Montana farmer-stockman., 1955-08-15
A FAIR
:xCHAN1
by
Cedric Adons

WE HAVE ALL BEEN hedr1ng q Aot
ubout the group of Russion form ex-
perts touring the United States. OF
ficiol1y known as the Soviet Agricul-
turol Delegation. they recently spent
about q week In Minnesota The leoder
of the delegation. by the woy. is
Vlodornis Vlodiminvich Metskevich.
First Deputy Minister of Agriculture Tor
the U.S.S.R. Thot's quite q mouthfui
isn't it? The purpose of their tour. OF
course is to promote friendship ana
better understanding between our two
countries.
THE CsROuP-made I'M of Ia agricultural
Ieaders-visited a member of FARMS
cheese factory, implement factory
REA project, creamery, poultry plant can
merry, flour mill, packing plant, and Just
about everything else around here connecteo
with the business of farming.
ONE THING THEY SAW HERE which
they hove probably never seen before.
because there is no such thing in Hus-
sio, was q free market where prices
are determined by the people-both os
buyers ond us sellers. The Mime
opoIis Groin Exchange. the worlds
largest Gosh groin market. wos one OF
the high spots of their entire tour. At
the Groin Exchange they sow hundreds
of buyers ond se1lers-dll In one enor-
nous mountaineering their business
publicly. Eoch seller. representing
elevator operators ond formers. wos
trying TO get the best possible price
for his qroin. Eoch buyer. representing
mills, boxers, ond other groin users
wos trying to fill his needs as eco
nomicol1Y os possible. They seemed
confused. but highly interested. when
they learned thot the price of each
transaction wos immediately recorded
ond posted within seconds on the big
blackboard for everyone to see. They
were told too thot the latest prices were
sent out immediately TO every news
pepper und radio stdtion thut requests
the informdtion. This. of course. wus
ON entirely different approach to NOR
ketinq thon onYthing they hod ever
seen before. In Russiu. there is only
one buYer-the Government. and it sets
the price on form products. ond then
decides who shon get these products.
SO YOU SEE, in spite of the publicity given
to all the matted msikS ehey nave tFLe0s snS
new stores they have sh0pped I'm FOR ene
first time, nnOteIs they have spent the night
in, these Russian farm experts have seen
American farming and American farm mar
keting at it's best. Tt would be very m
teresting to read the reports they viii prob
ably have to turn I'm when they get back go
Russia. If we could see them would
probably have even greater appreciation
of our free, competitive economy -'.
WIVES ARE A NUISANCE. of times.
wds sitting home with mine the
other NIGHT oil set for one of those do
nothing evenings. a guy needs one of
those periodically. All of sudden
she sdYs to me. 'Whot Gre groin fu-
fures?" And I suYs to her. DO you
neon TO tell me thot you've lived As
yedrs ond you don't even know whot
groin futures 0re?" And she says.
mo- don't know whut groin futures
Gre. ond the wuY you're octing. don't
believe you know either" So I soys
to her. Listen. my little Prune Dump
ling. it just so happens thot I do q
column every month for the Mime
opolis Groin Exchonge und I happen
to know quite q bit about groin flu
lures. If you'll just sit there quiet like.
I'd be very huppY to explain the whole
process to you" She comes back with.
I'm ell eors. MIR. Lord. proceed" -.
And proceed viii. in next months
column.
0,s zAAAs