p. 'Charlie" 



Co-operative Livestock 



Marketing Gains 



ALMOST 5,000 more carloads of 

 Illinois livestock went to market 

 the co-operative way in 1936 than in 

 1935, Samuel Sorrells, president, told 

 the 450 members and share holders 

 of Illinois Livestock Marketing As- 

 sociation who attended the annual 

 meeting of the association at the Pere 

 Marquette Hotel, Peoria, February 19. 



The equivalent of 124,698 carloads of 

 livestock was marketed from Illinois 

 last year as compared to 111,836 car- 

 loads the year before. Of this total vol- 

 ume 22.7 per cent was sold through co- 

 operative channels in 1936 as compared 

 to 21.3 per cent the year before. 



Market outlets continued to increase 

 throughout the state during the year, 

 Sorrells reported. With livestock handled 

 in 145 county auctions, packer owned 

 buying points and by small packers, plus 

 numerous sales to country buyers, it 

 is evident that livestock marketing in 

 Illinois is being decentralized. It is 

 becoming increasingly difficult for 

 farmers to develop the most effective and 

 the most efficient marketing methods 

 when the tendency on the selling side is 

 toward decentralized marketing. 



Approximately 70 per cent of federally 

 inspected slaughter of meat animals is 

 done by four large packers which shows 

 that the buying is still being done by con- 

 centrated buying power. This also in- 

 creases the problem of maintaining effec- 

 tive and efficient marketing methods, 

 the president said. 



Three Point Program 



Producers of livestock must look furth- 

 er ahead than they have in the past if 

 they are to build a marketing system 

 over which the farmers will have reason- 

 able control, was the warning sounded 

 by the association's head. If the pro- 

 ducer is to maintain a fair price level and 

 is to get a fair share of the consumer's 

 dollar, the Illinois Livestock Marketing 

 Association must place more emphasis 

 on long term objectives. 



"The association has three major pur- 

 poses. First, to conduct an educational 

 and informational field work program 

 in co-operation with the county Farm 

 Bureaus, the Illinois Agricultural Asso- 

 ciation and co-operating marketing a- 

 gencies. Second, to maintain a sales 

 service for the affiliated county market- 

 ing associations. Third, to provide a 

 market outlet for wool through co-opera- 

 tive channels," Sorrells explained. 



Throughout the year field sers'ice work 

 was carried on by L. D. Hall in the 

 northern section of the state and by S. 

 T. Simpson in the southern section. Nat- 

 urally the type of work they did varied 

 with local conditions. Among the most 

 popular activities were market tours, feed 

 lot tours, outlook meetings for feeders, 

 and local meetings. 



The increased volume of business 

 handled during the year shows that an 

 effective sales service for affiliated coun- 

 ty marketing associations was maintained. 

 While McLean county led the state in 



for the entire amount of wool sold, in- 

 cluding all grades, was 32 cents per 

 pound. According to the U. S. Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture, the average country 

 price which prevailed in Illinois through- 

 out the year was 26.4 cents per pound. 



Tazewell county led the state in vol- 

 ume of wool sold co-operatively with 

 15,755 pounds. Knox, Livingston, 

 Champaign, and Jersey counties followed 

 in order with 14,173; 11,417; 8,915, 

 and 8,716 p>ounds resfsectively. 



P. O. Wilson, manager of the Nation- 

 al Livestock Marketing Association pre- 

 sented the program of the National 

 association. He named the objectives 

 and described the scope of services 

 rendered to the 23 member agencies. His 

 discussion included the following points: 

 research and market news, transportation, 

 finance, contacts and promotion, pub- 

 licity, organization, and legislation. 



"We have a lot of men who are bor- 



aB27 283*6 



SECRETARY RAY E. 

 Seated left, J. H. "Uncle Joe" Fullterson, 

 Sorrells. of ILMA. 



volume of livestock marketed co-opera- 

 tively. Stark county marketed a greater 

 percentage of livestock produced, co- 

 operatively. 



Wool growers in territories where the 

 co-operation of local agencies has been 

 secured, profited from the higher price 

 levels established through co-operative 

 selling. During the year the association 

 marketed 159,119 pounds of wool on a 

 graded weight basis which provides for 

 returns to growers in accordance with 

 the quality of wool each produces. 



The average net returns to growers 



MILLER STANDING 



president St. Louis Producers, President S«mual 



rowing money through our subsidiary 

 organizations, namely: National Feeder 

 and Finance Company and six regionals. 

 There are nearly $19,000,000 outstand- 

 ing in loans," Wilson reported. 



He pointed out that the assodation is 

 not in the loan business excefH to have 

 a sufficiently large organization that can 

 have something to say about interest 

 rates on feeder loans. Last year the 

 Credit Association paid substantial divi- 

 dends and had ample reserves left. 



(Continued on page 22) 



MARCH, 1937 



15 



