UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
Washington, D. C. January, 1926 
COOPERATIVE MARKETING OF COTTON 
By GEORGE O. GATLIN, Associate Marketing Economist, Bureau of Agricultural 
Eeonomics 
CONTENTS 
Page Page 
Background of the movement______ Z Prneiples and) policies 22 === 29 
Contemporary organizations —______— 5 Methods and, practices, === - = 5] 
American Cotton Growers’ Exchange_ Li | RCOSLS Ang. Prices. == S22. Se =e 48 
One of the most interesting of contemporary achievements in 
the history of the cooperative movement in American agriculture 
is the organization and operation of 15 State-wide or regional co- 
operative cotton marketing associations. These associations, includ- 
ing all of the nonstock, nonprofit, centralized cotton-marketing 
organizations having a generally similar members’ contract and 
operating on a more or less uniform plan, have been formed since 
1920. At the present time they handle approximately 10 per cent 
of the American cotton crop and have a total membership in 13 
States of over 280,000 cotton growers. Table 1 lists the associations 
in the order of their incorporation and shows the number of mem- 
bers when organized and as of May, 1925. 
TABLE 1.—State-wide and regional cooperative cotton-marketing associations, 
dates of incorporation, and number of members 
Date of incorporation Membership 
Association Headquarters When M: 
1921 1922 | 1923 1924 | organ- | “jooy’ 
ized | r% 
Pad | | 
Num ber Number 
@eannoma Cotton Grow- | Oklahoma City, | Apr. 26 |./:..-...-|2-..2.-...|_.-..<.--- 35, 000 | 55, 041 
ers’ Association. Okla. 
Staple Cotton Coopera- | Greenwood, Miss__| May 23 |___..._-..|_-..--.-.-|_--.------ 1,800 | 2,514 
tive Association. 
Arizona Pima Cotton | Phoenix, Ariz____- elves eee ee ee Se Oe ee 713 ‘| 928 
Growers. ; 
esas arm Bureau \Cot-.|- Dallas, Tex_--....| July 27 |..........|_2.._-.-.- jee eae 19,146 | 49, 426 
ton Association. 
minkatnsas Harmers’ Union |. Little Rock; Ark__| Oct. 31 |.2fl2.__2.|_......-.-]__..-....- 13,500 | 14, 000 
Cotton Growers’ Asso- 
ciation. 
North Carolina Cotton | Raleigh, N. C.....|......-..- OY) SYNE URES Sol Me ee RO Ll ee 26,000 | 38, 052 
Growers’ Cooperative 
Association. 
1Estimated by the association. 
7A246>—= 26-1, 1 
