THE 



ILLINOIS AGRICULTURAL ASSOCIATION RECORD 



To advance the purpose for which the farm Bureau was organized, namely, 

 to promote, protect and represent the business, economic, social and educa- 

 tional interests of the farmers of Illinois and the Nation, and to develop 

 agriculture. 



THE STATE FARM 

 BUREAU PUBUCAnON 



TWENTY MILLION DOLLARS! 



dSu /-^resident L^narteA vS. ^n 



uman 



TWENTY million dollars every week! That is the 

 extra toll taken from the livestock farmers' pockets 

 by the meat processing and distributing industries 

 since early in April. The reason given by the trade 

 for this deplorable condition has been the packing- 

 house workers' strike. This seems to be a flimsy excuse 

 when we realize that total slaughter 

 tonnage was reduced little more than' 

 1 per cent. 



Lest there be some question as to 

 the accuracy of this startling charge, 

 it may be well to examine the facts. 

 Every farmer knows that livestock 

 prices at the farm have taken a terrific 

 nose-dive since the peak period in Janu- 

 ary of this year. As of the first week of 

 May, top hogs are down approximately 

 $7 per hundred and choice steers are off almost as much 

 from the January high. 



Prices of other classes of livestock have not been so 

 drastically cut, but have been substantially reduced. If we 

 apply a conservative average price reduction to the aver- 

 age national weekly marketings, we find that farmers are 

 realizing twenty million dollars less each week for the 

 same tonnage of livestock. Who gets the twenty million? 

 Have retail meat prices paid by the consumers been re- 

 duced? 



With the exception of a few cuts of pork, retail prices 



were actually higher than th^ were in January. In other 

 words, livestock prices are much lower, while retail meat 

 prices are steady or higher. Wholesale prices of meats 

 also remain at a high level. 



Admittedly, our calculations are of the two plus two 

 nature, yet when twenty million dollars per week is taken 

 off farmers' prices and at the same time retail prices climb, 

 there can be but one conclusion Our present sys- 

 tem of distribution has failed in its primary function of re- 

 flecting changes in supply and demand conditions. 



Throughout this senseless strike period, the Illinois 

 Agricultural Association and the American Farm Bureau 

 Federation used every practical means of urging an early 

 settlement of this struggle for power. Appeals were made 

 to leaders of both sides of the issue and to the President 

 of the United States. 



We were informed by the packers that they were 

 protecting farmers' interests, as wage increases would 

 come out of our prices. Twenty million dollars per week 

 is a rather high price to pay for protection! The union, 

 on the other hand, was not justified in the arbitrary course 

 that it pursued. 



Farmers can draw only one reasonable conclusion. We 

 must continue to encourage the decentralization of the 

 meat industry. We must find new ways to encourage in- 

 creased competition in the field of processing and distribu- 

 tion. We should carefully examine the possibility of mov- 

 ing into these fields with our farmer cooperatives. 



XXXXXXKXXX 



JUNE, 1948 • VOLUME 26, NUMBER 6 



ILLINOIS AGRICULTURAL ASSOCIATION OFFICERS and BOARD OF DIRECTORS (By Dlstricti) 



Pr«sid«nl. Charles B. Shuman SuUivon 



Vic*-PT«sid*nt. Floyd E. Morris Buffalo 



SocrolarY. Paul E. Mathias ...Jlinsdal* 



Fiold Sac. Goo. E. Motxgtr Chicago 



Troasuror, R. A. Cowlos Bleomington 



ComptroUor. C. C. ChapoUo Chicago 



Gonorol Counsel. Donald Kirkpairick Chicago 



1st to nth Earl M. Hughes. Woodstock 



12th C. J. Elliott. Streator 



13lh ilomer Curtisa, Stockton 



Uth _ Otto Steffey. Stronghurst 



15th Edwin Gunun, Golesburg 



16th _...HusseU V. McKee. Varna 



17th E. T. Culnan. Lincoln 



IStk. John T. Evans, Hoopeston 



19th Milton W. Warren. Mansfield 



20th. K. T. Smith, Greenfield 



21st Dob L. Clarke. New Berlin 



22nd I. King Eaton, EdwordsTill* 



23rd Chester McCord. Newton 



24th _ Lyman Bunting, EUery 



2Sth .„ _ Albert Webb. Ewing 



Editor, Creiten Foster. Asi't. Editor, James C. Thomson. Field Editor, Lewis A. Reisner. 



The Illinois Agricultural Association RECORD is published monthly by the Illinois Agricultural Association at 1501 W. Woshington Road. Mendota, 

 111. Editorial Offices. 43 East Ohio St.. Chicago, 111. Entered as second doss matter at post office, Mendota, 111., Sept. 11. \93S. Acceptance for mcdl- 

 ing at special rate of postage proTided in Section 412, Act of Feb. 28, 1325, authorized Oct. 27, 1935. Address all communications tor publicotion to 

 Emterial Offices, Illinois Agricultural Association RECORD. 43 East Ohio St., Chicago. The indiTiduol membership . fee of the Illinois Agricultural As- 

 sociation is fire dollars a year. The fee includes payment of fifty cents for subscription to the Illinois Agricultural Association RECORD. Postmaster: 

 Send notices on Form 3578. Undeliverable copies returned under Form 3579 to editorial ofiices, 43 E. Ohio St., Chicago 11, Ul. 



JUNE. 1948 



