■ A- 



Market Your Wool 

 Go-operatively^_ 



ILLINOIS annually produces about 5,- 

 000,000 poumls of wool. How much of 

 it will be sold co-operatively this year 

 •in the Illinois wool iharketins program 7 

 , The way lUinojs farmers answer this 

 Hiiestion will have some bearinp on the 

 ultimate price of wool for in the past 

 buyers of low-priced wool have been in- 

 fluential in breaking the market when 

 the National Wool Marketing Corpora- 

 tion, cooperative, was 'attemptintr' to in- 

 crease returns to the producer. . 



The annual wool dip in this state 

 averages from |7.''>0,0()0 to |1,000,000 in 

 value. While wool production is a side- 

 line on most farms, the aggrcjrate in- 

 .coine is substantial! It is worth while 

 for farmers to work together and exer- 

 cise their influence in getting the best 

 j)0-isible returns for this farm product. 



The small grower has; more reason to 

 ^^ell co-operatively than ha.'i the large 

 srrnwer. Buyers are interested in volume 

 and they naturally are attracted to large 

 • luantities for .<=ale. This situation de- 

 \ elops competition. In most Illinois eoni- 

 Diunities there is only one buyer and he 

 often takes the wool at his own price. 

 Occasionally the local buyer is caught. 

 This happened in 1020 when prices 

 dropped sharply. But over a long period 

 - .if time, even over a five-year swing, the 

 Iiroducer who sells co-operatively in- 

 vririably gets a higher average return. 



Ave. 28c I'er I.h. 



A I shearing time in I'.t.SS local buyers 

 lii Illinois paid eight to 12 cents per 

 pc.iHid for wool. Thf farmer who sold his 

 wool co-operatively through the Illinois 

 Live Stock Marketing .Association that 

 yar averaged approximately 28 cents a 

 pound for wool. 



All of the 1934 wool marketed co-op- 

 eratively for Illinois farmers has not yet 

 been sold. A's a result returns have been 

 delayed. But it usually pays to wait.' 

 This is what the private buyer does. 

 "KMrniens can secure fur themselves the 

 lirofit that ordinarily results from sell- 

 ing as the nSarket needs it by co-opera- 

 tive action. 



•lames M. Coon of the Co-operative 

 Hivision, Farm Credit Administration, 

 Washington, was in Illinois during Febru- 

 ary attending a jseries of eight wool mar- 

 keting meetings! conducted by the Illinois 

 Live Stock Marketing .Association. Ray 

 K. Miller, director of livestock marketing, 

 and L. B. Hornbeck who has been tem- 

 porarily retained by the .Association, had 

 cTiarge of these meetings. Mr. Coon re- 

 ports that more interest is manifest in 

 ', Illinois this vear in the wot.l niarketinu- 



^ 



t ha 



n III 



program 

 l'j;{4. 



Wool co-operatives 

 in the United State.s 

 had approximately 

 :!00,0(K),000 pounds 

 of wool on February 

 J; he says. Approxi- 

 mately one - half of 

 this, it is estimated, 

 will be sold between 

 now and June 1. The 

 clip this year is esti- 

 mated at ;i.''>0,000,000 

 pounds which is be- 

 low normal because 

 of the slaughter of 

 .'{.000,000 to 4,000.- 

 000 sheep in drouth 

 relief areas. With a 

 carryover of only 

 1.50.000,000 pounds, 

 Mr. Coon estimates 

 that supplies will 

 run only about 500,- 

 000.000 pounds, 



which is barely enough to take care of 

 the average yearly consutiiption in the 

 United States, 



During the latter part of .March, wool 

 grading demonstrations will Ijc scheduled 

 to acijuaint producers with the various 

 grades and the reasons for variation in 

 net returns. 



Illinois Livestock Marketing 



(Continued from page 4) 

 retailing the meat to the ultimate con- 

 sumer. After all. he continued, livestock 

 is not marketed until it is processed and 

 merchandised.. 



"It is might^- easy for a farmer to slip 

 up on his values 2.5 to 50 cents a hundred 

 '\^'hen selling in the country," Randall 

 siaid. "Evidence at hand shows that farm- 

 ers- durifig the past two months have 

 frequently lost %\ to 52 per cwt. on cat- 

 tle sold to packers, commission men and 

 speculators." 



The speaker referred to hog cut-i>ut 

 tests being conducted at an eastern pack- 

 ing plant. One of the objects is to make 

 available to salesmen on various markets 

 reliable information as to cut-out values 

 for the different grades and weights <if 

 hogs, and by this means more accurately 

 measure wholesale and retail margin-. 

 This with additional information as t<> 

 storage holdings furnishes a reliable 

 hasis for arriving at the true value >>f 

 live hogs. 



In a brief talk Henry Troutnian. mian- 

 ager of the Decatur .sales office.' lie- 



scri4)ed th<- various iiews'jmd radio serv- 

 ices which enable him to keep in touch 

 with all the principal livestock markets 

 ill arriving at market value-.. We ;ire 

 are not selling live>loi-k just to gel ;< 

 ciiiiimission. he said. We are tryitij; tn 

 send the livestock received at the v,1i t-.u- 

 co-operative concentration point- t., tin 

 highest market. During the p;i-t year 

 the Decatur sales <iffice has niarketol 

 .ipproxiinately 69 |x-r cent of it- liog.- at. 

 Indianapolis, 14.1' per ci-nt in th<' <'leve-' 

 land territory, 8.1 per cent St. Louis. '.\.~ 

 per c<'nt I'uffalo, and -M y^^v cen: rhi- 

 cago. 



L. B. Hornbeck stated that there is 

 more interest this year in co-oi)eiativ<- 

 wool nuirketing than during any <>f the 

 last few years. He pointed out that '.n1 

 per cent of the wool purchaseci in .Aus- 

 tralia is sold co-operatively and that 

 Illinois f.irniers will net more for then 

 wool over a period of years by selling co- 

 opeiuitively. than through other channel":. 

 Illinois produces around .'.OOfi.odO pounds 

 of wool annually and every jientn'- added 

 to the average per iwund price means 

 .?50.000 to Illinois farmers. In 11*33 re- 

 turns to growers ranged from five cent*- 

 to 10 cents more than price- which pre- 

 vailed in Illinois tiiat seasor.. 



T-he meeting adopted a res .lutioii np- 

 ■ proved by the board that ea.-i; unit or' 

 the Illinois' Livestock MarkeiiU'.; .As-o. 

 ciation be^ a separate corporate ev';t\ 

 and that the federated type of (\x^:c a- 

 "ion be luuforni thro'igh..,;.;: thi -"..■•. 



MAKCH, 193.-. 



