The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1933-12-15
WHAT ABOUT AGRICULTURE ?
BY Miles H. Fairbank, Sec. Treas,
Maryland Farm Bureau
Federation
PART v

touched on what the government is
doing directly on this agricultural
problem. 1t would be well now, to
consider what the farmers them
selves have been doing, with the gov
eminent aiding indirectly.
A most significant development of
the past ten years has been the
growth of cooperative marketing or
CARNATIONS. There is nothing new
about cooperative organizations, but
in the past ten years there has arisen
a class of farm leadership that be-
lieves that only when the farmer
markets his own produce will he be
prosperous and this line of thinking
has crystalized into legislation in
practically every state, setting up
favorable laws for forming coopera
itves and in the national government
adopting the policy Of fostering
farmer cooperatives by passing the
Agricultural Marketing Act which
created the Farm Board (now the
Farm Credit ADMINISTRATOR and in
making available credit and organi-
cation assistance.
Since then, there has been rapid
consolidation of these organizations
into national declarations. There is
no mistaking the trend. Every i'm
portant milk shed markets the bulk
of it's milk through cooperative or
CARNATIONS; there are now national
marketing organizations, farmer
owned and farmer controlled, for the
handling of wool, wheat and live
stock. Eggs, poultry. oranges, veg
etables and many miscellaneous
crops are marketed through various
types of associations. believe,
therefore, that while the Agricul
tural Adjustment Administration
and the Farm Credit Administrator
Ito some extent at least) are the big
factors in the emergency program of
agriculture, we cannot discuss this
problem intelligently without look
ing at the significant growth of CO.
operative marketing.
Let me say now that believe that
the idea Of cooperative marketing is
sound and because it is a sound doc
trine, it will eventually succeed. No
one can deny the farmer the right to
follow his produce further along the
road to the ultimate consumer than
he has been doing. Sound reasoning
accounts for that and hence the
growth of this part of the farm pro-
gram. But its growth will be slow
because like other things, we differ
in our opinions as to what we can or
should do and more important what
we cannot or should not 90. l want
to make several observations that
may help clarity our thinking or at
least form basis for further think
ing about this phase of agriculture.
Let me say, however, that can
not get excited about the possibility
of ever organizing the farmers to a
point where the cities could be starv-
ed into paying higher prices. Some
people talk of cooperative market
ing in such terms. 1t is in my opin-
ion, visionary, contrary to good bust
ness judgment-foolish. Other bus
inesses do not actually set prices,
even though in many cases it may
seem so. What happens is that they
put on all the traffic will hear, but
consumer demand always determines
that. Industry however, controls
consumer demand by controlling pro-
duction. Farmers have not yet
learned that-the government is try
ing hard, right now, to teach them.
There are however, certain things
that cooperative marketing can do
for farmers and which mean more to
him than price fixings.
Aot, ~ Cdl tflhC IAS
out of the handling of farm commod-
tiles do so to make a profit. Conse-
quently, it is to their advantage to
buy just as cheaply as possible and
sell as high as possible. That is so
obvious as to need no further COM
ment.
The individual farmer has no way
of knowing what the market is like
ly TO be and he can only guess and
compare the market with his last
sale. Sometimes his guess is good,
as often it is bad. For instance,
here in Maryland this year, wool
started out in the spring at lie.
Much wool was sold at that figure.
Later it reached 1Sc per pound,
thousands of pounds were sold, since
that figure was nearly double of last
year and it looked like a good mark
ct. AS matter of fact. the large
wool dealers were buying for specu-
/ LA - TN