to four 



11, con- 

 \»H, ii 



S^rage 



■/; 



ation, 

 grade 

 class- 

 de of 

 lality, 

 ell is 

 and 

 con- 



eggs 

 11 in 

 the 

 lecks 

 idled 

 3lant 



and farm plant to market, we should^havc 

 a grading somewhat, as follows: 



Extras 60% 



S5n^ard3 — -___ 30 



Trades 



Checks and cratfes-,4.__^ 



100% 



How can such improvement be brought 

 about? Starting at the farm it will be 

 necessary to set up certain specifications 

 under which producers will care for eggs 

 on the farm. These will be simple, prac- 

 tical recommendations or requirements, 

 as follows: 



1. Flocks must be kept in a healthful 

 condition. 



2. Flocks must be confined during lay- 

 ing season. This is important in 

 producing clean eggs. 



3. Poultry houses must be kept clean 

 and sanitary. 



4. Flocks must be fed rations which 

 will produce high quality eggs. 



5. Eggs must be gathered frequently, 

 especially in hot weather. 



6. While on the farm eggs must be 

 kept in a cool, clean, moist place. 



7. Dirty eggs may be cleaned with steel 

 wool or with sandpaper pads which 

 can be purchased by association mem- 

 bers at cost. 



8. Small eggs, checked and cracked eggs 

 and soiled eggs should be consumed 

 on the farm. For immediate con- 

 sumption such eggs are as good as 

 any but they deteriorate en route to 

 market. 



9. Send eggs to the Creamery as fre- 

 quently as possible regardless of 

 whether the case is full or not. 



The above suggestions may appear very 

 rigid to many producers, yet it becomes 

 necessary to take exceedingly good care 

 of eggs to preserve their quality. It costs 

 too much to maintain a flock to allow 

 eggs to deteriorate after they are pro- 

 duced. It should also be kept in mind 

 that it costs more to market poor eggs 

 than good eggs. 



It has been estimated that 25% of all 

 perishable food supplies in the United 

 States are lost annually through waste and 

 spoilage. The returns from this 25 per 

 cent would pay well for all the extra 

 effort on the part of producers and 

 handlers required to prevent such loss. 



If member producers who send their 

 eggs to their own plant at Olney will 

 take care of them as outlined above, they 

 can be assured that proper protection will 

 be given in transit to the plant, at the 

 plant and in transit to market. Truck- 

 ing eggs from farm to plant will not 

 injure eggs if they are properly protected 

 from excessive heat and cold while on 

 the truck. The same can be said in mov- 

 ing them from Olney to market. 



As to preserving their quality while at 

 the plant at Olney, every producer patron 



BEHER BUHER CONFERENCE. FARMERS CREAMERY. BLOOMINGTON 

 Why Prairie Farms Certified Butter Tops Them All. Roy C. Potts, chief of Federal Butter, 

 Poultry, and Egg Inspection Service is at entreme right. 



can be assured this will be done. The 

 management at Olney has done every- 

 thing in advance to insure proper care 

 of the eggs. It is of interest to prospec- 

 tive egg producer patrons to know that 

 such precautions have been taken. In 

 order that egg quality be retained while 

 at the plant, it is necessary to be able 

 to govern four factors in rooms where 

 the eggs are handled and held. These 

 are as follows: 



1. Control temperature 



2. Control humidity (moisture). 



3. Control change of air. 



4. Control air circulation. 



At the Olney plant where the eggs 

 will be handled and held, the above 

 factors can be controlled absolutely. 

 Therefore, if producers will furnish the 

 association with good eggs they may be 

 assured that the high quality of such 

 eggs will be retained until they reach 

 the market. 



Under this new system of marketing 

 Illinois eggs, the greatest inducement for 

 producers to-ntake special care of their 

 eggs is the fact that they will be paid 

 according to grade. AH eggs will be 

 sold on grade and whatever price dif- 

 ferentials prevail on the market for dif- 

 ferent grades, these same differentials will 

 be passed on to the producers. Method 

 of settlement with the producers has al- 

 ready been determined by the Board of 

 Directors. At the outset, management 

 has been authorized to make an advanced 

 payment on delivery somewhat under the 

 market value and to make final settle- 

 ment to each producer once each month 

 based on grade. 



To facilitate the handling of eggs in 

 the plant, the Board has purchased a 

 Wayland automatic egg candling and 

 grading machine. In order to under- 

 stand how this machine operates it is al- 

 most necessary to see it at work. It can 

 be said that it will save the time of at 



least one employee and that it eliminates 

 many human errors. Through its use 

 breakage is reduced to a minimum and 

 each egg is weighed individually so that 

 final results mean cases of eggs of uni- 

 form quality and weight. 



The egg department of the Producers 

 Creamery of Olney is not just another egg 

 handling concern. It is an egg nurketing 

 institution which will build its reputa- 

 tion on a quality product. Like "Prairie 

 Farms Butter" — "The Butter that Must 

 Please," will soon have "Prairie Farms 

 Eggs," "The Eggs that M/tst Please." 



The Board of Directors of the Pro- 

 ducers Creamery of Olney and the man- 

 agement are determined that "Prairie 

 Farms Eggs" shall be the best Illinois 

 eggs that have yet reached the market. 

 And they have set-up an egg department 

 that assures this. All that is necessary 

 now to attain such a goal is proper co- 

 operation of a suflFicient number of good 

 producers to supply ample volume of 

 good eggs. 



Donald Kirkpatrick, general counsel 



for the Illinois Agricultural Associa- 

 tion, spoke before annual Farm Bureau 

 meetings in Randolph, Bond, St. Clair, 

 Shelby, Wisconsin State Farm Bureau, 

 and Moultrie Counties during Novem- 

 ber. Paul E. Mathias, associate coun- 

 sel talked recently before annual meet- 

 ings in Madison, Jackson and Edwards 

 counties. 



Up to December 18, the Illinois 



Agricultural Auditing Association had 

 audited 411 accounts throughout the 

 State as compared with 385 on Dec. 

 17 last year. These accounts include 

 farmers elevators, county Farm Bureaus, 

 local farm supply companies, livestock 

 marketing and shipping associations, 

 dairies and creameries, Home Bureaus 

 and insurance companies. 



3RD 



JANUARY. 1937 



