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SEVERAL days ago a grain eleva- 

 tor was finished on the Illinois 

 river at Hennepin. In a few 

 months another will be ready at 

 Lacon. Slowly but surely Illinois 

 farmers are taking a greater share in the 

 marketing of their own grain. 



As Illinois Agricultural Association- 

 sponsored elevators and grain-handling 

 facilities multiply along the rivers and 

 inland grain growing centers, farmers 

 find themselves developing a program 

 looking toward the eventual terminal 

 marketing of grain. 



When this .program is completed, 

 it will be possible for Farm Bureau 

 members to follow their grain all the 

 way from combine to consumer with- 

 out losing ownership. Terminal facili- 

 ties are being planned for Chicago and 

 St. Louis. 



The lAA Division of Marketing, 

 is working toward similar ends in 

 its other marketing departments. The 

 intention is to keep prices more re- 

 sponsive to supply and demand. 



How can this be done.' There is 

 perhaps some difference of farm 

 opinion on marketing. You might 

 say there are three schools of thought. 



1. Some think farmers should take 

 over the entire job of marketing their 

 products. 



2. Some think farmers should carry 

 out only certain phases of marketing. 

 For instance, sell fluid milk to dealers 

 but not to consumers. 



3. Others think farmers should 

 market all the way from the feed lot 

 through the butcher shop, but for 

 only a part of the production of each 

 commodity. This is known as the 

 "across the board" method. 



Most Illinois farmers appear to favor 

 the third approach. It is believed 

 that by marketing some grain, some 

 milk, some livestock, etc., the farmer, 

 through his Farm Bureau cooperatives. 



4 



By L. L. COLVIS, 



Secretary DivUlon of Marketing 



can exert tremendous influence on 

 others in th» field. Competitors are 

 kept on their toes looking for better 

 methods of doing business. 



But marketing is not a simple opera- 

 tion. It cannot be taken on or sluflfed 

 off overnight. It is the entire process 

 of assembling, processing, grading, 

 packing, transporting, stocking, and 

 finally delivering to the consumer. As 

 Illinois farmers have moved into every 

 field of marketing their marketing 

 problem has, of necessity, become more 

 complex. Meanwhile, agriculture and 

 farmers' organizations are looked upon 

 with greater respect. 



Just setting up a cooperative is no 

 guarantee of improved marketing. 

 Sound , business principles must be 

 applied and day-to-day operations must 

 be carried on with honest effort and 

 efficiency. 



County Farm Bureaus and the 

 Illinois Agricultural Association have 

 been organizing and assisting market- 

 ing cooperatives for- more than 25 

 years. Most of the Farm Bureau co- 

 operatives have been outstanding suc- 

 cesses. They have been organized not 

 just to set up cooperatives but to de- 

 velop marketing techniques for the 

 benefit of farmers. In doing so, they 

 also have benefitted consumers. 



To facilitate the work of these co- 

 operatives, the lAA established the 

 marketing division more than a year 

 ago. While all marketing work is not 

 under this division, it does include 

 these departments and their heads: 

 livestock marketing, Sam F. Russell; 

 grain marketing, George H. Iftner; 

 dairy marketing, Judson P. Mason ; 

 and fruit and vegetable marketing, R. 

 S. McBride. Following is a brief 

 account of what is being done in these 

 departments. 



M IRKETIElR 



Since 1947 there has been increased 

 activity in the operations of the Illinois 

 Livestock Marketing Association, an 

 lAA affiliate. Nine new concentrated 

 buying points have been established in 

 northern and western Illinois. 



Livestock Markets 



They are located in Henderson, 

 Stephenson, Adams, Hancock, Mercer, 

 Henry, Whiteside, Schuyler, and Scott 

 counties. In addition to the unit at 

 Freeport, Stephenson is operating 

 another at Lena. The unit at Shelby- 

 ville operates another at Effingham. 



Three more are being organized in 

 Jo Daviess, Bureau and Winnebago 

 counties. Others will be in operation 

 before the end of the year. 



The livestock marketing department 

 took an active part in the organization 

 of the producer agencies at St. Louis, 

 Chicago, Peoria, Springfield, Bushnell, 

 and Indianapolis. The first, the St. 

 Louis Producers, was started in 1922 at 

 National Stock Yards, 111. 



The original buying points of the 

 Illinois Livestock Marketing Associa- 

 tion are located in Champaign, Ver- 

 milion, McLean, Edgar, Macon, and 

 Shelby counties. These units purchase 

 hogs, and assemble other livestock for 

 shipment to a producer agency or a 

 terminal market. 



Before new concentration buying 

 points are set up, surveys are made 

 by the department at the request of 

 the county Farm Bureaus. The follow- 

 ing questions require favorable 

 answers: 1. Is there sufficient live- 

 stock in the area? 2. Are livestock pro- 

 ducers interested? 3. Are farmers will- 



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