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A Remarkable Co-operative 



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BOBN of an idea, with all the 

 marks of success at the very 

 outset, Illinois Farm Supply is 

 now well into another record breaking 

 year which promises to eclipse last 

 year's remarkable business, and firmly 

 intrench the company as the largest 

 state petroleum co-operative in the 

 United States. According to L. R. 

 Marchant, manager, Illinois Farm 

 Supply has handled 21,675,240 gallons 

 of motor fuels for the seven-month 

 period ending March 31, 1934. This 

 total includes 16,258,287 gallons of 

 gasoline, 4,426,971 gallons of kerosene 

 and 1,990,982 gallons of distillate and 

 fuel oil — a new record for the period. 



April will be the greatest in the 

 company's history. With more than a 

 train load of motor fuels a day being 

 delivered to the affiliated companies, 

 the first 3 weeks of April 1934 exceed 

 the whole of tank car shipments in 

 April 1933. 



Motor oil shows a 44 per cent gain 

 over the corresponding period last 

 year with a total of 756,245 gallons. 

 Grease sales total 472,356 pounds, a 

 gain of 17% per cent. Leading the 

 field in percentage of increase is Soy- 

 oil Paint which is 316 per cent ahead 

 of last year, the current volume being 

 equal to a carload every three days. 

 Brunswick tire sales are also on the 

 increase, the 6,838 tires handled dur- 

 ing the seven-month period being dou- 

 ble the tire business last year. . 



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Grows Fast 



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: With each year outdoing the pre- 

 vious one by a good margin, Farm Bu- 

 reau members have become accus- 

 tomed to announcements of Farm Sup- 

 ply's rapid growth. On the basis of 

 the last year's business it is hard to 

 imagine that when Geo. R. Wick- 

 er, the first manager of Illinois 

 Farm Supply, opened up for 

 business March 7, 1927, with 6 

 county companies, 

 that by the end of 

 the year there 

 were 11 affiliated 

 county companies 

 which handled 2,- 

 102,970 gallons of 

 gasoline, 1,112,508 

 gallons of kero- 

 sene, 106,076 gal- 

 lons of lubri- 

 cating oils, 48,236 

 pounds of greases 

 and 2,471 gallons of de- 

 natured alcohol. This 

 was for the 6 actual 



Farm Supply Con- 

 tinues Record- Breaking 

 Pace in Serving Members 



business months remaining in the 

 year. The next year, 1928, about 

 twice the business was done. Dividends 

 amounting to |11,239.71 were paid to 

 affiliated companies. Everybody was 

 feeling pretty good. There were now 

 16 affiliated county companies. The 

 year 1929 saw some changes. Mr. 

 Wicker left to go into business for 

 himself. L. R. Marchant came from 

 Galesburg to assume the managership. 

 Business was getting better. Patron- 

 age dividends took a decided jump, 

 "^here were now 21 affiliated com- 

 panies. More counties were organ- 

 izing. The depression hit the country. 

 Farm prices dropped like a plummet. 

 Yet, Illinois Farm Supply went its 

 record-breaking way. By the end of 

 1931 there were 47 companies, with a 

 resulting increase in sales. New prod- 

 ucts were added. Came 1933, and a 

 $6,000,000 business. More than 40,- 

 000,000 gallons of petroleum products 

 were distributed through 54 County 

 Service companies. Since 1927, more 

 than $324,000 has been paid in divi- 

 dends to member companies by Illinois 

 Farm Supply. These dividends con- 

 tributed greatly to the $500,000 in pa- 

 tronage dividends returned to member 

 patrons for the third consecutive year. 

 Today, 1934, 56 affiliated companies 

 serve every county in the state with 

 the exception of Sangamon and Cass. 

 A far cry from the original 11. More 

 business is now done in a month than 

 the whole of 1927. More than 425 

 tank trucks travel the highways daily. 

 Better than 500 retail outlets dispense 



Through these 

 offitet ctme the 

 thounndi tf or- 

 dors from Coun- 

 ^ Servieo Com' 

 paniet that sup- 

 ply membors with 

 high quality po- 

 troleum products. 



Manager L. R. 

 Marchant at his 

 desk. Loft G. W. 

 Bunting, 



ant right Mrs. 

 Dawsen. secretary 

 to manager. 



Promptness aid 

 effieient 

 tlon are 

 watehwsrd la Illi- 

 nois Farm Supply. 



Illinois Farm Supply products to 

 members and non-members in towns 

 and countryside. Bulk storage plants 

 numbering more than 145 speed up 

 service to patrons. 



The value of Illinois Farm Supply 

 and its 56 affiliated companies does 

 not stop with quality, service, and low 

 cost in petroleum products. Not just 

 a purchasing organization to pass 

 along quantity price savings to pa- 

 trons, the advent of this powerful 

 farm co-operative has wrought great 

 changes in the products and methods 

 of doing business of privately-owned 

 petroleum marketers. For many years 

 previous to the coming of Farm Sup- 

 ply, Farm Bureau members were pay- 

 ing high prices for inferior petroleum/, 

 products. Today, the whole quality 

 level has been raised for the prime 

 reason that Farm Supply quality 

 forced competition to improve. The 

 enormous purchases of the company 

 not only place it in a strong bargain- 

 ing position from the standpoint of 

 price but assure member patrons of 

 strict maintenance of highest quality. ; 



.Built on Confidence ; ' 



Thus, from an idea, a dream, the de- 

 termination of Illinois farmers to im- 

 prove their buying conditions has re- 

 sulted in fulfillment. Illinois Farm Bu- 

 reau members can point with pride to 

 Illinois Farm Supply and its 56 affili-" 

 ated companies. They can set it forth 

 as the finest example of its kind in co- 

 operative, organized action, and what 

 unity can accomplish. Those who 

 closely study the trend of the times, 

 see in Illinois Farm Supply the fore- 

 runner of similar properly conducted 

 co-operatives in other parts of the 

 country. .,,...,..;,,.,; ^,, .„.,,-..., . .. ,, ..,;^. ,.;-• 

 The die is cast. There is no 

 turning back. Good as 1933 was, 

 1934 promises to be even better. 

 The confidence of Illinois farm- 

 their own company 

 is firmly es- 

 tablished. That 

 confidence will 

 not be taken 

 lightly. It is the 

 structure upon 

 which Illinois 

 Farm Supply and 

 the wide - awake 

 County Service 

 Companies will 

 continue to render 

 outstanding serv- 

 ice to Illinois 

 Farm Bureau 

 members. 



MAY, 1934 



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