P.D. 123 3 



Market reporters reach the market about five o'clock each week-day morning 

 and spend several hours inspecting the products to determine quality and 

 condition. They confer with the farmers, dealers, and commission men to 

 detei-mine the volume and prices of farm products on the market. These men 

 visit the auctions and farmers' cooperative markets, study the relationship of 

 volume and price on each different type of market. This depai'tment has 

 found it desirable to establish grades on farm products and the effect of grade 

 on price is an important consideration in formulating plans for greater pro- 

 duction of quality farm products. The continuous study of prices, sales 

 practices, conditions of chain stores, other retail markets, roadside stands and 

 wholesale outlets offer opportunities for market reporters and investigators 

 to obtain information that can be carefully analyzed and officially sent out to 

 our many listeners and readers. We feel, however, that supply and demand 

 will continue to be the dominating factor in the marketing of farm products. 

 Other plans, with limitations, restrictions and governmental control, may con- 

 tinue for a while and create artificial adjustments that apparently are intended 

 to be helpful and prevent periods of great surplus or extreme short crops. 

 However, our experience would indicate that our elements cannot be controlled 

 and best-laid plans often go astray. Our farmers and dealers are always alert 

 to some advantage that will react to their benefit. Our market reports and 

 other information often give to the individual the information that is necessary 

 to buy or sell at the best time and the farmer who watches reports carefully 

 and interprets the news correctly and acts wisely upon the information ob- 

 tained is usually the farmer who has a cash balance at the end of the year. 

 We ai-e definitely committed, therefore, to a policy of developing a market 

 information service that will give the greater service to the farmer and those 

 agencies that are honestly concerned with the sale and distribution of farrii 

 crops. 



Advertising Farm Products 



During the latter part of 1937 the department co-operated in an extensive 

 advertising campaign of two important farm products. National Milk Week, 

 from November 12 to November 20, brought to the attention of milk consumers 

 throughout the country the value of milk as a food pi-oduct. During the fall 

 months, in co-operation with the fruit growers, this department conducted a 

 campaign to make the consumers more conscious of the health and nutritive 

 value of our local apples, especially the Mcintosh. Both of these campaigns 

 were of great assistance in bringing about a greater consumption of these 

 farm products. We are convinced that there is a great need for co-operative 

 action, not only on the part of our farmers, but on the part of all agencies 

 interested in a more profitable agriculture in Massachusetts and in a more 

 effective program of advertising farm products. 



Our farmers have been instructed for many years in the principle of 

 increased production. The agricultural colleges and the County Extension 

 Service have been very thorough in teaching the farmer to make two blades 

 of grass grow where one grew before; to eliminate boarder cows from the 

 herd and maintain the dairy herd on the basis of increased milk production at 

 lowest possible costs; to follow a carefully planned breeding program in the 

 poultry industry and utilize only hens that would lay 200 eggs or more; to 

 plan their market garden enterprises so that the maximum amount of vege- 

 tables could be grown per acre. Modern machinery, new equipment and modern 

 buildings have been used to bring about this greater production. These prac- 

 tices, and many more, have been followed industriously by the fai-mers and 

 have been largely responsible for the increased production in many farm com- 

 modities that we have at the present day. Our farmers have leai-ned the art 

 of producing and they have learned it very well, and it now becomes a real 

 necessity for farmers to study the problems of marketing, learn to dispose of 

 their products in the most efficient and most profitable manner. 



There is a positive need for advertising. There is a vital need for bringing 

 home to the consumers pertinent facts relating to the value of our local farm 



