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BUTTERFAT purchases by Prairie 

 Farms Creameries during the fiscal 

 year ending Sept. 30, 1946 were just 

 short of enough to make 10,000,000 

 pounds of butter, according to the annual 

 report of retiring Manager J. B. Countiss. 

 Purchases of butterfat were the high- 

 est on record for Prairie Farms Cream- 

 eries and reflected the continuing up- 

 ward trend in business during the past 

 several years. 



Butterfat purchases for the year 

 showed an increase of 16.87 per cent 

 over 1945 and 24.49 per cent over 1944. 

 The past year marked the addition of 

 the Henry plant to the family of Prairie 

 Farms Creameries. Construction of the 

 creamery at Henry was completed and 

 put into operation in May. Cost of 

 the new plant was estimated at $180,000. 

 It can be geared to produce one million 

 pounds of butter annually. 



Addition of the Henry plant brought 

 the number of Prairie Farms Creameries 

 to 10. Others are located at Blooming- 

 ton, Champaign, Carbondale, Olney, 

 Galesburg, Carlinville, Mt. Carroll, Mo- 

 line and Mt. Sterling. 



Principal speaker was Dr. E. O. 

 Herreid of the University of Illinois 

 College of Agriculture. 



Discussing prob- 

 able trends in dairy 

 manufacturing, he 

 said: 



"As a Johnny- 

 come-lately in the 

 field of milk pro- 

 duction, Illinois 

 farmers marketing 

 their milk coopera- 

 tively have one big 

 advantage. 



"They can plan 

 their plants and 

 equip them to manufacture diversified 

 products. The trend today is away 

 from the one product plant. 



"In this state the cooperatives are 

 taking the lead in improved plants. 

 Your company has an excellent record, 

 too, in the marketing of quality prod- 

 ucts. 



"We'll soon see the need for em- 

 phasis on quality especially on cleanli- 

 ness of milk received in plants. Health 

 authorities will demand it." 



He said milk production in Illinois 

 is almost certain to increase. "Dairy- 

 ing follows hand in hand with soil 

 conservation. We have a large outlet 

 of milk in the Chicago area. Much of 

 the milk coming in to the city comes 

 from Wisconsin." 



Farmers now have $770,207.22 in- 

 vested in the member creameries which 

 have a total net worth of $1,209,860.39, 

 which represents a net value of $439,- 

 653.17 above their original investment. 

 More Illinois farmers patronized 



DECEMBER. 1946 



Dr. Herrold 



Prairie Farms Creameries board of dire<tors, left to right: Jolin SterchI, Richiand county; 

 D. L. Gorber, Carroil; H. B. Smith, Browfn; Cari Geiger, Rocic Island; Secretary Thad Love- 

 less, Macoupin; President Harold W, Enns, McLean; Treasurer Harry Gehring, Knox; A. 

 Oliver Bower, Champaign; H. J. Schumacher, Marshall-Putnam; and A. E. Fosse, Jackson. 

 Chester McCord, lAA, is not shown. 



fijuwue J'jtVufiA QhsiamsUihiA 



BUYS 

 Record Volume of Butterfat 





Prairie Farms Creameries than ever be- 

 fore. The added volume lowered costs 

 and helped increase prices paid to mem- 

 bers for butterfat and also increased the 

 profits to be returned in form of divi- 

 dends and patronage refunds. 



Prairie Farms Creameries held to its 

 high quality tradition. No butter grad- 

 ing less than 90-score government grade 

 can be packaged and sold or offered for 

 sale in Prairie Farms cartons. 



The member plants have continued to 

 diversify operations. All 10 plants make 

 Prairie Farms butter and in addition six 

 make powdered milk, three make con- 

 densed milk, two retail milk and ice 

 cream and one makes cheese. Practically 

 all of the plants sell sweet cream during 

 the year in accordance with conditions 

 when markets are favorable. 



Future plans of the creameries pro- 

 vide for increased diversification because 

 it offers a market for those members who 

 prefer to market milk rather than cream. 



Although butterfat purchases were near 

 10 million pounds for an all-time record, 

 butter sales fell to 5,711,010 pounds for 

 the lowest volume since 1937. Butter- 

 fat was diverted to more profitable chan- 

 nels when price ceilings made butter 

 making less profitable. 



Increased interest among farmers to 

 market more of their products through 

 their own plants also has resulted in the 

 board of directors becoming increasingly 

 thoughtful and careful in every major 

 change in operations. Managers have 



become more and more conscious of their 

 greater responsibilties. 



They have moved forward cautiously 

 and at all times in line with good busi- 

 ness principles which would protect the 

 member's investment and at the same 

 time afford him better markets. 



During the period of operation from 

 1933 to date, a total of 89 cents have 

 been paid back to members in preferred 

 stock dividends, and patronage refunds 

 for each dollar invested. Today, the 

 remaining 11 cents is worth $2.09. A 

 substantial amount of this will be dis- 

 tributed in patronage refunds to mem- 

 bers and the balance will be used in 

 further expanding the business. 



During the year, Prairie Farms Cream- 

 eries lost the services of its capable man- 

 ager, J. B. Countiss, who resigned Oct. 

 1 to become sales manager for Pfister 

 Associated Growers, hybrid corn produc- 

 ers and distributors with headquarters 

 at El Paso, 111. Countiss had been man- 

 ager for 16 years. 



Countiss was succeeded by Dave 

 Henry, former fieldman for Prairie Farms 

 Creameries who had been in the army 

 since March, 1941. 



ANNUAL MEETINGS 



Creameries holding annual meetings 

 in late December and January include; 

 Prairie Farms Creamery of Blooming- 

 ton, Dec. 19; Prairie Farms Creamery 

 of Galesburg, Dec. 17, and Prairie 

 Farms Creamery of Henry, Jan. 18. 



