The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1930-08-09
Peoples Forum
THE MILK SITUATION
Editor of The Tribune:


In reply to the Bismarck milk re-
port for the month of July given in
the August 6 edition: In my opinion
the time is opportune to explain to
the Bismarck milk consumers some
OF the reasons why such conditions
are existent.
There are a goodly number of
dairymen in this community who
operate diaries in a clean and SAM
tary manner and still their milk is
not being accepted because a cheaper
and polluted product has been get
ting by.
The people of Bismarck are paying
a fair price for their milk supply and
are entitled to a good, clean, whole
some product, therefore, we producers
of good, clean. wholesome milk are
also entitled to a fair price for u
product. Are we getting it? Here
are the facts: The prices. obtained
for raw milk at present are as fol-
lows: $2.25 per hundredweight with a
differential Of four cents per hun
dredweight for milk above or below
3.5 per cent butterfat, which is ap-
proximately II cents per gallon for
3.5 per cent milk. The consumer
pays all the way from 30 to A cents
per gallon.
Some difference, is it not? AS milk
is a daily turn yer business does it
seem fair. in your opinion, to the pro-
Queer? This summer we have had
six weeks Of pasture. AS a rule we
have from eight to 10 weeks Of pas
ture. The diaries that are in close
proximity to Bismarck naturally are
paying higher rentals or own higher
priced land than the people who are
living 80 to 40 miles from our city
where many Of them are milking
cows on the south side of a straw
stack or on the lee side of a pig stye,
with no knowledge whatsoever of the
principle of good dairying. In COM
petition with such product the dairy
men around Bismarck are expected to
compete.
I wish to give a slant on some of
the differences in the cost Of produc-
ton here in Burleigh county as COM
pared to conditions existing in Min
nesota. For instance, a silo Is feet
in diameter and 40 feet high requires
on an average from 40 to 80 acres of
corn to fill it. In Minnesota a silo
Of the same dimensions requires from
IL to 20 acres. AS a rule the COWS in
Minnesota are on pasture from June
l to October l. Then why use Min
neSota prices as an index for prices
tobe obtained here for our product? You
may say land is cheaper here but how
about cultivating four or five times
as many acres to obtain the same
results? Labor costs of production
are therefore quadrupled, excepting
in cases of penal labor.
Would you enjoy a glass of milk If
you knew that some of this milk was
produced by penal labor at our state
penitentiary? Those men are working
at Is cents per day. many with a
vengeance. You drink this milk be-
cause you r ignorant Of it's source
This milk has been sold in Bismarck
for some time. Dairymen in this
community pay their taxes the same
as anywhere else. When the state
penitentiary does not raise enough
feed to sustain its herd some of the
dairymen's taxes r used to sus-
tain 1t.
I have considered the governor of
u state a very good business man.
A dairy commissioner is appointed to
look after the dairy interests in this
state. Much propaganda has come
from this source, telling farmers not
to sell their butterfat and buy oleo-
margine instead. A fine example
these state officials are lending to
the dairymen when they sci. their
penal labor milk in competition with
the dairymen of this community and
then 60 to the freight depot and haul
to the penitentiary loads of oleomar-
garine. Call this fair competition, If
you please.
It seems to me the spread in price
between producer and consumer is
entirely too great. The producer has
an investment to work with in many
cases far greater than the distributor.
For example the milk sold by the
distributor does not all come from
one dairy. Many diaries contribute
their product to n distributor. You
can readily see there is an immense
investment on the producers side to
sustain one distributor for the milk
he requires. The distributors in
vestment may be, for instance, $25,-
600. The investments of the pro-
ducers required to furnish this milk
would be somewhere in the neighbour
hood of $250,0 00. One distributor.
therefore, handling the combined
products of his producers is receiving