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The IBiBOM AgriwJtmml Awociatioo Record 



Oct S. 1828 



Illinois Agriculturad Association 





Pubilshed twice a month by the Illinois Aerricultural 

 Association. 608 South Dearborn Street. Cbieago. Illinois. 

 EMited by NewsPublicity Department, E, L. Bill. Director. 



Entry as second class matter Oct. 10. X92X. at the post 

 office at Chicago. Illinois, under theaci_At..Ua£cta 3, 1879. 

 Acceptance for mailing at apeciat-Tafes of postage pro- 

 viided for in Section 1103. Act of October 3. 1917. author- 

 Ued Oct. 31. 1921. . 



The Individual membership ice of the llliaois Agricul- 

 tural Association is five dollars a year. This fee includes 

 PAyveaf of ten cents for subscription to th* Illinois Ag- 

 rlruTtural Association Record. 



OFPICERS 

 Prenldent, 9. H. Thompaon, Qabitry. j 

 'Tlre-rrMldent. .*. o. iVkrrt, Beilevm«kP»- 

 TT«asarer. R. A. Cowled, BloomlngtoB. ' 

 8*ergtary^ Geo. A. Fox, Sycaaaore. 



11th. 

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23lrd. 

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EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE 

 Bj Congressional Districts 



Henry McGough, Maple Park 



G. F. Tullock, Rockford 



C, E. Bamborough, Polo 



W, H. Moody, Port Byron 



H. E. Goembel, Hoopole 



D. G. Reder, Mendota 



F. O. Barton, Corned 



C. R. Finley, Hoopeston 



O. J. Holterman, Sadorus 



, Eart C. Smith, Detroit 



, E. L. Corbin..Carllnville 



, Stanley Castle, Alton 



Carlton Trimble, Trimble 



Curt Anderson, Xenja 



Vernon Lessley, Sparta 



! Directors of De|>artments 



- ' I. A-.\. OlBce 



Qeneral Office and Assistant to Secretary, J. O. (Harper; 

 Field Organization, J. C. Sailor; Organization Pub- 

 licity, G. E. Metzger; News Publicity, .E. L. Bill; 

 Transportation, L. J. Quasey; Statistics, X C. Watson; 

 Finance, R. A. Cowles; Fr|ult and Vegetable Marketing, 

 W. B. Leeper; Live StocK Marketing, C. A. Stewart; 

 Dairy Marketing, A. D. Lynch; Phosphate-Limestone, 

 J. R. Bent. Legal, Newton Jenkins. , 



FOR ALL SHIPPING ASSOCIATIONS 



A new freight rate on mixed carloads of live 

 stock went into effect last week; | 



Two factors make up the freight chiarge in live 

 stock. One factor is the rate per hundred pounds 

 which is different with each class of stock. The 

 other factor is the minimum , weight of the car- 

 load which shippers must pay on. On mixed car- 

 loads of live stock the practice of the carriers has 

 hieen to charge the whole load at the highest rate 

 for any one kind of stock in the car, and charge 

 for the highest minimum weight represented in 

 the car. The combination that made the charge 

 highest was used. 



The rate from Galesburg to Chicago on cattle 

 is ISVi cents a hundred pounds, and the minimum 

 weight per car, 22,000 pounds. The hog rate is 

 SI214 cents a hundred and the minimum weight 

 JT.OOO. The rate on sheep is 29 cents « hundred 

 and the weight minimum, 12,000 pounds. If all 

 tfai«^ kinds of live stock were in a mixed carload, 

 •flie rate would be based on the sheep rate and the 

 eattle minimum weight under the old ruling. The 

 charge on thi^ basis from Galesburgi to Chicago 

 Would be $63.80 per carload. ' 



The eew rule of the Interstate Commerce Com- 

 mission says that both rate and weight minimum 

 must be used on one class of live stock in the c$ir, 

 the one that, figures the most freight cost. In the 

 ease of the Galesburg example the sheep rate and 

 minimum weight would be used which would make 

 the freight charge $49.30 a car. On this case the 

 saving would be $14.50 the car. It is esti- 

 mated that 45,000 carloads of mixed livestock are 

 diipped from Illinois in a year. The Live Stock 

 Marketing Department has estimated the saving 

 at $6.00 a carload. 



The Illinois Agricultural Association has been 

 working with the American Farm Bureau Fed- 

 eration and other agencies for over a year to se- 

 •ore the new mixed carload rate. 



BIG ORCHARDISTS JOIN FRUIT 



EXCHANGE 



i Within the last month, five large orchardists 



have joined the ranks of the Illinois Fruit Ex^ 



change, largely of their own accord. 



A problem and admitted weakness of the Ex- 

 change has been the lack ofr big growers in its 

 membership. At a marketing' conference a month 



ago this subject was discussed. It was said that 

 big growers have developed into salesmen and 

 were fairly well satisfied with the results they 

 were getting. 



In the meantime the Fruit Exchange has been 

 selling the products of its members. It is not 

 very proud of the prices received for early apples 

 this year but claims that it sold for higher prices 

 than individual growers or other organizations. 

 This claim is not disputed. The last issue of the 

 Record told how it sold peaches higher than 

 others. This month the Exchange reports the sale 

 of sixty carloads of potatoes at prices from 25 to 

 |75 cents higher than local wholesale prices. In 

 'the same paragraph it gives the prices received 

 for different varieties so comparison can be made. 



The problem of getting the big grower to sell 

 through the Fruit Exchange is dwindling. 



I ' WATCHING FOR LEAKS 



A packing company over in Iowa asked the 

 Interstate Commerce Commission that freight 

 rates on dressed meats to New York be decreased 

 to the same rate as live stock, and that the rate 

 for other packing house products, such as cured 

 meats, be decreased to three-fourths of th^ live 

 stock rate. Other western packers joined in on 

 the request. It doesn't sound so bad on the face. 

 But such a reduction would make it cheaper to 

 . ship dressed and cared meat than to ship stock on 

 the hoof. To do that would deprive the Chicago 

 market of twenty per cent of its business which 

 now goes to eastern buyers. It would eliminate 

 competition and work to the disadvantage of live 

 stock producers. The Chicago market is the lead 

 for all other markets of the country and thus the 

 effect would be felt by all live stock producers. 



In the interest of live stock producers the Illi- 

 nois Agricultural Association has taken' a hand in 

 the matter. It is presenting the producer's case 

 at hearings before the Commission. 



' THE LITTLE RED HEN 



At the suggestion of the Illinois Agricultural 

 Association a meeting will be held in Springfield 

 on October 10, to consider a plan of inspecting 

 farm poultry flocks for the purpose of supplying 

 certified eggs to hatcheries, which in turn will be 

 inspected and placed on an accredited list. The 

 purpose of the plan is to improve the quality of 

 poultry products in Illinois. A quality product is 

 recognized as the first step in successful co-opera- 

 tive marketing. 



Illinois stands second in the United states in 

 number of farm fowls. The 1919 census gives the 

 value of Illinois poultry and eggs as $69,000,000. 

 The value of dairy products is only $72,000,000. 

 The value of fruit and vegetables is $45,000,000. 



. FOR SUCCESSFUL MARKETING 



A sound program, sound management, and a 

 sound finance plan as the three essentials for co- 

 operative marketing projects are being empha- 

 sized at the series of district conferences being 

 held by the I. A. A. 



Two years ago farmers of Stephenson county 

 began marketing dairy products co-operatively. 

 They organized as the Stephenson County Co-op- 

 erative Marketing Company.. In order to build 

 and equip their rapidly growing business, it was 

 necessary to use $80,000. Only $55,000 of stock 

 was sold. This proved a handicap and money had 

 to be borrowed. 



Too much attention was paid to doing a large 

 volume of business; too little to costs of various 

 operations. 



The I. A. A. was asked to help analyze the sit- 

 uation. It conducted a business survey and the 

 recommendations included : 



1. A marketing agreement to be entered into 

 between milk producers in the county and the co- 

 operative association for the orderly marketing 

 of the commodity. 



2. That new, money, through stock sale, be got- 

 ten into the biisiness sufBcient to handle it effec- 

 tively. 



3. That the company come under the provisions 

 of the new co-operative marketing act. 



4. That an appropriate and adequate system of 

 records be installed. 



5. That reserves, exclusive of overhead and ex- 

 pense, be created and maintained to t^ke care of 

 emergencies that may" arise in business and to 

 provide a basis for obtaining credit if needed. 



These recommendations were approved by the 

 company and they have placed organization men 

 in the field to put the new program into operation. 



CONCERNING THE PRODUCERS 



With the opening of the Producers at Evans- 

 ville, Ind., in September, Illinois live stock ship- 

 pers now have the service of co-operative selling 

 agencies .at practically all markets to which live 

 stock from the state is consigned. 



The Chicago, St. Louis, Indianapolis, Peoria, 

 and Evansville markets all have agencies operat- 

 ing under the plan of the National Live Stock 

 Producers Association. There is no membership 

 fee in any of these "co-ops" to farm bureau mem- 

 bers. Anyone may ship to them, but under the 

 ruling of the Packers and Stockyards Administra- 

 tion shippers must be members in order to par- 

 ticipate in the refund. 



Thirty per cent refund was sent back to ship- 

 pers by the Chicago, Indianapolis and St. Louis 

 agencies. Peoria refunded 20 per cent. Approxi- 

 mately $32,500 was mailed back to Illinois ship- 

 pers by the Chicago Producers alone. 



The Producers are proving that farmers can 

 successfully see their live stock to market. The 

 larger volume of business they handle the cheaper 

 it can be done and the larger the refund to pa- 

 trons. For instance the St. Louis Producers re- 

 port net earnings of $43,398.51 or 32 per cent of 

 the commissions charged during 1922. During the 

 first six montha of 1923, total earnings were $52,- 

 303.02 or over- 40 per cent of the commissiow 

 charged. 1 4 . ' / . > 



TRUTH THROUGH RESEARCH fV' r" 



A summary of the agricultural and business 

 situation from the monthly review of the Depart- 

 ment of Research, American Farm Bureau Fed- 

 eration, appears on Page 4 of the Record under 

 the heading "A. F. B. F.' Research." 



Each issue of the Record will contain a brief 

 summary of the agricultural situation as deter- 

 mined by the Department of Research, These 

 statements represent a great amount of study and 

 work in searching for the truth in figures from 

 many sources such as the United States Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture, United States census, mar- 

 ket reports, and economic bureaus. 



At an early date the Department of Research 

 will have figures which apply to Illinois 'agricul- 

 ture alone and the Record will publish the find- 

 ings. 



This department of the American Farm Bureau 

 has made perhaps the most thorough investigation 

 of actual facts concerning sales of farm products 

 of any agency. It secures the facts for the farmer. 

 Never before the farm bureau was formed did 

 farmers have in their employ statisticians to secure 

 up-to-date economic truths. 



This research work is being done primarily for 

 the use of farmers so that they maj' know the 

 facts of the agricultural situation and probable 

 trend of prices. Large banks, mail order houses, 

 implement firms and railroads all realize the value 

 of the published figures from the Department of 

 Research. '■ i >-■■'.■■ 



THE SLUMS KIDDIES 



In the sinms of Chicago, right here in our own 

 state there are hundreds of little mouths that 

 know nothing about the taste of oatmeal and 

 cream, bacon and eggs, or even a red apple. The 

 glory of sunshine, green grass and the orchard is 

 not to be founij in their world. 



A. farm vacation for 391 of these slums kiddies 

 is the contribution made by the Illinois Agrieul- 

 tiiral Association, through its members this year. 



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