actually exists, one cannot help but raise 

 questions concerning the efficiency of the 

 cows which are now being milked on 

 many Illinois farms. 



Feeding practices may be an important 

 factor in determining whether or not 

 a herd will yield a profit. The questions 

 of legume or non-legume hay, good 

 pastures, or poor pastures, full utilization 

 of home-grown feeds or commercial mix- 

 tures, or feeding according to production, 

 must receive consideration if a herd is 

 to produce efficiently. We frequently 

 recerve reports of dairymen saving as 

 much as $10 a month on their feed bill 

 by merely feeding their cows according 

 to production and without changing feed- 

 ing mixtures. Such things are important. 



The control of disease is another im- 

 portant item that must not be overlooked 

 in the future. A car with cracked cylin- 

 ders does not give efficient service. A 

 diseased cow is not only an inefficient 

 producer, but she may be a potential 

 destroyer of your herd. The progressive 

 dairymen are considering the importance 

 of this, and they are co-operating in the 

 approved programs for controlling and 

 eradicating cattle diseases. 



Selling is the capstone of your busi- 

 ness pyramid. The proper selling of your 

 product is important, but no method of 

 selling can yield a profit unless the other 

 phases of the business are kept in proper 

 balance. Producers, as individuals and as 

 a group, have a much greater opportunity 

 to control production costs than they have 

 to control market prices. No matter how 

 good the market price may be, you can- 

 not obtain a profit if production costs 

 exceed it. Yet, our records show that 

 there are producers who do not realize 

 this. 



There is an increasing trend to im- 

 prove the quality of milk which is sold 

 to consumers. This is just as it should 

 be, but it costs money. Part of this cost 

 is borne by the producer and part by the 

 consumer. Movements to improve the 

 quality of milk by control measures and 

 attempts to supervise markets have re- 

 sulted in an increased price to the con- 

 sumer. This endangers consumption and 

 your market. In one market, the control 

 board requires consumers to pay a one- 

 cent premium on the brands of milk 

 which are advertised in newspapers. 

 This may be very detrimental to the 

 producers of that market. Increasing the 

 price one cent may curtail consumption. 

 Furthermore, it discourages advertising 

 which is the life stream of business. 



Many have complained because of 

 the spread between the price which the 

 producer gets and the price which the 

 consumer pays for a quart of milk. It 

 is true that in many markets the consumer 

 is paying too much for service in order 

 to get a quart of milk. In some markets. 



about one-third of the retail milk price 

 represents milk and two-thirds represents 

 processing, transportation and delivery 

 costs, but this spread represents costs and 

 only a very small part of it represents 

 profits. It is difficult to reduce these 

 costs because of labor wage scales, trans- 

 portation, equipment and other costs 

 which are necessary in our present system 

 of milk distribution. Milk distributors 

 are carefully studying this matter and 

 striving to remedy it. 



* Excerpts from address before Illinois Milk 

 Producers' Association, Chicago, January 27. 



Chicago Producers 



(Continued from page 8) 



meat consumers on the other.' 



"The progress we see everywhere in 

 agriculture: soil improvement, crop im- 

 provement, improvement in livestock and 

 co-operative effort, all have emanated 

 largely from the Farm Bureau activity," 

 he concluded. "Co-operative livestock 

 marketing furnishes the largest field we 

 have in which to improve farm income. 

 It is the farmer's biggest business. One 

 dollar out of every four of cash farm in- 

 come is derived from livestock. The 

 rewards are waiting us in this field of 

 co-operation and will justify greater ac- 

 tivity on the part of all." 



How organized livestock growers can 

 help themselves through advertising to 

 move seasonal surpluses of meat into 

 market channels was disclosed by C. B. 

 "Cy" Denman of Missouri, president of 

 the National Livestock Marketing Asso- 

 ciation, in the afternoon session. His 

 statement, "let's not call on the govern- 

 ment for aid until we have exhausted 

 every means toward helping ourselves" 

 was applauded. 



Last year, Denman said, the turkey 

 growers produced 20 million turkeys - — 

 nearly one for every family in the U. S. 

 Millions of these turkeys weighed 20 lbs. 

 or more although surveys have shown 

 that the average housewife wants a 

 turkey of from 8 to 10 lbs. costing not 

 more than |3. Most of these turkeys had 

 to be sacrificed to get rid of them. "Let's 

 produce intelligently and give the con- 

 sumer what he wants. That applies to 

 hogs and other farm products as well as 

 to turkeys." 



To prove his point that small families 

 with lower meat requirements are the 

 rule today, Denman started down the 

 front row. "How many in your family," 

 he asked newly-wed Cap. Mast of Prairie 

 Farmer. "Only two," replied Cap, blush- 

 ing. "I just got married last fall." 



Prof. R. C. Ashby of the University 

 of Illinois talked interestingly about 

 farming and livestock production in Eng- 



land and Scotland where he visited last 

 summer. 



Of the 600 and more attending the 

 meeting, Winnebago count}''s delegation 

 of 91 led. Stark was second with 41. 

 Illinois furnished most of the audience. 



Ford county won first prize for great- 

 est percentage increase in cars going 

 through co-operative channels. Kendall 

 and Monroe counties tied for second 

 place. Stark led in percentage of live- 

 stock marketed co-operatively with 41 per 

 cent. LaSalle led all counties in Illi- 

 nois in volume with 821 equivalent rail 

 cars. Henry was second with 818, De- 

 Kalb third with 770, followed by White- 

 side with 622 and McLean 606. Ap- 

 proximately 600 livestock growers at- 

 tended the meeting. An excellent floor 

 show and music was enjoyed during the 

 luncheon in College Inn. 



Directors re-elected are: Henry Wie- 

 land, Beloit; George F. Tullock, Rock- 

 ford; and H. H. Dobbins. All officers 

 were re-elected. 



Electric Co-ops 



(Continued from page }) 



marked with appropriate ceremonies. The 

 contractor will start as soon as his poles and 

 wire arrive. Mr. C. R. Certo of Decatur has 

 the contract for the first 67 miles. Bids were 

 taken for the next 110 miles on February 16 

 and contracts will be awarded as soon as REA 

 has approved the bids. The entire project will 

 serve 953 customers and several small com- 

 munities, including Mill Shoals, Burnt Prairie, 

 and Springerton, which have long wanted elec- 

 tricity. 



Mr. James Cooney and Associates of Belle- 

 ville are the engineers and Hugh Dobbs of 

 Springfield is the attorney. Mr. Martin, the 

 President, is from Burnt Prairie. The Farm 

 Bureau has been consulted m the organization 

 of the project and the selection of directors. 



PIKE-SCOTT-GREENE COUNTIES will 

 be served by the Illinois Rural Electric Com- 

 pany whose oflFices are in Winchester. This 

 project is the merger of three separate county- 

 wide cooperatives. It may also serve parts of 

 Calhoun and Adams Counties. Plans and 

 specifications have been completed and are now 

 in Washington for approval. 



Bids on construction will probably be in- 

 vited early in March. This is the largest 

 project so far submitted to Washington by 

 Illinois. It embraces 447 miles of line, serv- 

 ing 1,636 customers at an estimated cost of 

 $490,000. Caldwell Engineering Company of 

 Jacksonville is the engineering firm, and James 

 M. Barnes, also of Jacksonville, the lawyer. 



Forty-nine new members joined the Shelbjr 

 County Farm Bureau in the month of Jan- 

 uary. 



There are now 892 Farm Bureau members 

 in Lee County. During January and February, 

 37 new farmers joined. 



Membership in the Fulton County Farm 

 Bureau is the highest it has been in many 

 years. With the signing of 53 new members 

 in the month of January, membership jumped 

 to 967. 



APRIL 1937 



33 



