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that have been made toward applying collective 

 action to his business. The U. S. Department of 

 Agriculture reports that approximately 2,000,000 

 farmers are members of more than 12,000 co-opera' 

 tives. From the orange groves of California to the 

 vast whole milk markets of the eastern seaboard 

 farmers are merging their interests into local cO' 

 operatives and these in turn are being merged into 

 great bargaining organizations. From the cotton 

 fields of the south to the sweeping wheat fields of 

 the north and northwest producers have recognized 

 the necessity of better marketing methods and have 

 developed efficient distribution machinery. In 

 the corn belt the live stock producers are annually 

 selling through their own organization more than 

 $300,000,000 worth of livestock. For every dis' 

 couragement or failure there are hundreds of signs 

 of progress and success. The complaints and criti' 

 cisms of the non'CO'operative distribution agencies 

 are being met by the justice of the farmer's ambi' 

 tion to protect his interest and secure for himself 

 and family a fair share of the nation's net income. 



]V/IORE efficient distribution of the farmer's 



products means as much to the consumer as 



it does to the producer. The consumer has been 



penalized by the high cost of the prevailing cum- 



bersome and inefficient marketing system. He is 



joining the farmer in the latter's effort to transport 

 essential food products to him at more reasonable 

 cost. I 



"TURING 1930 and succeeding years the Illinois 

 Agricultural Association will carry on. The 

 different marketing departments of the Association 

 will develop more aggressively than ever their 

 programs. More information about the aims and 

 accomplishments in co-operative marketing will 

 be disseminated. But information, however im' 

 portant, is not sufficient. Members of co-opera' 

 tives must have understanding. They must be 

 tolerant. Mistakes are made by all new enter' 

 prises. Time and experience will perfect co' 

 operative organization and strengthen weaknesses. 

 The member who thinks only of temporary profit, 

 who lacks the vision of the great purposes in co- 

 operative marketing will always be hard to satisfy. 

 There are those who hold the penny so close to the 

 eye that they cannot see the dollar beyond it. 

 We must be patient with them. 



Information, understanding, tolerance, personal 

 contact are all essentials but in order to obtain 

 results they must be crystalUzed into action. 

 Let's have action in 1930. 



- , 1 President 



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