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Show PROPER FIELD FOR CO-CP-ERATF&N AMONG FARRIERS By Dr. W. I Wanlass, Dean of tho School of Commerce and Busings Busi-ngs Administration Utah Agricultural College Many ventures in the iield of cooperation co-operation have failed because tie cooperators did not differentiate between be-tween the tilings they should and could not and should not attempt to do. This does not mean that all (.'roups should attempt to do the same lungs. Allien depends upon the general gen-eral situation. What is the principal object to be attained through coop-erutinn? coop-erutinn? What is to be the size of tho organization? What commodity or commodities are to bo grown or handled? What will be the probable volume? Upon the answers to those and similar questions the scope or activity activi-ty cf the cooperative enterprise should be determined. But through it all tiis fundamental principle must be keft in mind; Successful cooperation, coopera-tion, like charity, must begin at home. It is futile for any group of farmers to think of reaching away out to perform per-form the complex functions of marketing mar-keting or distribution until they bare learned do well the things that are close at hand. Failure to recognize this important principal has been the rock upon which many a well-intentioned enterprise has founered. As one studies the history of our most successful cooperative organizations lie finds that nearly all of them have hail to bade up for a second start simply because they did not at first recognize their own limitations. Naturally, Na-turally, the lesson is learned at tor-rife tor-rife cost. Most organizations are so injured by the shod; that they do not have the power to start anew. What then, are some of the things that a group of farmers can do in a cooperative way with reasonable hope of success? If it is a marketing organization, or-ganization, one of tne easiest and at the same time one of the most important im-portant things such a group can do Is to determine with great care just what commodity or commodities can lie most successfully produced. There are many factors to be considered. Koll and climatic conditions, distance to market, methods of reaching the market, the particular variety or type that is in greatest demand these and many other items must be carefully weighed and exam'ned. The writer lias in mind one locality which set out cooperatively to gain its economic salvation 3v growing strawberries for rather distant markets. After much expenditure of effort they discovered that the particular variety of berry selected and planted though lovely to I'tok upon, would hardly stand shipping ship-ping across the street. Necessarily, Uieir salvation was considerably delayed de-layed if not seriously jeopardized. Other localities that have studied these matters with great care have built up reputations which are worth millions of dollars. There is much to be accomplished in this direction. Very rarely are markets glutted with superior products that have attained B market reputation. Another marketing function closely related to the one already described Which farmers working cooperatively can perform better and cheaper than anyone else is that of grading and "packing products for market. Here , again the opportunities for Improve ment are great. Few indeed are the cooperative enterprises that have realized their full possibilities in this direction. Everywhere consumers are more and more demanding commodities commodi-ties that are un form and dependable throughout. To meet this demand markets and markot agencies are willing will-ing to pay a premium for products of this class. Ilere is the producer's opportunity. op-portunity. To do these two things thoroughly and well is an adequate program for any now cooperative enterprise no matter how . ambitious it may be. (stops lioyond this in the marketing process should be left to other agencies agen-cies which, by reason of experience and specialization, are much better fitted to do the work than a new organization or-ganization of farmers can possibly be. With a local group, actively cooperating coop-erating to do the things they are so prominently fitted to do, properly connected con-nected up with a dependable distributive distribu-tive agency, we have an almost ideal marketing arrangement. Generally, this should be the permanent arrangement. ar-rangement. It may be. however, that as the local organization- gains experience ex-perience and is abio to acquire evident evi-dent management it may with profit reacli out and perform other functions func-tions that iro more strictly a part oC tho market'ng process. This is particularly true whore the volume of business handled Is large. A considerable con-siderable number of our most successful suc-cessful cooperative enterprises, after n most bumble beginning, have gradually grad-ually widened their scope until they now cover practically the entire distance dis-tance from producer to consumer. Most frequently this Is accomplished by a number of local organizations in a district federating themselves together to-gether to form a central sales agency. Tt Is not always possible for a cooperative co-operative association to establish connections con-nections with an Independent marketing market-ing or distributive organization which is thoroughly dependable. This is unfortunate un-fortunate for thero are undoubtedly omny reliable selling agencies. .However, .How-ever, the failure to establish suitable connections and Uie general luck of confidence among farmers' organization organiza-tion in existing marketing agendoa hits led the American Farm Bureau Federation, through various corporations corpora-tions which it bus fostered to establish estab-lish at various markets selling organizations or-ganizations which are supposed to represent the organized farmers directly. di-rectly. Thus livestock commission houses have been established In several sev-eral of Uie principal live-stock markets. mar-kets. It in the siiu of these commission commis-sion houses to connect up with cooperative coop-erative live-stock shipping associations in such a way as to handle all shipments ship-ments made by these organizations. Already, a large volume of business has boon handled in this way, To a less extent but in a similar manner grain is being marketed througn agencies that are supposed to be directly di-rectly representative of the organ-izd organ-izd farmers themselves. The point to be noted is that these cooperative se'ling agencies booom available to farmers only after they have perfected local organization to do the things indicated in the earlier part of this discussion. Up to the present time an effort has been' made, to set more or less well defined limits to the field of cooperation. Before concluding it should be pointed out that there are a few fundamentals upon which all successful cooperation must be based. bas-ed. These principles must be ad-' hered to whether the organization be large or small. They may be briefly stated as follows : First, there .must be intellectual or spiritual cooperation tiefore there can he successful material cooperation. coopera-tion. To be good cooperators, men must be thoroughly convinced of the value of cooperation. For tills reason rea-son it is much better that the movement move-ment be initiated by the people immediately im-mediately concerned than that it be brought to them by some one from outside. Second, the physical conditions must be favorable. There should be a sufficient volume of business, actual ac-tual or potential, to warrant the formation for-mation of an organization. Only one commodity or a small number of similar sim-ilar commodities should be handled. Third, no business, cooperative or otherwise, can succeed without reasonably rea-sonably goo management. As volums of business done or number of functions func-tions performed increases arrangement arrange-ment becomes more and more Important. Impor-tant. Fourth, there must be absolute loyalty on the part of -the membership member-ship toward the organization. To this end the association sould have definite objects in view and there should be a common understanding as to what these object! are. Where there is any doubt as to the loyalty of member mem-ber there should be a binding contract con-tract between them and the association. associa-tion. The thousands of highly successful cooperative organizations in this country show conclusively that cooperation coop-eration among farmers is both feasible feas-ible and profitable if they will but recognize their limitations and adhere ad-here to sound fundamental principles. |