1948 

 Was Top 



DOLIAR 

 VOIUME 



Year For 

 Producers 



THE C.RI:ATEST dollar volunic of 

 livestock ever handled in its histor) 

 was reported by Manager Dave 

 Swanson at the 27th annual meeting 

 oi the Chicago Produters Commis- 

 sion Association held at the Hotel Sher- 

 man in Chicago last month. 



Lhestotk handled by this tarmers 

 co-op in iy-i8 was valued at S7-i,520,- 

 6H.9T campared with SlOJVVJO-i.Ol 

 m 19(7. Volume in animals, however, 

 was lower — 13.67-1 carloads in 19 iH 

 ompared with 1 1.821 in IV f~. 



Ihe balance sheet showed a net lo^s 

 tor the year's operations ot S-ii,26'S.7i 

 1 ompared with net sa\ ings ot S4(),323.-iO 

 la 19-17. During the past nine years the 

 ( hicago Producers ha.s had live years ot 

 s.ivings and tour of losses. This, Man- 

 ager Swanson explained, was caused by 

 the erratic marketing situations since 

 !'>39. 



Chicago Producers also operates on a 

 \ery narrow margin to keep handling 

 . harges to farmers as low as possible, 

 Swanson said. The average commission 

 !^er owner shipment was S'i.'iO, a little 

 more than it was the year before. The 

 ■iverage commission per owner jxr year 

 .imounted about SIO. Swanson also 

 pointed out that the average selling com- 

 mission .uiiounted to about i 10 ot l>J|gr^ 

 cent of the value of the livestock 

 handled. 



The Chicago Producers Lontinufd to 

 handle one-eighth of all tiie livestock on 

 ^ale on the Chicago market in 19-iS. 

 Swanson reported that receipts came 

 from 2('i states and Canada and totaled 

 more th.m the handlings of tin- next three 



Top: Chatting together at Chicago Producers meeting are (left to right) John Weller, 

 Bureau county; Byron Kline, Mclean; Letter Davison, Woodford; Robert Armstrong, War- 

 ren; and LaVerne Johnson, Kendall. Bottom: William Temple, La Salle, (facing camera 

 at rights acts as chairman at district caucus to nominate a director to Chicago Producers 



board. 



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 Li\estock Producers Associa- 

 tion." 



This new organization will, in effect, 

 be an association of Illinois' six livestock 

 marketing cooperatives designed to ( I ) 

 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- 



All groups interested, ' Shuman said, 

 have a responsiblity they must recognize. 

 This new organization offers the frame- 

 work of a better program of increased 

 elTiciency. i.oorilination. and service. 



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

 aa in livestock marketing coordination 

 It is only a ste[->— a step that could be the 

 turning point in livestock marketing and 

 of great benefit to livestock j-iroduccrs. 



"I don't know it 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 made 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 exteii' 

 of the job at the Stock Yards, Prince said 

 the yards have -40,000 gates and moveii 

 2'i,00() tons of manure and bedding last 

 year. 



Swanson called for continued sup 

 port for the Chicago Producers in tlK 

 coming year. "Livestock producers, ' ln. 

 said, "must be better organized and their 

 organizations must be more effective if 

 the\' are to meet the challenge of other 

 groups in our economy. 



"AH livestock producers have ever 

 wanted or asked for is fair prices, but it 

 is becoming increasingly evident that it 

 fair prices for livestock are to be ob- 

 tained, it will be necesary for livestock 

 producers to organize better, and through 

 their organization.s, function more effet 

 tively than they have in the past. 



"The cooperative livestock marketinc 

 organizations in Illinois can work to 



gether so th,it livestock producer^ 



of Illinois will benefit. For years then, 

 has been some criticism in Illinois thai 

 cooperative livestcxk organizations diii 

 not work together. In that connection i; 

 is well to remember that the individual 

 livestock producer has always had hi^ 

 choice as to where, when, and how he 

 would market his livestock, and wili 

 continue to have the same freedom o! 

 choice under the new Illinois Livestock 

 Producers Association." 



New members elected to the board o' 

 directors ot Chicago Producers wer 

 Clinton Glennie, Winnebago county; La 

 Verne Johnson, Kendall; and Jamc^ 

 little. Lowell, Ind. 



d, 



:i2 



I. A. A. RECORD 



