REPORT OF IOWA FARM BUREAU FEDERATION 409 



year on the Chicago Board of Trade when only a small fraction of this 

 amount of real grain is sold at all markets in the whole United States 

 during that period. It is also contended that the five big packers have 

 attained perfection in the meat packing industry. This is probably true, 

 but the economy goes into the packers' pocket. There is a wide spread 

 between the price the feeder receives for the live animal and the price the 

 consumer pays for the beef, pork or mutton which graces his table. The 

 fact remains that the producer has been getting only about 40c of the 

 $1.00 paid by the consumer, and under present conditions he is getting 

 a still lower ratio. There is a leak somewhere. In thinking this situa- 

 tion over, I have come to the conclusion that there are leaks all along 

 the route. The pipe line connections are faulty from beginning to end. 

 Transportation, commissions, yardage, feed, insurance, storage, dockage, 

 shrinkage, grading, inspection, traveling salesmen, middlemen, wholesale 

 and retail merchants, crips and dead, high freight rates and war tax. It 

 is some wonder that we have even a grease spot left. 



The farmers must gradually acquire a marketing system of their own. 

 It has been said that the farmer does not understand the marketing 

 game, and I think that is true, but the farmer has brains and he can 

 learn marketing and become just as efficient in that line as he has been 

 in the field of production. The marketing plans will necessarily develop 

 slowly, but we must begin somewhere, so we have started to carry out 

 plans fostered by the Farm Bureau Federation. We are going to make 

 mistakes, but we must profit by those blunders and try not to make the 

 same mistake twice. 



The past year has been discouraging to the farmer, but plans have been 

 started for grain, live stock and dairy marketing, and it will be our job the 

 coming year to go on with this work, and we hope to make satisfactory 

 progress with less mistakes than we have made in the year just closed. 



As has been stated, there has recently developed determined opposi- 

 tion to the Farm Bureau Federation. We have been attacked by certain 

 agricultural papers with wide circulation and by many jealous organiza- 

 tions. None of these attacks will stand fire when put to the test but, 

 nevertheless, with the unrest among farmers in these trying times of 

 world war reaction, these attacks are having their effect in adding fuel 

 to the fire, and the coming year will be the testing period of our organ- 

 ization. I have little fear of the outcome. 



The Iowa Farm Bureau Federation is starting on a new year. As it 

 pauses to draw a good full breath and take into account the work ahead, 

 it will resolve to go on pushing the marketing and financial plans already 

 under way. It will plan to correct many mistakes made the past year, 

 but it will have no thought of going backward or abandoning any projects 

 already under way. 



It expects to go on laboring for reduction in freight rates and trying 

 to assist in working out a fair system for establishing taxation values. 

 It stands for an interstate commerce law that will allow just rate reduc- 

 tions and the return of authority of our Iowa Railway Commission over 

 intrastate traffic. It stands squarely behind the agricultural bloc in con- 

 gress, commending it for the beneficial agricultural legislation already 



