Milford chronicle., 1928-01-27
POTATO GROWERS
EXPECT BETTER PRICES
With Eighty-Five Per Cent Of Acre.
age Signed Up Should Control Price

!
By signing contracts with the
Eastern Shore Farmers Association
covering the marketing of more than
$50 of the white potato and sweet
potato acreage of the principal pota-
to growing counties of the Del-Mar-
Va Peninsula, the growers have
placed their stamp of approval upon
a marketing plan of far reaching inn
portance in the opinion of DR.. f. B.
Bomberger, director of the market
ing bureau of the Del-Mar-Va Asso-
citation.
"In 1927 the Eastern Shore Far
mers' Association operated under the
disadvantage of having only a rela-
lively small percentage of the pOta
| to acreage of the Peninsula signed
up by it's membership" said DR..
Bomberger. I'm consequence deal
ers outside the Association had lit
tie trouble in securing large guam
titles of potatoes which were used
to break the price level that was be-
ing maintained by the Association
through it's quotation committee.
Even in spite of these conditions,
the Association proved it's value to
the potato growers, who were con-
vinced that several millions of dol
lars accrued to them during the sea-
son, which would not have been re-
ceiVed had the market been unsup-
ported by the activities of the Quo
tation Committee. In considering the
1928 season, however, it seemed the
part of wisdom not to attempt to
operate unless at least $50 of the
acreage was signed up.
"a series of meetings was ar
ranged, beginning late in December
and continuing throughout this
month. They were held almost daily
OF every evening in the individual
districts. Members of the board of
of the Association and
of the Del-Mar-Va
Marketing Bureau addressed these
meetings. They presented the ad-
vantages obtainable by continuing
and enlarging the Associations +
work. Enthusiasm in the proposed
extension plan developed as the
proceeded. The final date
FOR securing the $50 acreage deem
ed essential was fixed as January II II
md on January 1S complete reports.
based on signed agreements, were
checked and found to COW
er more than the required $50.
Members of the Association were
inspired by the result and set about
to increase the acre
age to as near 100@o as possible.
District meetings were held on Mon Il
lay, January %, for the purpose of M
electing members to the Board of HI
Managers in all districts which had III
entered the Association. They now III
)lan to launch a campaign to in III
,lude the sweet potato acreage in
Vicomico and Sussex" III
Continuing his discussion of the III
and outlook for the Far
ners' Association under its enlarg- III
d scope, DR.. Bomberger had the III
oIIowing to say:-"It is certainly Ill
to those of us who are
triving to promote better market III
ng conditions on the Del-Mar-Va iii
'eninsula to find that the potato III
are wide awake to the val III
e of this new type of marketing or
anization. Few of them, even now,
lilly appreciate the possibilities of
ne plan, if and when it receives the l
ndivided support of the farmers. ll
q my judgment, the operation of Hi
le Farmers Association backed by lll
le support of farmers representing iii
D to $50 of the potato acreage, I'LL
ill mark an epoch in the history iii
the Peninsula. I'LL
"The sO-called clearing house I'LL
Ian of marketing, to which the Eas- W
,rn Shore Farmers Association be- ll|
,ngs, is a new evolution in mark I'LL
ing machinery, made necessary by I'LL
le unrestrained price-cutting COM
stition among dealers in many of III
II perishable agricultural pro- III
lets. Under conditions prevailing
recent years, the situation had be- III
,me intOlerable for both grower VII
i'd dealer. The Farmers Associa- Hi
1n with its quotation committee is III
,signed to stabilize the potato lI
owing industry by putting an eff III
ctive check upon price-cutting, III
lich in the past has demoralized III
e potato market, robbing growers
millions of dollars they we're
silly entitled to, without benefit III
lg either dealer or consumer. iii
1T has been a big job," concluded
:, Bomberger, ''to explain to the
overs the operation of the mark
ng machinery which they were
led upon to support for their own
1tection and benefit. The main diff
llty was to get them to meetings.
is safe to say that thousands of
m understand the system Of mar Iii
ing their crops better than ever XII
ore. The better they understand
he more firmly they will support
Eastern Shore Farmers AssOcia- I'LL
a." W