Putnam patriot., 1929-01-24
OPPORTUNITY FOR THE
 FARMERS OF OUR COUNTY
BUSINESS OF MODERATE SIZE, PROPERLY MANAGED, SELLING GRADED QUALITY PRODUCTS, ON PAR
 WITH ANY BUSINESS IN UNITED STATES
Possibilities of Windham County Agriculture Analysed By
 Windham County Farmers Association
RAYMOND E. wING)

facts that nave DttH ieafHeu ak ANt previous conference are discussed as relating to New England agriculture The results of this conference are made public to the farmer in the early spring and although they are not nee. essariiy I00ss perfect they are an in dication of what the farmers should do in his business for that year IL was out of this outlook that the DO. tato surplus was predicted for 1928 and if the farmers of New England had paid attention to this prediction many of them would have been better off.
 Windham county is tka central county of southern New England and near enough to the markets to have all the advantages of easy transporta- ton. Good roads connect us with nine cities where all major products are marketable. These nine markets are from twenty to sixty-five miles from the center of the county, inelud- ing Providence, Boston and Hartford.
 Outside Competition
 With this advantage of nearness to market and by the grading of pro- ducts Windham county farmers should be able to meet nearly all of the out. side competition. One of the greatest troubles of the past has been the mar keting of the products without grad ing, while the shippers from outside of th.s territory put a product into the market that is all graded to q standard of quality and is much more marketable at higher prices than our own products.
 Storage facilities often help in the marketing of products to get a high CT price. For instance the fruit grow CT or potato grower who has storage facilities can hold his products over until the seasonal surplus is out of the market and thus get better prie- es. The present season on the Provi- dence apple market is an excellent example of what storage will do.
 We cannot leave the marketing of products without mentioning coopera- tive marketing. subject at present being largely discussed throughout the country. At present there arc two Connecticut cooperatives operat. ! ing in Windham county. The East ern Connecticut Poultry Producers i Inc, is farmers organization tha' ! has entered into a rather difficult com petition in the Providence market ana yet has come out on top and not 0nl! has it raised the general level of egl prices in Providence. but it also pail an average Of l.2 cents per doZei more than the average of other mar kets in Providence for period O thirty-eight weeks ending in SepteH Der 1928.
 Done Good Work
 The Connecticut Milk Producer Association came into the county i May 1928 and started to take mil from here. Many farmers have bene : fited by this change in milk markei This association is farmers coopers { tive and Connecticut pays the higf est price for it's milk to the farmer l New England. because of the goo work that this organization has don' The New England Milk Producer Association is also a farmers coop' rative working in this territory thf r has benefited the farmer of Windhal county.
 However there is still room fC
 more work along the cooperative ma keting' line, particularly with regar , to products not covered by the abos , mentioned associations.
 Another factor that has not bee i taken into consideration is the advet Using of farm products. There is T other industry SO essential as that ( agriculture and yet it is the mo- poorly advertised industry in tn country. One might ask why this 7 so? Simply because agriculture hi been an individual business run on small business basis so that the farm CT could not afford to advertise. G operative organizations and some ( the larger individual farmers are tf ; only ones that can do any advertisin unless they have a certain quality (
 product to advertise.
 The New England Dairy and Foo Council is doing more for the farm CTS in the matter of advertising tha any other organization. This orgai
 ization is doing lot of advertising the schools and meetings which adve tise farm products.
 Ready to Assist
 The Windham County Farmers A sociation is always ready to assist any line of agriculture. We have s hand information either through tn college or the U. s. D. A. which
 available at all times for the askinI There is a County Club Agent ft work with the boys and girls and
 Home Demonstration Agent to wor with the women of the farm home and County Agent to work with tn farmers themselves.
 In conclusion l would like to mak one statement With farm doing business of moderate size under th proper management, and selling grac ed or quality products. farmer i the central county of southern Ne, England has all the opportunities O making as good a living as any ofhe