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NORTHWEST TURKEY GROWERS ASSOCIATION

(Regional)

The Northwest Turkey Growers Association, at Salt Lake City, Utah, was formed in 1930 by farmers in Western Colorada, Utah, Montana, Idaho, Nevada, Western Oregon, and Washington.

This is the first regional organized by turkey growers in the United States. It is expected to handle approximately 70 per cent of all turkeys in the Pacific Northwest.

Under the new regional system the turkeys from all the members will be graded, packed, and marketed under a uniform brand. The turkey farmers have a contract with their district or State associations. In turn, various district or State associations have contracts with the Northwest Turkey Growers Association, which is a grower owned and controlled regional organization. The farmers kill, dress, and deliver their birds to receiving stations designated by the State or district associations. The latter associations grade, pack, and load the turkeys for shipment on orders from the central association at Salt Lake City.

ASSOCIATION DOES ALL SELLING

The Northwest Turkey Growers Association does all of the selling. The breeding stock and the quality of turkeys will be improved through the regional's system of education. Growers will be encouraged to hold their birds to maturity instead of forcing them on the market before they are properly developed and fattened.

The new regional association hopes to eliminate speculation on the part of buyers and standardize grading and packing. Information on production and marketing will be gathered by the National Turkey Growers Association and passed along to individual turkey growers. The regional will carry on an advertising program to stimulate consumption of turkeys.

NATIONAL MAY BE FORMED

The Northwest Turkey Growers Association expects that as soon as other regionals can be developed in turkey-raising sections of the United States it may be tied into a national sales agency which cooperatives hope to develop.

The northwest regional is organized so that deductions may be made from proceeds of sales for necessary reserves and working capital. It is eligible to borrow money from the Federal Farm Board, and loans have been granted to it.

More detailed information may be obtained by writing direct to the Northwest Turkey Growers Association, Salt Lake City, Utah.

MARKETING OF FRUITS AND VEGETABLES

The fruit and vegetable field presents a variegated picture from the standpoint of cooperative organization. About 55 per cent of the total citrus production of the country is handled through growerowned and controlled cooperative marketing associations. In contrast, some of the vegetable products are hardly to be found in the cooperative ranks. The aid given growers in organization work by the Federal Farm Board in the fruit and vegetable field for most of the commodities has not yet reached the scope of national cooperative marketing.

As a result of conferences with various leaders in the cooperative marketing of fruits and vegetables, it was decided to work along commodity lines wherever practicable, to aid in establishing local and regional cooperative associations, and to follow a policy of strengthening regional activities in those areas where it does not seem feasible at present to affiliate regional activities with national marketing organizations.

LOCAL AND REGIONAL ACTIVITIES

The local and regional organization activities in this field have included work with a number of commodities. Among these activities are (1) bringing the grape growers of California together into a grape industry control plan, (2) the establishment of joint cooperative sales activities between Wisconsin and Michigan in the handling of sour cherries, (3) the initial steps taken to weld together the diverse activities of more than 50 cooperatives handling vegetables and fruits, other than citrus, in Florida, (4) assistance in setting up the Kaw Valley Potato Growers' Association of Kansas, and (5) advisory work in bringing together local potato cooperative units in Wisconsin into a central marketing organization for the group. Other local and regional projects are under way in connection with various fruits and vegetables in different sections of the country.

SOUR CHERRY COOPERATIVES

At least 60 per cent of the sour cherries produced in eastern Wisconsin and northern Michigan are handled cooperatively under a regional marketing plan developed by growers.

Three cooperatives are participating in this central sales program. They are the Fruit Growers Union Cooperative, Sturgeon Bay, Wis.; Michigan Cherry Growers, Traverse City, Mich., and the Great Lakes Fruit Industries (Inc.), Benton Harbor, Mich.

The Farm Board loaned money which made it possible for the cooperatives to acquire facilities for the processing of cherries in northern Michigan.

The plan of coordinating the marketing activities of the Wisconsin and Michigan sour cherry growers was developed by cooperative representatives assisted by the Farm Board. Under the new program orchardists produce, and through cooperative organizations, process and sell their sour cherries through a single marketing

agency.

APPLE COOPERATIVES

Apple growers in various fruit producing areas of the United States are concentrating their efforts in the development of local cooperative units. While comparatively little actual organization work has taken place during the first year that apple producers have worked under the provisions of the agricultural marketing act, they have laid the foundation for many local associations and for the federation of some of these associations into regional groups. The development of local cooperatives is necessary before steps can be taken to centralize the marketing of apples through grower-ownedand-controlled regional or national agencies.

Three cooperative apple-packing associations organized during 1930 in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia have been given financial aid by the Federal Farm Board.

MICHIGAN COOPERATIVES GROW

In Michigan the Great Lake Fruit Industries (Inc.), a growerowned cooperative, has been organized and is more closely coordinating the standardization and sales of fruit, including apples handled by local associations' members. The volume of business also has been materially expanded.

Through the Grange League Federation in Western New York two local cooperatives were brought together in 1930. Material expansion of cooperative effort among apple growers is expected in

that section.

Apple, grape, and strawberry growers in the Ozark region of Arkansas are looking toward the development of cooperative sales of these three fruits through one organization.

Apple growers in the State of Minnesota are surveying their cooperative associations with the hope of strengthening their efforts in selling fruit.

MAGNOLIA FIG ORGANIZATION

Approximately 80 per cent of the total production of skinless Magnolia figs grown in Texas during 1930 were handled through the Magtex Fig Association at Houston, Tex. This was made possible through a movement among producers and packers to centralize the sale of the figs through one cooperative marketing agency. Their efforts were stimulated by loans and other practical aid given to them under the provisions of the agricultural marketing act.

Representatives of the Federal Farm Board made surveys and guided the fig cooperatives in their organization program.

Through the Magtex Fig Association growers have been able to unify their efforts in producing, packing, and selling Magnolia figs. In the past, a total of 16 fig canning plants have been operated in the Gulf coast area of Texas. Five of the most centrally located

plants are now operated by the association under a leasing plan. The association also controls the sale of figs packed in two additional plants. These seven plants packed a total of approximately 80 per cent of the figs grown in the Gulf coast area of Texas in 1930. Three plants are cooperating under a uniform packing and selling program. The other six plants were not operated in the season of 1930. Primary loans on the canned figs are made to the association by the Federal Intermediate Credit Bank of Houston, Tex. The Federal Farm Board has made supplemental loans to the association on canned figs, making it possible for the Magtex Fig Association to market the figs effectively.

CITRUS FRUIT MARKETING

Citrus fruit growers in Florida have intensified their efforts to centralize their marketing activities through the Florida Citrus Exchange, Tampa, Fla. The passage of the agricultural_marketing act encouraged them in this work. Soon after the Federal Farm Board was created the Florida cooperatives were given financial assistance.

At the time the board granted the loan the Florida Citrus Exchange was handling slightly more than 30 per cent of the total carlot movement of citrus fruit from Florida, and the exchange was the largest handler of the fruit in the State.

With growers taking a greater interest in the idea of centralized marketing and with the practical aid given by the Farm Board, the exchange increased its business during the season of 1929-30. Several independent private citrus marketing organizations were added to the exchange which handled approximately 40 per cent of the total car-lot movement of citrus fruits from Florida in the season of 1929-30. Since that time the movement of citrus fruits through the Florida Citrus Exchange has continued to increase.

In the citrus fruit belt of the Rio Grande Valley of Texas a survey has been made by the Federal Farm Board to determine the status of cooperative marketing in that region. It is expected that as a result of this survey constructive steps can be taken to bring a larger percentage of the movement from this new area into the control of grower-owned marketing organizations.

MARKETING POTATOES COOPERATIVELY

Farmers who grow potatoes for market have been encouraged by the agricultural marketing act to organize new associations in unorganized territories and to coordinate the activities of existing organizations into larger units. Their aim is to concentrate upon the establishment of regional sales organizations in the more important shipping areas. Later cooperatives expect to coordinate these regional sales units into a national organization. The regionals probably will continue to operate within their own normal marketing areas.

During 1930 new organizations were set up in Kansas and Wisconsin. Several regional organizations are being planned by representatives of the cooperatives and progress already has been made toward the concentration of sales in larger volume. The Federal Farm Board is aiding in this organization work.

Loans have been made by the board to potato cooperatives including the Michigan Potato Growers Exchange at Cadillac, Mich., and the Hastings Potato Growers Association at Hastings, Fla. Potatoes are grown in commercial volume in all parts of the United States.

LETTUCE CLEARING HOUSE

As a result of a conference of lettuce growers held in Rochester, N. Y., at the call of the Federal Farm Board, a clearing house organization was set up. It was supported by lettuce growers in the Elba district of Genesee and Orleans Counties, growers in Fulton and Oswego districts of Oswego County and the Williamson district in Wayne County.

The clearing house functioned through the 1930 season, giving information as to shipments actually made and intended shipments and destinations. It materially assisted in broadening the distribution of western New York lettuce.

An unincorporated association of lettuce growers has been formed at Fulton, N. Y. This association cooperates with the association at Oswego in limiting the number of receivers to whom lettuce is shipped in New York City and to some degree in controlling the volume of shipments.

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