1948 

 Was Top 



DOLLAR 

 VOLUME 



Year For 

 Producers 



THE GREATEST dollar volume of 

 livestock ever handled in its history 

 was reported by Manager Dave 

 Swanson at the 27th annual meeting 

 of the Chicago Producers Commis- 

 sion Association held at the Hotel Sher- 

 man in Chicago last month. 



Livestock handled by this farmers' 

 co-op in 1948 was valued at $74,520,- 

 631.95 campared with $70,797,304.02 

 in 1947. Volume in animals, however, 

 was lower — 13,674 carloads in 1948 

 compared with 14,821 in 1947. 



The balance sheet showed a net loss 

 for the year's operations of $44,265.75 

 compared with net savings of $40,323.40 

 in 1947. During the past nine years the 

 Chicago Producers has had five years of 

 savings and four of losses. This, Man- 

 ager Swanson explained, was caused by 

 the erratic marketing situations since 

 1939. 



Chicago Producers also operates on a 

 very narrow margin to keep handling 

 charges to farmers as low as possible, 

 Swanson said. The average commission 

 per owner shipment was $5.50, a little 

 more than it was the year before. The 

 average commission per owner per year 

 amounted about $10. Swanson also 

 pointed out that the average selling com- 

 mission amounted to about 4/10 of 1 per 

 cent of the value of the livestock 

 handled. 



The Chicago Producers continued to 

 handle one-eighth of all the livestock on 

 sale on the Chicago market in 1948. 

 .'Swanson reported that receipts came 

 from 26 states and Onada and totaled 

 more than the handlings of the next three 







Top: Chaffing fogafher of Chicago Producers meeting are (left fo right) John Weller, 

 Bureau tounty; Byron Kline, McLetm; letter Davlton, Woodford; Roberf Armsfreng, War- 

 ren; and LaVerne Johnson, Kendall. Bottom: William Temple, La Salle, (fating tamera 

 at right) acts at chairman at dittrlct covcus fo nominate a director to Chicago Producers 



hoanf. 



high commission firms combined. 



Principal speaker on the program was 

 President Charles B. Shuman of the Illi- 

 nois Agricultural Association who ex- 

 plained the plans which are now under- 

 way to launch a new organization called 

 "Illinois Livestock Producers Associa- 

 tion." 



This new organization will, in effect, 

 be an association of Illinois' six livestock 

 marketing cooperatives designed to (1) 

 strengthen present livestock marketing 

 cooperatives, (2) establish additional 



William W. Prince Charles B. Shuman 



markets or agencies where needed or 

 where desirable, and (3) coordinate sell- 

 ing. 



"All groups interested," Shuman said, 

 "have a responsiblity they must recognize. 

 This new organization offers the frame- 

 work of a better program of increased 

 efficiency, coordination, and service. 



"This is not," Shuman said, "the final 

 act in livestock marketing coordination 

 It is only a step> — a step that could be the 

 turning point in livestock marketing and 

 of great benefit to livestock producers. 



"I don't know if it is going to work, 

 but we will do our best to make it work." 



William W. Prince, youthful president 

 of the Union Stock Yards, told of efforts 



being nude to give shippers maximum 

 service at the Stock Yards. He said that 

 the yards recently passed the billion mark 

 in animals handled. To show the extent 

 of the job at the Stock Yards, Prince said 

 the yards have 40,000 gates and moved 

 25,000 tons of manure and bedding last 

 year. 



Swanson called for continued sup- 

 port for the Chicago Producers in the 

 coming year. "Livestock producers," he 

 said, "must be better organized and their 

 organizations must be more effective if 

 they are to meet the challenge of other 

 groups in our economy. 



"All livestock producers have ever 

 wanted or asked for is fair prices^ but it 

 is becoming increasingly evident that if 

 fair prices for livestock are to be ob- 

 tained, it will be necesary for livestock 

 producers to organize better, and through 

 their organizations, function more effec- 

 tively than they have in the past. 



"The cooperative livestock marketing 

 organizations in Illinois can work to- 

 gether so that livestock producers 



of Illinois will benefit. For years there 

 has been some criticism in Illinois that 

 cooperative livestock organizations did 

 not work together. In that connection it 

 is well to remember that the individual 

 livestock producer has always had his 

 choice as to where, when, and how he 

 would market his livestock, and will 

 continue to have the same freedom of 

 choice under the new Illinois Livestock 

 Producers Association." 



New members elected to the board of 

 directors of Chicago Producers were 

 Clinton Glennie, Winnebago county; La- 

 Verne Johnson, Kendall; and James 

 Little, Lowell, Ind. 



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L A. A. RECORD 



