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■t lite K^^anventioft 



WITH THE ASSOCIATED COMPANIES 



CREAM PRODUCERS 



More than 250,000 persons used Prai- 

 rie Farms butter last year, J. B. Countiss, 

 sales manager of Illinois Producers 

 Creameries, told 350 Illinois cream pro- 

 ducers at the annual meeting in the La- 

 Salle Hotel, Chicago, January 27. 



Forty per cent of the six million 

 pounds of butter churned by the eight 

 member creameries during the year was 

 packed and sold under the Prairie Farms 

 brand in 4,000 stores in the state. Con- 

 sumers have learned that this butter is a 

 high quality product produced by Illinois 

 farmers, Countiss pointed out. 



The financial statement of the organ- 

 ization revealed that 88% of the capital 

 investment is liquid and available for use 

 in operating the plants, buying cream, or 

 selling butter. CJnly 12% of the capital 

 is fixed in plants, trucks, equipment and 

 supplies. It was shown that for each 

 dollar in liabilities, the organization has 

 $2.37 in assets. 



Plans were laid to expand the new 

 program of selling top quality eggs under 

 Prairie Farms brand. Stress was laid on 

 the need for securing more and better 

 eggs from Illinois farmers. This pro- 

 gram will benefit Illinois egg producers 

 to the extent of $3,000,000 annually, F. 

 A. Gougler, manager of Illinois Pro- 

 ducers Creameries and I. A. A. director of 

 produce marketing told the group. 



After the business session, there was 

 discussion of policies to guide future 

 activities. More than 50 members ex- 

 pressed their opinions regarding the 

 pool plan of purchasing butterfat, 

 sources of capital, etc. 



The discussion centered around the 

 pool plan of buying butterfat. Most of 

 the members agreed that payment for 

 butterfat should be made every two weeks 

 instead of weekly as is the present prac- 

 tice. It was pointed out by creamery 

 managers that such a plan would reduce 

 the cost of bookkeeping. 



Walter Scott, Mt. Sterling, was elected 

 to the board of directors to succeed C. J. 

 Thompson, Frederick. Other directors 

 re-elected were: Ryland Capron, Peoria; 

 Harold Enns, Minier; William Bismark, 

 Geneseo; H. S. Reedy, Sullivan; Burton 

 Leamon, Olney; Frank Easterly, Carbon- 

 dale ; Harry Gehring, Altona, and E. Har- 

 ris, Grayslake. 



AUDITING 



Constant and careful audits through a 

 co-operative auditing ser\'ice to aid Illi- 

 nois co-operatives in maintaining a sound 

 financial condition have been maintained 

 during 1936 it was revealed at the an- 

 nual meeting of Illinois Agricultural 

 Auditing Association which met in Chi- 

 cago for the first time, January 27. 



In order that boards of directors and 

 members might be informed at all times 

 on the financial condition of their respec- 

 tive companies and associations, a total 

 of 439 audits were completed during 

 1936, an increase of 27 audits over 1935 

 and a gain of 104 over 1933, manager 

 Fred Ringham reported. More companies 

 were served than in any other year in the 

 history of the Association. 



More than 350 members and friends 

 of the auditing service gathered in the 

 Red Room of the LaSalle Hotel to hear 

 F. W. Peck, Director of Agricultural Ex- 

 tension for the University of Minnesota, 

 speak on "Business Principles and Prac- 

 tices in the Co-operative Field." Prof. 

 Peck was formerly Co-operative Bank 

 Commissioner of the Farm Credit Ad- 

 ministration. 



Delegates voted that Class "A" Pre- 

 ferred Stock issued for the year 1931 be 

 redeemed to the extent of $2890.00. At 

 the same time another resolution was 

 passed that certificates in the aggregate 

 amount of $4204.53 be issued to mem- 

 ber companies. 



During the past year, companies and 

 organizations which have been served by 

 the Auditing Association included 79 

 County Farm Bureaus, seven Home Bu- 

 reaus, 102 farmers' elevators, 15 livestock 

 associations, 32 creameries and milk as- 

 sociations, 68 farm supply companies, 

 seven mutual insurance companies and 16 

 miscellaneous co-operatives for a total of 

 326 companies. 



W. J. Swayer, Lake County; Jesse L. 

 Beery, Macon County, and Burton Lea- 

 mon, Richland County, were elected by 

 the group to succeed the retiring mem- 

 bers of the board of directors. Officers 

 included Jesse L. Beery, president; R. H. 

 Voorhees, vice-president; George E. 

 Metzger, secretary, and Robert A. Cowles, 

 treasurer. 



MILK PRODUCERS 



"The future looks bright for the 

 dairyman who adopts modern business 

 methods and who co-operates with the 

 group that is working for the welfare 

 of the industry of which he is a part," 

 Dr. H. A. Ruehe, chief of the dairy 

 department. University of Illinois, told 

 400 Illinois dairymen who attended the 

 Illinois Milk Producers Association con- 

 ference, January 27, in the Morrison 

 Hotel, Chicago. 



Consumers pay more for service than 

 for milk each time they buy a quart of 

 milk. Dr. Ruehe pointed out. In his 

 opinion, the best way to get more 

 money from the sale of milk is to keep 

 the retail price at a nominal figure and 

 thus increase the volume of sales. The 

 smart dairyman, he said, will study how 

 to cut his production costs so he can 

 stand up against all competition and 

 make a profit regardless of changes in 

 the market. 



"Business is being done by groups 

 these days, and it is only through co- 

 operation in dairy herd improvement as- 

 sociations, in the neighborhood use of 

 tried sires, and in the collective buying of 

 feed and other supplies that we can 

 successfully reduce production costs," 

 he stated. 



Clifford V. Gregory, member of the 

 President's commission to study co- 

 operation in Europe, described the 

 methods of milk distribution in several 

 northern European countries. He ob- 

 served that European farmers get the 

 most money for their milk in regions 

 where they do their own processing 

 under a co-operative plan. 



In a business meeting Tuesday eve- 

 ning, January 26, the Producers As- 

 sociation elected their board of directors 

 for 1937, as follows: Erwin Aufenden- 

 kamp, Jacksonville; Lawrence Bennett, 

 Decatur; Ryland Capron, Peoria; Ed 

 Gumm, Galesburg; Albert Heckle, 

 Quincy; Hugh Mainland, Rockford; 

 James McCabe, Pontiac; John McCabe, 

 Champaign; Alex McPhedran, Oglesby; 

 Arthur Meyer, Moline; Ray Miller, 

 Decatur; J. Cole Morton, Danville; 

 Walter Mugge, Harrisburg; William 

 O'Malley, DeKalb; Joseph Steiglitz, Pe- 

 oria; Marion Stubblefield, Blooming- 

 ton ; and. Glen Tombaugh, Streator. 



FEBRUARY. 1937 



21 



