The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1941-07-23
The CO-OPTIMIST
of the F. u. G.. T. A.
No Business as Usual
Embargo Is Coming
Dribble to Market
Shipment by Permit
1t Is Hazardous

1t Is Hazardous
If any farmer or any country eleVa
tor manager thinks that the new croI
will be marketed just as in years past
he had better think again. If either
of them thinks that most of the grain
will flow as usual from producer tc
points of consumption or for CONNER
cial storage, he has another think com
ing. Business as usual is out of the
picture-so far as grain marketing is
concerned. That fact may not, as yet
have sunk into the minds of those
who produce and those who ship the
grain. Those who can't see it are
just plain unlucky. They are living
in fools paradise, blissfully uncon-
scious of the crash that is coming.
The most extraordinary condition
in the history of grain marketing con
fronts the grain growers and grain
elevators of the northwest. Look at
the situation: The terminal elevators
at Duluth are filled and public storage
space in Minneapolis is dwindling
rapidly. The surplus carried over
from the 1910 crop has poured in, in
unexampled and unexpected quantity,
making perfect log jam against the
coming 1871 crop What will happen?
Most of the grain men in the Twin
Cities look for an embargo on grain
shipments to Duluth and Minneapolis
before August TO- Get it, - an EN-
barge imposed before the new crop
movesi There have been embargoes
in the past, because of car shortage.
This is a new kind and will be-so
far as grain history goes-the first
time that there appears to be no place
to go with the new crop at threshing
time.
This will give an idea of the pinch
that is coming: A recent survey of
available space in country elevators
shows this: Minnesota, 35 million bu.
capacity, II million blu. available
space; Montana, Fl million bu. capa-
city, 9 million blu. available space;
North Dakota, so million bu. capacity,
Ia million bu. available space; South
Dakota, 20 million bu capacity, mil
lion bu. available space. Take time
out, right here, to figure how 40 mil
lion bushels of open space in country
elevators will take care not merely of
wheat but of all other grains as well.
~ Ia +Iof
both the farmer and the marketing
agencies must reconcile themselves to
the idea that the new crop will dribble
to market over a period of twelve
months, instead of the usual two
months required to handle it.
With the embargo will come the
permit system. That means that the
country elevator or shipper will have
to have a permit before an empty car
will be spotted on the siding. Ship
ments will be permitted only on abil-
ity to unload at destination So it
will come that the local elevator might
be able to ship one car today, two
tomorrow and none for the remainder
of the week Or it might be able to
ship only one car in an entire week.
The Farmers Union Grain Terminal
Associations elevator at Superior,
Wis, will not be completed until the
first of October. Then it will be able
to take care of our affiliated elevator
associations. which have subscribed
for preferred stock and have leased
space in this elevator It's capacity
is a little over million bushels.
Many local elevators are building
storage of temporary nature, which,
in some instances, seems to be of
flimsy construction. The intent is to
build as cheaply as possible so that
the storage earnings will pay for the
building the very first year. Unless
such facilities provide for the proper
conditioning of the grain-should that
be necessary-then a serious loss may
be sustained, making it very costly in
the long run. These temporary facil-
tiles should provide for quick release
of the grain, when necessary. Other
wise such storage is hazardous.