Show SIX BILLION A YEAR farm 1 mom coops co C 9 itao aak IBM ops a 0 14 V S liu do AV huge I 1 I 1 U eig SIMM trade rade if volume of trade is any indica tion america americas s farm cooperatives are estabi shing themselves ever more firmly as a significant force in the realm of agriculture in the 1945 46 marketing year farm cooperatives with more than five millian individual farmers par ng did a record six billion dollar business according to an estimate by the farm credit admi ni of the department of agn agri culture the report came at a time when a house small business sub committee was investigating any possible advantages the go cps might have over I 1 ther bus ness because of the tact fact that they are tax exempt and enterprises are re not lead ng in dollar volume ot of trade were some 2 grain cooperatives which handled billion dollars worth of business during the year covered by the report dairy mar associations previously were tt tl e lead ng organizations in the co op field the record business of all types represents a million dollar in crease above the cooperative vol ume in the 1944 45 marketing year deported it was emphasized however that part of this increase Is undoubtedly due to the rise in prices of products farmers sell and of supplies that farmers buy minnesota again led all states in the 1352 of them reporting member ships to talling farmers ich 1 nois was second in membership member shit shir with while wisconsin waa wa second in the number of assoria eions with 1 1002 most of them dairy groups in dollar volume the huge call cali forma cooperatives led the field with million dollars while mm min desota was second with million dollars grains dry beans and rice mar cooperatives accounted foi fox 2 associations members and billions in dollar volume to take first place tor for the yeal among commodity groupings |