56 BUYING MII<K AND CREAM 



In this case the creamery does not operate a station as such. 

 The independent cream buyer operates a cream station of his 

 own. Here he receives the farmer's cream, weighs and tests 

 it and ships it to the creamery. He sells it to the creamery 

 at a stipulated price based on market quotations. The creamery 

 simply buys the cream from the independent cream buyer and 

 pays him for it, regardless of how he secures it, or what he pays 

 for it. These independent buyers are under no specific obliga- 

 tion to the creamery, they are not employed by the creamery 

 and they sell to the creamery that will pay them the best price. 



The independent buyer cannot be considered a stable factor 

 in the creamery business. His investment in the business is 

 negative and his responsibility to the business causes him no 

 worry. His tendencies are nomadic, he exists because he sees, 

 or thinks he sees, an opportunity to make easy money. His 

 plans do not contemplate permanency of business, he goes into 

 it prepared to retire from it the moment conditions are not 

 favorable for immediate profit. In exceptional cases the creamery 

 may advantageously deal with the independent buyer, but more 

 often these business relations are of short duration only, and 

 often cease when the creamery needs cream most. With a few 

 isolated exceptions, the independent buyer cares nothing for 

 quality and furnishes an inferior grade of cream. 



Farmers' Co-operative Marketing Association. Still another 

 type of cream station system is represented by Farmers' Co- 

 operative Marketing Associations, in which the farmers pool 

 their cream and sell it through the medium of the secretary or 

 other representative officer of their association. Such an associa- 

 tion has been in operation in the state of Nebraska for several 

 years. While the principle of mutual co-operative organizations 

 of this type is commendable and should be advantageous to the 

 cream producer, the actual results of their operation have not 

 proved very satisfactory from the standpoint of the stability of 

 the creamery industry. This association cream, similar to the 

 independent buyers cream, represents a floating supply. The as- 

 sociation sells to the highest bidder and the keen competition 

 among creameries for cream not infrequently causes the prices 

 paid for this cream to be far beyond its market value. This, to- 



