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Show FARMERS GET BETTER RESULTS THROUGH MARKETING PRODUCTS CO-OPERATIVELY Bringing Stock to a Shipping Point t Market Co-operatively. (Prepared by the United States Department Depart-ment of Agriculture.) Every successful manufacturing establishment es-tablishment has a well-organized sales department, and many farm communities communi-ties are organizing co-operative marketing mar-keting associations to act as their sales departments. The farmer, like the manufacturer, cannot afford to give attention to production aloae, but must see that the marketing of his products If. handled to best advantage. The average farmer, however, finds It difficult to give attention to mar-ki mar-ki ting necessary to obtain the best results, re-sults, because his time is fully occupied with production problems. Moreover, the limited production of the average farm ordinarily prevents the operator from obtaining the highest efficiency in the sale of his products. Individuals Individu-als are handicapped in securing complete com-plete market information on account of the time and expense involved, but a number of individuals can organize In a co-operative marketing organization organiza-tion and market their products successfully suc-cessfully through the association, say specialists of the bureau of markets, United States department of agriculture. agricul-ture. May Employ Manager. A co-operative marketing association having a sufficiently large volume of business is In a position to employ specialized marketing ability and to keep informed with respect to market conditions. The volume of business of such an organization also makes it possible to establish careful grading methods and to sell the products under brands. Desirable outlets can often be developed and maintained through cooperative co-operative effort where individual action ac-tion is Ineffective. Factors such as these, together with a realization that marketing problems In a large measure are not merely Individual In-dividual problems but are difficulties which confront all the producers in a community, have led to the establishment establish-ment of co-operative marketing associations asso-ciations in many localities. There are thousands of such organizations successfully suc-cessfully operating among the farmers farm-ers of the United States. They include farmers' grain elevator companies, cooperative co-operative creameries, cheese factories, fruit and vegetable marketing associations, associa-tions, live stock shipping organizations, organiza-tions, and tobacco and cotton associations. associa-tions. Builds Reputation for Potatoes. An example of how co-operative associations as-sociations are serving as sales departments depart-ments for farming communities is Shown in a western Maryland section where conditions have been found suitable suit-able for the production of seed potatoes. pota-toes. The farmers in this section realized re-alized from the outset that co-operative action was necessary for growers to agree on varieties and to work together to-gether on disease prevention and eradication eradi-cation and other important production problems. They also realized that efficient effi-cient sales methods are equally as important im-portant as productive methods, and there soon developed in their organization organiza-tion a sales department through which their seed potatoes are successfully marketed. Through this association the section is building up a reputation for good seed potatoes, such as could not be done by growers if they sold their seed individually. Fruit growers in a number of the valleys along the Pacific coast have developed de-veloped co-operative marketing associations asso-ciations to a high degree. Grain growers grow-ers in important grain-growing sections sec-tions are successfully handling their crops in their own elevators. Dairymen Dairy-men in dairy sections of Wisconsin and other states are adding to their profits by organizing creameries and cheese factories. The marketing of early vegetables through co-operation has reached high development in many Southern states, and county agents in all parts of the country are helping farmers to combine their shipments of live stock so that carload lots can be sent to central markets where higher prices can frequently be obtained than on the local market. Suggestions and assistance in connection con-nection with organization problems may be obtained from the bureau of markets, United States department of agriculture, and from the various state agricultural colleges. |