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: By J. B. COUNTISS v , 



y^TS EASIER to complain about 

 l/j low butter prices than to co- 

 \^ operate in getting higher prices. 

 Illinois cream producers quit "belly- 

 aching" in May, 1933 and built since 

 then eight co-operative creameries. And 

 in October, 1936, they established a 

 central butter sales plant in Chicago for 

 the purpose of printing, packaging and 

 merchandizing Prairie Farms butter in 

 carlots which is now being manufactured 

 in these eight farme^«owned, operated 

 and controlled co-operative creameties to 

 the tune of eight million pounds an- 

 nually. 



Illinois farmers are fast learning that 

 it is not only necessary to produce butter- 

 fat economically but far more important 

 to market their products intelligently 

 through their own marketing organiza- 

 tions. Experience has proved that the 

 surest way to raise general price levels 

 in any community is to stirt a co-opera- 

 tive. The co-operative creameries have 

 been no exception. Co-operative cream- 

 eries may not pay more at all times for 

 butterfat than everybody else. But you 

 can bet everybody else will pay more to 

 all farmers for butterfat because the co- 

 operative creameries are there. Illinois 

 farmers last year received approximately 

 II4 million dollars more for butterfat 



THE PRINTING PLANT IN CHICAGO . . . 



"made possible the use of fibre boxes at a saving of $2S,000 on five million pounds." 



annually than before co-operative cream- 

 eries were established. 



T'rior to May, 1033 there was no 

 Prairie Farms butter in Illinois — no 

 interest among, farmers in the kind of 

 butter their cream was made into — no 

 incentive to produce better cream to sell 

 the local cream station or ship to Chicago. 

 But today 4,000 of the leading stores, 

 restaurants and hotels in Illinois serve 

 and" boost the aristocrat of Illinois butters 

 — PRAIRIE FARMS — "the butter that 

 must please." And 15,000 cream pro- 

 ducers share in the earnings of their 

 own creameries that make this fine butter, 

 and in addition, receive Ic per lb. qual- 

 ity premium on butterfat for Grade. A 

 cream. 



Illinois Producers' Creameries is the 

 central sales organization for selling this 

 butter. It attempts to find the best out- 

 lets available. Last year approximately 

 35% of all butter manufactured was 



NINE FULL TIME EMPLOYEES ... 

 "pack th« entire supply of tub water to return more money to the producer.' 



sold in Prairie Farms cartons and 65% 

 was sold in tubs. Recently a central sales 

 and cutting plant was established in Chi- 

 cago for the purpos^-<>f marketing this 

 tub butter to better advantage and'>«tiim 

 more riieq^y to producers for butterfat. 



When butter is sold in 64 lb. sprucifr 

 tubs the tub goes with the butter. These 

 tubs cost 39c each or approximately .(>c 

 per lb. butter. On 5,000,000 lbs. of 

 butter the tub cost is approximately 530,- 

 000.00. The printing plant in Chicago 

 will make it possible to ship butter in 

 fibre boxes which cost approximately .Ic 

 per lb. butter or $5,000.00 — or a sav- 

 ings of $25,000.00 on 5,000,000 lbs. 



Tub sales are the first step but we be- 

 lieve that to get the most money for our 

 butter it is necessary to be in a position 

 to sell it in 1 lb. prints, rolls or even 

 14 lb. prints and pack it in fibre boxes, 

 wooden boxes, tin foil, (or glass or rub- 

 ber tubes like hotdogs if the buyer wants 



FROM THE BELT CONVEYOR ... 



, handwrapped by Prairie Farms girls . . . ' 



DECEMBER, 1936 



