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Prairie Farms 



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By I. B. COUNTISS 



Illinois 

 .uhini: 



y^'l'S 1:ASII;R to coinpl.iin aln)ui 

 Ul low butter prices tli.in to to 

 \^ operate in t;cttini; liii;lKr prices, 

 cream prodiuers t]uit ' IkIIv 

 in May, 1933 and built since 

 then eii;lit co o]ierative c reanierics. Anil 

 in October, 1936, they established a 

 central butter sales plant in ( hicago for 

 the purpose of printing, packa^ini; and 

 merchandizing Prairie Farms butter in 

 carlots which i.s now beini; manufactured 

 in these ei^lit farmer-owned, operateil 

 anil controlleil co-o|^erati\e creameries to 

 the tune of eii;ht million pounds an- 

 nually. 



Illinois farmers are fasUii;.irnini; that 

 it is not only nccess.wy to produce butter- 

 fat economically but far more important 

 tOi market their products intelligently 

 through their own mar^tint,' orqaniza- 

 tions. Hxjierience has proved that the 

 sureiJt way to raise ^'eneral price levels 

 in any community is to start a co-opera- 

 tive. The co-operative creameries l^ave 

 Ixren no exception. Co-operative creafn- 

 erics may not pay more at all times for 

 butterfat than everybody else. But^yo6 

 can bet everybody else will pay more to 

 all farmers for butterfat because the co 

 operative creameries are tlicre. Illinois 

 larmers last year received approximately 

 I '4 million dollars more for butterfat 



THE PRINTING PLANT IN CHICAGO ... 

 nade possible the use of fibre boxes at a saving of $25,000 on five million pounds.* 



annually than before (O operative cream- 

 eries were established. 



Prior to May, 1933 there was no 

 Pr.ijrie farms butter in Illinois - no 

 interest amont; f.irmers in the kind of 

 butter their cream u.is made into no 

 incentive to produce better cream to .sell 

 the local ircam station or ship to Chicago. 

 But toijay 1,000 of the . Ieadin<: stcrres, 

 restaiiVants and hotels ^iinTlinorr^erve 

 and boost the .iristotrat of Illinois butters 

 PRAIRIi: I'AR.M.S the butter Ih.n 



must please. And 1 '>.O()0 cream pro- 

 ducers share in the earninys of their 

 own creameries that make this fine butler, 

 and in addition, receive Ic per lb. qual- 

 ity premium on butterl.it lor (irade A 

 cream. 



Illinois Producers ( reameries is the 

 central sales or/^anization for selliiii; this 

 butter. It attempts to fmd the best out- 

 lets available. Last year approximately 

 3''^f of all butter manulactured was 



sold in Prairie I'arms cartons and 65% 

 was sold m tubs. Recently a central sales 

 and cutlini.; plant .w.is est.ibhshed in ( hi- 

 c.i,i;o l(jr the purpose of marketmt; this 

 tub butter to Ixtter advanta_ue and return 

 more money 1o producers for butterfat. 



VC'ht-n butter is sold in 6.1 Jb. spruce 

 tubs the tub ^(xs with the butler. I hesc 

 tubs cost \9c each or approximately .<k 

 per ll> butter. On 'i.OOO.ooo lbs of 

 butter the tub ci«st is .ijiproMmalely S^O,- 

 ()()<). 0(1. TJie printiMu plant in < hicaj;o. 

 will make it p>ossible to ship, butter in 

 tibre boxes which cost ajiproximalelv .U 

 per lb. butler or SS.ooo (M) . or a sav- 

 ini;s of S-:'),000.()0 on "S.ooo.OOO ll>s. 



Tub sales are the (irsi ste|-> but we \ic- 

 lieve that to i.'et the most money lor our 

 lnilter It is necessary to Ik- m a j-'osition 

 to sell it in 1 lb, j^rinis, rolls or eivn 

 I4 lb. prints and pack it in lilire Ixjxes, 

 wooden' JMjxes, tin foil, (or ^lass or rub- 

 ber tubes like hotdoirs it the buver wants 



NINE FULL TII^E EMPLOYEES ..\^.- 

 'pack the entire supply of tub water to return more money to the pr'oducer." 



FROI^ THE BELT CONVEYOR . . . 

 . handwrapped by Prairie Farms girls 



DECEMBER, 1936 



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