Evening star., 1929-06-27
CREAMERY SALES
MOUNTING RAPIDLY
Land o. Lakes Cooperative
Firm Increases Extent
of Marketing.
BY JOHN F. SINCLAIR.

Special Dispatch to The Star
MINNEAPOLIS, Mimi, June 27,-
Land O. Lakes Creameries, Inc, is one
of the most successful farmer cooper
atiyes in the United States. In fact,
1t is one of the most successful indus
trial enterprises in the Northwest.
Eight years ago A. j. Mcguire, then
associated with the extension division
of the University of Minnesota, and
lifelong student and believer in CO.
operation, started the movement to get
the cooperative creameries of Minne-
sofa to Join hands in big marketing
organization. through which all the
product of these co-operatives would be
handled.
1t took three years before the asso-
citation got under way, but in Novem-
Der, 1924, the organization began to
function.
In 1925 the total sales were $1,000
600. They doubled in 1926. In 1923 the
total sales had reached $47,50o, 600.
This year the totals will 60 we'll over
$50.000,000.
Less than five years old, this organ
ization today handles more than 90
per cent of the high-scoring butter in
the United States. 1t handles all the
output of the 480 creameries in Min
nesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota and
South Dakota. In addition, 1t is ham
ding the surplus of about 20 cooper
ative creameries in California and
Idaho.
The cost of marketing is the i'm
portant thing. The record for the last
year shows that this cost just .27 of
cent per pound. With butter selling
at IS to so cents pound, this figure
of about one-fourth Of cent a pound
Is nominal.
The headquarters in Minneapolis are
o beehive Of industry. The directors
largely farmers. meet on the 10th of
each month and set the price of butter.
Checks go out on the 18th to the
$4,000 farmers in the organization The
organization handles-in addition to
butter and cream, eggs, milk powder
and poultry.
"Our sales are now approaching
81 ,00o, GOO a week." said Mr.. Mcclure
I'VE pay the creameries about 80 per
cent of the value of the cream sent to
mainder is sent out on the 18th of
the following month. Our farmers are
prosperous. intelligent and enthusiastic.
Cooperation not only gives the farmer
larger part of the sale price. but it
makes him a vital factor in the business
of the Nation
All the receipts, less the expenses, are
TeIuTHSO 10 JIl6 H16InDeTS
to the business done, as the company
has no capital stock.
So important have the breeding,
handling and feeding of fur bearing
animals become in the Northwest that
the University of Minnesota held its
third annual fur farmers short course
this week
The early fur wearers, all wealthy
people, used only genuine furs. Today
more than hundred million cheap
furs are used annually.
Take rabbit fur as an example Dyed,
this skin Is known as Arctic seal. bay
seal, northern seal and Sealine. Dyed
to initiate fox, 1t is sold as Baltic brown,
red and black fox, or fox hare. Dyed to
initiate leopard, it is called Baltic,
French and Russian leopard. Rabbit
pelts are used in more than SO types
Of fur.
The greatest wild-fur- producing area
in the world lies within 600-mile
radius of ST. Louis. More than SO per
cent of the silver fox pelts sold in Amer
ican markets are ranch bred. st. Louis
began as a fur trading center in 1764.
The peltS gathered in the Northern and
Western United States for score of
decades usually found their way to the
st. Louis market. st. Louis continues
to maintain its leadership as one of the
great fur markets of the world.
Theodore Christianson. Governor of
Minnesota, thinks of the State as a
big business institution A large part
of the time of all State employees is
given to matters of pure business.
THE State. with its IL 900 employees,
Is spending more than $20,000,000
year" said the governor. Almost half
is going into highways. This depart
ment in Minnesota, as in other States,
has taken first place in public i'm
portance.
while no State can afford to neglect
the development of its important trunk
lines, such matters must be put on a
purely business basis. There is limit
to the amount of mileage that can be
built by any State efficiently in year.
There is a limit also to the amount of
money that can be raised annually
from taxes, direct or indirect.
Sometimes I think States have
moved faster in this particular field
than they should. BY that mean that
many States have contracted a huge
Indebtedness for highways, which must
be paid some time Interest on road