The Coolidge examiner., 1933-08-11
ROADSIDE
MARKETING
GOLD UNDER YOUR
GATE
By T. J. DeIohery

THERE is an old story about a
man wandering the world over
in search of the pot of gold at the
end of a rainbow. who. upon return
ing home tired. weary and discour-
aged, found the gold under his door.
step.
This fable applies in fact to thou
sands of farmers. farm women and
children who have taken far shots
At unseen markets away over the
hills, and upon failing to get profit
able prices. discovered even better
markets at their door or within easy
distance.
Good roads, the automobile, par
eel post, express, city markets and
the desire Of the consumer for fresh,
quality food have not only short
ened the route to market for thou
sands Of tons of products of the
farm. home and garden, but have
brought millions of extra dollars to
thousands of farms.
Approximately a million farm peo.
pie sell $2OO.OOO,O00 worth of pro
duce of the farm. home. garden, for
ests and wild rural districts direct
TO the consumer. In some cases this
market provides the entire farm in
come In others it greatly supple
ments the money brought in by the
major farming activity. even though
in no way related.
There seems TO be no end to what
consumers will buy from farmers
And by the same token there are
very few farms on which something
TO sell cannot be raised.
Roadside marketing is the largest
Of the direct selling outlets. Stands
located on main travelled highways
do not have to hunt up customers
Hundreds and thousands pass daily :;
but II Is up TO the farmer to make
them stop. 1t is being done by thou
sands OF farm folks in all parts of
the country.
In Michigan on a 16-mile section
Of highway. more than half the 80
farms on the road sold direct to the
consumer. These producers, accord
ing to comparison of returns when
produce is sold direct and market
ID through regular channels, got 60
cents of the consumers dollar. The
farmers who sold on the terminal
outlets received but 1914 cents. The
difference, despite a higher labor
charge for roadside markets, came
In the elimination Of transportation
and other charges for getting food
from the farm to consumer.
Figures show the cost OF distribut
ing food at the end of 1882 was AZ
per cent higher than before the war
while the farm price of food was
f3 per cent lower than the same pc
riod.
Surveys OF roadside marketing
have been made in many states for
the information of farm folks who
want to market all or part OF their
produce In this way. In Ohio. for
instance. LOO odd markets were 10.
Gated on $500 miles OF state road.
The average business of each stand
was slightly over Sl.700. ranging
from several hundred dollars to
many thousand. depending on prod
ucts handled and length Of the sell
ing season.
In addition TO roadside markets,
another profitable local outlet Is
the town retailers. The consumer
demand for home grown products Is
good. so surveys have indicated. And
this Is not patriotism entirely. City
people realize that the nearer the
source of supply. the fresher the
food.
Mrs. r. l.. Simerson, living several
miles outside of the village Of Lin
wood, North Carolina. supplies retail
stores In six cities with fruit, vege-
tables. chickens. eggs, milk and but
termilk to the tune Of $500 a year
All this food is produced in her gar
den and home without extra help.
When a Waterloo (Iowa) grocer
asked w. $. Brown to bring in more,
of the kind of eggs he had been de-
livering. he said they had made n
decided hit with his customers and
that he could use many more than
Brown was supplying. So Brown
called together 80 of his neighbors
who were working with the exten.
sion specialist in poultry. and they
formed an association.
Each farmer graded and packed
his own eggs in cartons which bore
the association name On the bot
tom of each box number was
stamped as a means of Identification
In event of complaints. None were
made because of the good handling
and frequent deliveries of the eggs
which brought premium of 3 cents
a dozen To the farmers.
Elmer l.. Rhodes of Abilene, Kan.
finds selling to retailers permits a
better distribution of labor in the
production of crops he sells over his
roadside market and in growing
other things for sale later in the
year. Early crops, too small for