Milford chronicle., 1931-01-16

citation rather than the actual in
crease in dollars and cents. For in
stance, a member of a cooperative
organization can, in many cases, re
duce his cost of packing and grad
ing through a central packinj
house and can improve the grade o
a product by having it done by ;
capable disinterested party. Thi!
encourages the production of com
mOdities of the highest quality ant
generally speaking there is a de-
mand for products of high quality
at a reasonable price. This is moi
true in every instance and on many
commodities at the present time
when agriculture is undergoing a
severe depression; however, in nor
mai times, the above statement
holds true. By having standard
product and by ,using q standard
brand or trade mark, a selling out
let can readily be obtained which
will secure a premium. for a pro-
duct of this kind.
There are, of course, several
methods of forming cooperative or
ganizations, but before any cooper
ative organization is formed a most
careful study should be made in Or
der that it may best meet local con-
ditions and produce the best results.
In some cases stock is sold to men,
bers in proposed cooperative or
ganizatiOn and in other cases Il
1n,1a Ia f., 50,
organizations handle only the pro-
ducts of their members and others
handle not only the products OF
their members, but the products of
outsiders. 1 do not believe, hoWey-
er, that the products handled from
outsiders should at any time equal
more than 500 of the total quantity
of products handled for members of
the association. Many of the grow
ers in this State have had sad eXper-
fences because of signing notes in
order to become a member of a CO.
operative organization and ] believe
that it would be very hard to form
an organization with this require (
ment in most sections of the State.
AS you know, the majority of the I
cooperative organizations in this .
State have failed and up until five .
years ago the majority Of all CO.
operative organizations throughout .
he United States failed This as
lue, 1 believe, largely to the fact
hat they were not founded on the
proper, basis.
Farmers who join a cooperative
should not expect any
State or Government agency to op-
rate the organization for them.
IOu will find that the State Board
# Agriculture and the University OF
Delaware will be very glad to give
Ou every assistance i'll the forming
nd operation of your organization
nd will be ready at all times to Of
er assistance and advice based on
he experiences or cooperative or
known to be successful;
OweVcr, the success or failure of
our organization will absolutely de-
end on the individual members of
he organization. Whenever such
lembers lose an interest in the or
and do not attend meet I
lgs and fail to take an active part +
| its operation, the organization is
Oomed to failure. i
You are,of course, all familiar
iththe Agriculture Marketing Act
nd the Federal Farm Board which |,
as established on July Is, 1929. 1t i
the specific purpose of this Act to Ii
IcOurage successful cooperative L
ganizations and under certain G.
,nditions and with sufficient secur- h
7 they will lend money to cooper a
i've organizations. Up to the press al
It time, the principal activities of "a
c Federal Farm Board have been s.
MINED to wheat and cotton. The
suits have not been all they could
hoped for, but we must not lose "
sht of the fact that an unusual st
nditiOn exists in agriculture not W
ly in the United States, but re
the world. 1t is the plan j..
the Federal Farm Board to form IN
tional commodity organizations. Sl
r instance, the wheat producers III
? encouraged to join a local coop
ltive organization. This organi-
ion then becomes a part of reg
lal cooperative organization and
, regional cooperative Organiza- -.
II then becomes a part of the ma '''
nal cooperative organization for eF
It particular commodity. Their Ma
n is to provide national selling CHI
,ncy and to absolutely control in,
product of their members from M,
time they are produced until
ced in the consumers hands. You $40
Y ask what the cost of this meth DlI
of handling would be to the indi- GU
lal producer At the present
c, l am net in a position to say. e''
a recent meeting in Chicago, Mr.. "n'
nor, General Manager, of the az,
mers' National Grain Corpora ~ =
!, stated that the plan had not ~ ~
4 in operation long enough to a. a.!
lrately determine what the cost omi o,,ti
Id be over a period of years. toD
| closing, | want to say that the ali
, of the professional organizer of boi
)erative organizations is past r
that the individual members of FoI
proposed organization are the Cra
ones who should actually deter M
. whether or not such an organ sne,
on should he formed. This de- war
N, of course, can only be reach ing
fter careful consideration of the Don
ntages to be gained; however, TAX,
e farmers of this or any other men
nunity in this State decide that men
cooperative organization is de- and