410 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



sible for the salesman to bunch off several head at a better price than he 

 could obtain by selling individually. Where more than one owner is rep- 

 resented this proves impossible. After the sale, the yardman gets the 

 invoice to check each owner's stock as it goes over the scales. 



There is some considerable difference in the way commission firms 

 handle hogs. Some claim to weigh each man's hogs according to grade, 

 while other firms claim to handle hogs as straight carloads expect where 

 there is a wide difference in the grade of hogs in the load. Where sev- 

 eral owners have several grades of hogs, it is a common custom to sort up 

 these grades, selling several owners' stock as one grade and then taking 

 a separate "catch weight" draft of each man's hogs until all are placed on 

 the scale, when a final weight is taken. 



After the stock has been sold, the tickets are delivered to the office of 

 the commission firm, where each shipper's share of the expense of the 

 shipment is figured. On this account of sale the owner of stock can find 

 out his share of the freight, feed, commission, yardage, inspection and ter- 

 minal charge. It also gives him information concerning the price for dif- 

 ferent classes of stock and the names of the purchasers. 



In talking over the live stock shipping companies with managers and 

 commission men, they claim the following advantages for these com- 

 panies: 



1. The producer gets a greater return for stock marketed. 



2. The producer can market his stock when it is ready for shipment 

 without waiting for the buyer to come and see his stock. 



3. During periods of car shortage the combined efforts of the com- 

 pany have resulted in their getting their share of the cars shipped out. 



4. The shipping company familiarizes the producer with the market 

 grades and classes, and he finds out exactly what his stock is worth on the 

 open market, and this serves as a guide for future production. 



5. The carload-lot shipper in many cases has claimed an advantage 

 by shipping thru the company. Some have claimed this has been due to the 

 better service received from commission firms. As one shipper put it: 

 "How can I expect to get as good service with three or four cars a year, 

 when I am competing for this service with a buyer or company that han- 

 dles three hundred or more cars a year?" 



6. Perhaps the most important item to be taken into consideration 

 is the knowledge the producer is getting by finding out what stock is 

 worth, by making a study of tha marketing machinery, and finally by get- 

 ting him to investigate what market is best and when it has been best 

 for given grades of stock, and why it has been best. 



EXTENSION WORK. 



By Professor R. K. Bliss. 



Members of the Corn Belt Meat Producers' Association: I am very 

 glad you have received the information from Washington, as I have hoped 

 that will cheer you up and that you will not be too uneasy while I make 

 a few remarks. 



