The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1925-12-12
MAKES GOOD
PROFIT FROM
POTATO CROP
e.. A. Stenehjem of Arnegard
Tells How Exchange
Gets Top Prices

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From IS cents "A hushcl for potatoes
in 1920 to net price Of $500 per
700 pounds in 1929 is the record of
the Northwestern Potato Growers
Exchange Of this town, listed by
state officials rs one of the outstand.
"a" examples of successful coopcra-
Ave marketing.
High grade seed potatoes sold di-
rect to potato planters in Texas and
other southern states haY" solved
the difficulties of the Mckenzie
county organization and put dollars
in the pockets Of its members.
Credit for the success Of the un.
dcrtaking is given to VI. :. stencil jem
and G.. A. Stcnchjcm brothers, who
have done much 10 make Mckenzie
county seed potatoes popular with
southern growers. They, with Il few
others, stood to their guns when the
outlook was dark and have made the
region around this town one Of the
most prosperous potato producing
sections Of the country.
The Story
This is how G.. A. Stencil lem, now
secretary Of the exchange, tells the
story:
Five years ago Il few Of our farm
crs went together and ordered Il car
load Of Bliss Triumph potatoes. This
carload was distributed to 40 farm
RS.
"That fall the yield was very good
md the potatoes produced from the
iced we had bought looked very fine
and Of the best quality. Not know
ing how TO market our crop We placed
them on the open market and most
Of them Melted is about 30 cents
hlIshel. The first year was not proit-
able and the greater part of our
farmers quit the potato game There
1gerc, however, 4 few who saw fu-
ture in the business and stayed by it.
The next year II farmers planted
from five to 40 acres each. That year
we got in touch with our agricultural
college which worked with us to get
our potatoes certified. This all of
US accomplished.
= Others Drop Out
> THE Minnesota Potato Exchange
was then doing a great business and
We shipped through it. Our re-
turns did not come up to eXpecta-
tons, however. as the crop netted
US only about 40 cents u bushel
More farmers were disappointed and
quit the game ard there We're only
six of us left. That same fall We
built ourselves a hne potato ware
house Since we had it on our hands
we decided to try it another year.
In the returns from the Mime
sofa Exchange we noticed that some
of our potatoes had sold as high as
81 per hundred pounds and we real
lied only from 10 to Is cents IA
bushel
''The following year we formed the
Northwestern Potato Exchange Sell
ing agency, taking few growers
from Alexander and Watford City.
That fall we sent Il representative
to the Southern states with five car
loads of our certified seed stock to
sell and find Il future market. Our
salesman, NJ. s. Stcnehjem, spent six
weeks in Texas, looking up customers
and working up trade for the coming
year. This established our success
in selling our certified potatoes. That
year the potatoes Melted US IS cents
bushel.
$l.2O Il Bushel Last Year
Last year, when potatoes were
selling on the markets of this state
for 80 cents per hundred, ours Melted
$l.20 bushel after all expenses
were deducted.
This year our entire output has
been contracted for at 1920 hun
dred. delivered. This price will net
or $l.40 bushel more than we
could get if we sold them on the
Minneapolis market.
much credit is due the agricui-
tural college for the success we have
made. Men from the college worked
hard with the growers to keep the
fields free from disease and to get
the potatoes certified. The seed must
be we'll treated before planting and
during the growing season the fields
must be carefully tended and all
diseased plants removed in order to
keep up the standard There are Il
great many potato diseases to look
out for as the southern trade cannot
use potatoes which have certain dis
eases. In order to maintain our
standard of clean seed our farmers
seed potatoes in the same land only
once in five years.
County Has Distinction
81 feel that ! am safe in stating
that Mckenzie county has the only
three potato warehouses in the
United States where only 100 per cent
certified Triumph seed stock will be
found"
Strict grading and inspection, q
written guarantee with every car
load Of potatoes shipped, a state GER
LITIGATION tag on every sack, careful
inspection of potatoes in the field
were other factors in the success of
the organization, Stenehjem said. Be-
cause southern planters know that
the potatoes sold by the exchange
vail be fully up to standard, no
trouble has been experienced in de-
veloping a market which takes the
opf;ro ontput nf non, IN ~