14 



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I. A. A. RECORD— December, 1933 



Danville Producers 



Organize Milk Co-op 



Consider Future Course of 



Action At Meeting 



Nov. 20 



For many years producers in the 

 Danville milk shed have felt that they 

 were not receiving a fair share of the 

 consumer's milk dollar. Recently they 

 have been receiving a base price of 

 $1.75 and a surplus price of butterfat 

 or about 75c per cwt. The consumer 

 pays 10c per qt. The dealers have been 

 telling the farmers how much goes in- 

 to base and the percentage into sur- 

 plus. The producers felt that their 

 interests could best be served by or- 

 ganizing so they recently formed the 

 Danville Milk Producers Association. 

 Within 48 hours after the plan of or- 

 ganization was submitted, ninety per 

 cent of the milk going to pasteurizing 

 dealers was signed up. About 300 pro- 

 ducers are members. Otis Kercher, 

 Farm Adviser, and the Vermilion 

 County Farm Bureau have been active 

 in promoting the organization. 



The following officers were elected 

 at the first meeting: — G ': • ' ^ , v. ' 



R. R. Bookwalter, Danville, pres. 



George W. Lenhart, Georgetown, 

 vice-pres. 



William Leverich, Danville, sec'y- 

 treas. 



Grace L. Metzger, Covington, Ind. 



Chas. T. Delong, Potomac. 



Peter Markunas, Westville. 



L. J. Bremer, Danville. 



L. C. Faust, Covington, Ind. 



W. D. Britt, Danville. 



Purpose of Organization 



The purpose of the organization is: 



1. To sell the milk of its member 

 producers to the milk distributors on a 

 classified or "use" basis at a reason- 

 able price. To have the right to check 

 the amount of milk used as fluid, 

 manufactured into ice cream and sold 

 as surplus for churning purposes. 



2. To work out a quality improve- 

 ment program so that the producers 

 will be paid for high quality milk at a 

 premium commensurate with its grade. 



3. To employ a tester to recheck all 

 butterfat tests of all milk sold on the 

 market. 



4. To stabilize the market by estab- 

 lishing a base for each producer which 

 will correspond to his fair equity in 

 the market's fluid sales and have a 

 sound surplus control program rather 

 than pay each producer half base and 

 half surplus regardless of his produc- 

 tion. 



5. To advertise the use of fluid milk 

 in Danville thus helping both producers 

 and dealers. 



6. To supply Danville consumers 

 with the best possible quart of milk at 

 a fair and reasonable price. 



"These things can only be accom- 

 plished with the co-operation of both 

 dealers and producers," said J. B. 

 Countiss, dairy marketing director. 

 "Thus far, however, the dealers have 

 refused to co-operate. They insist that 

 they are not in favor of the producers 

 organizing and contributing a check- 

 off to operate their Association. In 

 other words, after they buy the milk 

 they want to tell the producer how, 

 when and where he can spend his milk 

 check. 



"The producers contend that they 

 will deliver to the dealers' platform 

 the amount of milk the respective 

 dealers agree to buy at a reasonable 

 price and that the dealers have no 

 right to dictate the kind of organiza- 

 tion they have or how their funds 

 should be spent. V V?: , .; / 



Refused to Buy 



"It is reported that one of the 

 dealers refused to buy milk from 26 

 of the producers after he learned they 

 had joined the organization," said 

 Countiss. 



"Other members have come into the 

 Office and reported that they had al- 

 ready got their membership dues back 

 through increased tests and a higher 

 percentage of base. Presumably this 

 was done to make producers better 

 satisfied. The producers in this mar- 

 ket previous to this time have had no 

 voice whatsoever regarding prices they 

 received for their milk, the price the 

 consumers pay, the amount of milk 

 put in the surplus class at butterfat 

 prices or weights and tests." 



A mass meeting was scheduled to 

 be held at Danville Nov. 20 to con- 

 sider the dealers' ultimatum and form- 

 ulate a future plan of action. 



Mr. George Besore who has been 

 manager of the Champaign Milk Pro- 

 ducers Association has been employed 

 as manager of the association. He 

 will manage both associations, thereby 

 cutting down expenses and paying 

 producers more money. 



Co-operation Pays 



Utah Egg Producers 



The Utah Poultry Producers' Co- 

 operative Association, only 10 years 

 old, handled 88.9 per cent of the mar- 

 ket eggs of the state in 1931. In 1922 

 Utah imported part of its egg supply 

 from other states. Today it is selling 

 well over a half million cases of high 

 grade eggs at premium prices on a 

 market nearly 2,500 miles away. Early 

 this year there were 7,830 producers 

 co-operating as members. 



Sam H. Thompson Is 

 Honored In Radio Program 



Sam H. Thompson of Quincy, former 

 president of the American Farm Bu- 

 reau Federation and the I. A. A., was 



honored during 

 the A. F. B. F. 

 party - line p r o- ^ 

 gram over the 

 NBC radio sys- 

 tem on Nov. 11. 

 He was awarded 

 the distinguished 

 service medal by 

 the Federation 

 more than a year 

 ago. 



In paying trib- 

 ute to Mr. Thomp- 

 Edw. A. O'Neal 

 a typical rep- 



SAM H. THOMPSON 



son. President 

 said: "To me he is 

 resentative of the corn-belt farmer, 

 with great earnestness and integ- 

 rity and zeal for the cause of ag- 

 riculture. As his contribution, he stood 

 in the front ranks in our great fight 

 for equality for agriculture, standing 

 up before the nation fearlessly and 

 honestly advocating our cause, and it 

 was a great joy that I had the op- 

 portunity to fight under his leadership 

 in those past days." 



Dubuque Producers 



Open New Dairy Plant 



On November 9 the Dubuque Milk 

 Producers Association opened their 

 new surplus plant for fluid milk pro- 

 ducers in that milk shed. Approxi- 

 mately 20% of the members are Illi- 

 nois dairymen. About a year ago they 

 became dissatisfied with both the 

 amount and the prices received for sur- 

 plus milk and rented a brewery build- 

 ing for a surplus plant. Since beer 

 came back they sold their lease and 

 moved their plant to a new location 

 down town. New equipment has been 

 installed and they plan not only to 

 handle surplus milk but also establish 

 cream routes and churn this cream in- 

 to butter..--:;;- ,'~, ' ..':. '' ■ - ,;■ 



About 300 producers attended the 

 meeting. J. B. Countiss of the I. A. A. 

 discussed the Illinois plan of handling 

 surplus milk and pool cream and the 

 advantages of a combination plan of 

 this kind as it is being carried on at 

 Rock Island, Peoria and Bloomington. 



Dubuque producers are now receiv- 

 ing $1.20 per 100 lbs. for 3.5% milk 

 sold as fluid milk. The retail price is 

 7c per quart. 



A code is being prepared for this 

 market which will materially increase 

 prices to producers. One provision of 

 the code is that the producers will 

 handle surplus in their own plant. 



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