Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-01-19
WEATHER IN WEST
FAvOR|NG FARMERS
Forces of Nation Combining
to Give Grower Good
1927 Send-off.
BY j. C. ROYLE.
Special Dispatch to The Star.

! Special Dispatch to The Star
| NEW YORK, January 19--Nature
at this time is favoring the sections
of the country which need it most.
! Heavy SHOWS have prevailed in Mime
| sofa and the Dakotas. Spring thaws
| are expected to provide subSoil moiS-
ture to carry grains through the ger
mlnating period and improve the 1927
agricultural outlook Similarly. adj
| vantageous conditions have prevailed
| in the range States, favoring the live
stock producers, and in the dry farm
| ing districts Of the intermountain
| country.
| In practically every line in which
farmers have buckled down to business
and developed practical marketing pro-
| grams conditions are prosperous.
That fact has frightened the outlook
| for each individual industry in this
| country, for the farmer buying power
| is still the predominant factor in ma
| tlonal prosperity.
Northwest No Exception.
The Northwest, where the depress-
ing effect of low grain prices was most
keenly felt, is no exception. There
marketing of grains as such was not
profitable, but those who marketed
their crops in other ways have little
to worry about. Producers of butter,
poultry, eggs, live stock and milk are
making no complaints about hard
times.
The value of the farm products
marketed through the four co-opera-
tive associations which have head
quarters. in the Twin Cities aggre-
gated 100000, 900 in the last year.
The lower grain prices have bene-
fitted rather than harmed members
of those associations. The Central
Live Stock Commission Co. of ST
Paul did a business of $40, 908,877,
handling 22,990 cars carrying 1929
1893. animals. 1t paid dividends of
$12S,000 on it's capitalization of $25,-
goo and the saving to farmers in
addition to dividends is estimated at
$250,000,000 spread among the 5000
members of GO farmers shipping
associations.
The Land o'Lakes Creameries
handled $40,000000 worth of prod
ucts, including 375 carloads of cream
and 100000 pounds of butter.E The
Lake Region Cooperative Egg and
Poultry Exchange handled $50 cars
of live poultry, 400 cars of eggs and
35 cars of dressed turkeys valued in
all at more than s3,00O.000 This is
comparatively new association.
The co-operatives in the Northwest
are making no active drives for
memberships, but are enjoying a
steady growth which promises to
spread until a majority of farm
products are handled. The co-opera-
tive institutions have finally adopted
the system of engaging men of wide
experience and business training.
The farmers are taking lessons from
their neighbors across the border 1t
is estimated that 1t costs the Mani
toba farmer 39c less to produce and
market bushel of wheat than it does
his American neighbor, according to
Prof. H. c. Grant of the Manitoba
Agricultural College.
Better Marketing Methods.
A good part of this difference is rep
resented by the higher yields per acre,
but a fair proportion is due to i'm
proved marketing methods. Eight of
every 10 acres of land sown to wheat
in Saskatchewan in 1926 were under
control of the Cooperative Wheat
Producers. Membership numbered
1878 farmers and the area signed up
amounted to 2,626,334 acres. During
the year the organization acquired a
chain of $50 country grain elevators.
Wheat marketed in the three prairie
provinces in 1926 through the central
selling agency of the pools totaled 1877,
200 900 bushels. Not all experts agree
on cooperative marketing as way
out OF the farmers difficulties. DIR.
Henry c. Taylor of Northwestern Uni
versity, says the only possible remedy
for the farmers ills lies in readjust-
ment of the tariff.
Either he said, reduce the tariff
on imports so as to debate the price.
of things the farmer must buy or
make the tariff effective for the farm
err to the point of restoring his pur-
chasing power"