Illinois Cooperative Lecicer board of directors, left to right: Paul Rosentreter, Macoupin 



county; Earl L. Wenzei, DeKalb; President Dana Cryder, Kendall; C. Ray Ward, McLean; 



Vice President J. E. Mau, Lee; Carl J. Bates, Henry; E. A. Fosse, Jacicson. 



LOCKER ASSOCIATION PLANS 



PROGRAM 



ILLINOIS farmers now own and oper- 

 ate 85 cooperative locker plants with a 

 capacity of 46,000 lockers, Dana Cryder 

 of Minooka, president of the Illinois Co- 

 operative Locker Association, reported at 

 the Nov. 18 annual meeting of the locker 

 company. 



The meeting was held in conjunction 

 with the lAA annual convention at the 

 Hotel Sherman in Chicago. 



Through a million dollar building pro- 

 gram to be developed during 1947 by 

 various county locker companies the asso- 

 ciation expects to have a membership in 

 excess of 100 by the end of next year. 



Frank A. Gougler, director of produce 

 marketing, said that at present 16 new 

 cooperative locker plants are being built 

 or will be built soon. Plants at Sparta, 

 Lanark, Cambridge and Carbondale are 

 being enlarged. Four private plants were 

 purchased and converted into co-ops this 

 year. 



In addition to the locker plants three 

 compartively large slaughter plants have 

 been built at a cost of about $40,000 

 •each and are located at Wyoming, Paris 

 ■and Carbondale, Gougler said. 



In discussing developments for 1947 

 •Gougler said that probably one or more 

 area rendering plants would be built to 

 •process by-products from locker and 

 •slaughter plants as well as dead animals 

 from an area extending about 50 miles. 



One such plant is being considered at 

 Carbondale. 



Gougler reported that severa' compa- 

 nies are planning to build slaughter- 

 processing plants to cost from $40,000 

 to $125,000. 



These plants will perform such proc- 

 esses as slaughtering, processing, lard 

 rendering, curing and smoking, and saus- 

 age making for locker plant members. 

 Processed meats will be moved from the 

 central plant in refrigerator trucks. 



It is expected that these plants will 

 dress poultry and do custom slaughtering 

 and processing for other than locker 

 patrons. One such slaughter-processing 

 plant is being built in Macoupin county 

 about eight miles from Carlinville. 



C. F. Musser, manager of the Illinois 

 Cooperative Locker Service Company, 

 said more than $27,000 of supplies and 

 equipment for member companies were 

 purchased since May when the purchas- 

 ing department was set up. 



This could well have been $250,000 

 if supplies and equipment had been read- 

 ily available, he said. 



Discussing retail sales, Musser said 

 most of the locker plants are now selling 

 at retail pre-packaged frozen fruits and 

 vegetables, and in some cases, frozen 

 pastries, biscuits, and pies. Sales range 

 up to $300-$500 a week and one locker 

 reached a peak of $2,500 for one week's 

 sales of various pastries. 



LETTERS TO 

 THE EDITOR 



BELLS AND BORDER COLLIES 



In your November issue of the 

 Record I read your article on "Where's 

 the Dinner Bell.'" 



Our old dinner bell has recently 

 rated a new post and coat of aluminum 

 paint and is proudly displayed in our 

 back yard. Only yesterday it was used 

 to summon the corn shuckers to din- 

 ner. We are all proud of the old bell. 



I don't know whether you get many 

 letters from down here in Hamilton 

 county or not so I would like to let 

 you in on a little of our work. 



Since I have taken this opportunity 

 to write you I would like to tell you 

 about my fathers Border Collie sheep 

 dogs. This year he won the national 

 championship with "Meg" which rated 

 him a newsreel picture. Also Midwest 

 championship with "Tweed " at Sedalia, 

 Mo. His picture was in several news- 

 papers and magazines. He has been 

 working his dogs on exhibition with 

 Roy Rogers' Rodeo for the past two 

 years. He recently appeared in Chi- 

 cago. 



Verla Allen 

 Hamilton County. 



THE BELL ISN'T LOST 



In your November issue of the 

 Record you had a question on Where's 

 the Dinner Bell.'" 



Our old dinner bell hangs on a 

 chain in our peach tree in the back 

 yard. We use it when we need it to 

 call Daddy from the fields or most 

 anything. Our old dinner bell still 

 makes a loud noise. 



The old bell isn't hidden, broken 

 or lost because it still hangs in the 

 tree. 



Norma June Tait 

 Edwards County 



Letters to the Editor are wel- 

 comed from readers on any subject 

 related to agriculture. Writers 

 should sign letters with name and 

 address. Names may be withheld 

 if desired. Address Letters to the 

 Editor, Illinois Agricultural Asso- 

 ciation Record, 608 South Dear- 

 born, Chicago 5, ///. 



DECEMBER. 1946 



