There's A ''Kick" in Milk 



I. C. "IKE" HOCHSTRASSER, McLean 

 County Milk Producers, makes a bacteria 

 count. Ike likes to keep the count down, 

 milk quality up. All milk marketing co-ops 

 stress quality improvement, it: helps sell 

 milk, puts more health in every quart. 



IIRE'S more kick' 



few 



gallons of milk Hun most folks 

 suspect. The basis for that 



kick hcs in the opportunity for profit af 

 forded in milk distribution and process- 

 ing. Milk, like coal, steel, rubber, furs 

 and some of the other univcrsall) used 

 commodities, li.is ht;ured in the accumuia 

 tion of the wealth of several n.ition-widc 

 corporations 



In the early days of the dairy industry, 

 when milk passed directly from producer 

 to consumer, it was strictly local business. 

 But with the introduction of condensed 

 milk, evaporateil milk, ice cream, pow- 

 dered milk and other products, the scope 

 of dairying and dairy marketing swelled 

 to national proportions. Refrigeration 

 and rapid transportation added to the 

 demand for milk, increased the size of 

 tlie industry and brought about a scramble 

 for control of markets 



With about 40 million dollars worth 

 of fluid milk going to market each year, 

 it was quite natural that some of the 

 larger dairy corporations shouitl seek con- 

 trol of the larger Illinois markets 



Harmony ber^Keen dealers .iiul pro- 

 ducers prevailed during tlic [xriod of 

 rapid expansion But trouble started 

 brewing in the low grain prices ot !')."(> 

 Producers tried to^Tash in as mui h gr.iin 

 as possible by converting it into milk. 

 Milk surpluses fornutl Tliiid milk prices 



Nearly 20 Years' Experience in Co- 

 operative Milk Marketing in Illinois 

 Proves It 



P" 



By LARRY POTTER 



tumbled. C.ondenseries could not sell 

 their products and many vsere forced to 

 close. Others bought milk on a butter- 

 fat basis, sold fat for buttermaking. 



Then tlie producers diarged the de.d 

 ers with reaping unfair profits. Producers 

 said dealers could, because of surpluses, 

 buy milk for their own price, sell it for 

 their own price. Producers supported 

 their charges with these facts: 



In 1912, consumers paid eight cents a 

 t|uart for milk for which farmers had re- 

 ceived tour cents. During the war years 

 milk retailed for 16 cents and the farmer 

 got \2 cents. In 19-0. consumers were 

 paying an aver.ige of 1-i cents a cjuart 

 while producers were getting only five 

 cents. 



With incomes hit by low prices that 

 might have been r.iised through orderly 

 marketing, militant Illinois dairymen or- 

 uani/ed Their object i\es were orderly 



marketing and increased prices through 

 surplus control and a voice in the market. 



There were producers' bargaining or- 

 ganizations in the state before 1920. 

 Their only tool for increasing prices was 

 the strike. Lach time they tried to force 

 dealers to pay more the dealers succeeded 

 in splitting the producers' groups into so 

 many tactions that they were powerless. 

 Producers were no match for the wealthy, 

 organized dealers and proces.sors. 



Producers in all parts of the state went 

 into action. In the years, 1920 through 

 193", 1 *> producers' bargaining coopera- 

 tives and seven distributing ccX)peratives 

 were established on the major milk mar- 

 kets in the state. Most of these co-ops 

 were set up under local leadership with 

 assistance from County I'arm Bureaus re- 

 inlorced by lAA guidance. Farmers were 

 determined to get their fair share of the 

 consumer's milk dollar 



MILK SALESMEN FOR 1880 PRODUCERS 

 Last year the sales committee of Peoria Milk Producers, Inc. sold more than S446.000 

 ol milk at wholesale. Members of the committee are, left to right, (seated) Ryland 

 Capron and lohn Hagenstoz, (standing) Joseph Stieglitz and Walter Neal. 



12 



I. A. A. RECORD 



