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A Farmer's Program!
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Farmers all over the country have begun to realize that the so
called "farm problem" is not on the farm. It is at the market
place: At the door step of commerce, industry and finance. Why
is the farmer continually caught in a cost-price squeeze? It is be
cause other segments of the economy can force the farmer to
terms! As a result the farmer pays an administered price on goods
he must buy and when he sells he is forced to pass on the benefits
of improved farm technology to the processors and distributors.
This must stop if farmers are to stay in business and control their
own destiny.
Look At These Facts
I Steel prices go up in 1958 when there is plenty of
steel
Automobile industry asks local dealers to discount retail
prices but won t lower factory prices when there are
plenty of automobiles.
Between 19521957 farm prices decreased 20%.
Between 1952-1957 farm expenses increased
more than 33%.
Labor asks for and gets higher wages.
Big business continues to merge to gain monopoly power.
Top planners in government act as though distress in
agriculture doesn’t matter too much.
Oil producers control crude supply to keep price up.
I What Can A Farmer Or Rancher Do? I
There is something we can do! We can stop feeding the monster
that would devour us. We can stop being bribed with our own
money! Farmers have their own factory business. Farmers in
more than 1700 communities in the mid-west have pooled their
own resources to build a factory system that works FOR farmers.
It is owned by a half million farm families who are working to
gether in their local co-ops. This farmer owned factory and dis
tribution system not only brings farm dollars back to the farms,
but it puts real competition where it is needed most. One farmer
working alone can't bargain at the factory level of industry, but
large groups of farmers CAN when they have a thriving establish
ment worth 88 million dollars to back them up.
Others Are Cooperating: So Can We
Ask the farmers in Scottsbluff, Alma, Holdrege, Sargent, Wahoo,
Stromsburg, in Nebraska, and Winner and Parkston, in South Da
i kota, among the many other co-op communities how they organ
ized themselves to increase their farm income and to protect their
farm investment. The Farmers Co-op of Parkston, South Dakota
saved the farmers $84,214.50 last year on petroleum products,
propane and other farm supplies. That was 10.42% of sales.
Beloit, Kansas Co-op had patronage refunds for farmers in Mitch
ell County of $208,055 in 1957. ..Holt County can follow the same
pattern.
Farmers And^Ranchers Co-op Is Growing
Recent devlopments include new services and expanding membership.
Here Is the Fanners Program for Holt County:
CHAMBERS: Petroleum Bulk Plant O’NEILL: Nitrogen Solutions Bulk Plant
Feed, Fertilizer & Farm Supplies Headquarters Office & Warehouse
EWING: Petroleum Bulk Plant Propane Bulk Plant
ATKINSON, STUART, PAGE, INMAN: Plans under consideration.
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Propane Service
The first new project that must be financed is propane. A group
of about 30 farmer teams from the O'Neill area are spending one
day, Wednesday, April 8, to sell the idea of their Co-op to their
friends and neighbors.
Investment Capital Needed *20,000
Approximately $20,000 of local capital is required to buy the nec
essary equipment to establish a complete propane delivery ser
vice. These farmer teams will sell Co-op interest paying invest
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merits for this purpose and pick up memberships. Interest 5 /o
guaranteed; maturity date 10 years.
Be Ready To Invest -- Keep Farm Dollars Working For Farmers