,
however, the rise Of state and regional
associations has called for greater
measure Of formal organization. says
the Department of Agriculture.
Fairly comprehensive data have
Just been compiled by the department
regarding active wool marketing asso-
Citations In all parts of the United
States. 1t has detailed reports from
6S organizations located in 80 states.
Twenty-seven of these associations are
Independent locals. Twenty-Five are
regional or statewide pools, one Is
sales agency doing a national business.
eleven are associations that handle
wool only incidentally, and seven are
educational or service organizations.
While this list may not include all
the active wool co-operatives in the
country, 1t Is believed to represent
considerably more than so per cent of
all the cooperative business done in
wool.
Wool Handled.
Eighteen Of the twenty-seven indie
pendent local cooperative associations
have been organized since 1916. Near
ly 100000 pounds Of wool were ham
died in 1924 by the twenty-seven indie
pendent associations. Ohio has more
wool producers in cooperative asso-
Citations than any other state. Oregon
holds the second place in this respect.
and Indiana, South Dakota. New York,
Tennessee and West Virginia follow
in the order given. Five regional as
sociations in 1924 each had mem
bership exceeding 1900. The other
/ associations Of this type had member
ships Of less than 1900 Wool CO.
operative associations in 20 states
handled 16,323,594 pounds Of wool In
1924, compared with 1851. 1851 pounds
in 1928 and 1O,922,7O0 pounds in 1922.
Evidence of the extent to which
wool cooperation has been CONSOLE
dated In recent years is given by the
fact that 68 per cent of the total guam
tity Of wool handled comparatively in
1924 was handled by seven associa-
tons. On the other hand, twenty-five
small associations handled only per
cent Of the total The seven associa-
tions whose operations accounted for
So per cent Of the total wool sold CO.
operatively each handled more than
100000 pounds. Thirty-eight other as
sociations handled less than 10000
/ pounds each.