MARKETING HAY AT COUNTRY POINTS. 9 



mixtures is for the producer to cease growing such hay and to pro- 

 duce only the kind in demand in the markets to which his hay is 

 usually shipped. 



MARKETING HAY AT COUNTRY POINTS. 



It is not the purpose of this bulletin to advocate any particular 

 method of marketing hay, such as selling to country shippers, ship- 

 ping by producer direct to consumers or commission men, or selling 

 through county agents. Present methods of marketing hay at coun- 

 try points as found by a survey covering practically the entire 

 country will be discussed. 



FUNCTION OP THE, COUNTRY SHIPPER. 



A reliable country shipper performs a real, definite service in many 

 hay-growing sections. This is especially true in sections where the 

 farms are comparatively small and hay is produced for the market 

 in comparatively small amounts, from one-half up to 4 or 5 carloads. 

 The country shipper renders a direct service by providing a cash 

 market for the producer's hay. In fact, he does more than this, 

 because he relieves the producer of all responsibility in finding a 

 market for his particular grade of hay and the subsequent trouble 

 that so often arises in the marketing. In other words, the farmer's 

 risk is ended when he delivers his hay to the shipper's warehouse 

 or the car. Then the shipper's risk begins and does not end until he 

 receives his money for the hay, which may be several months or even 

 a year later. 



Marketing hay is often a hazardous undertaking, unless a num- 

 ber of conditions are right — a combination that is not likely to con- 

 tinue for any great length of time. In order to market hay suc- 

 cessfully the shipper must have (1) sufficient capital to allow plenty 

 of time for settlement; (2) a knowledge not only of the grades used, 

 but how each grade is interpreted on each market or by each receiver 

 not located in a terminal market; (3) a knowledge of the kind and 

 grade of hay in demand in each of the markets to which he desires to 

 ship; (4) a knowledge of the receiver's financial standing; and (5) 

 above all else, knowledge of whether the receiver is honest or resorts 

 to any dishonest practices. In other words, it requires considerable 

 experience and costs money to learn how to make a success as a 

 shipper of hay under present conditions, and it is very doubtful 

 whether it will pay the average producer of a small or medium-sized 

 hay crop to ship his own hay, except in rare cases, such as when he 

 has a definite grasp of all of the five prerequisites. Action based on 

 a thorough knowledge of these factors constitutes a large part of the 

 functions of the country shipper. 

 53222°— 21— Bull. 977 2 



