Originally published in The Vidette-Messenger of Porter County on January 23, 1931.
500 FARMERS TOLD ‘COMBINE’ IS ONLY HOPE
Manager of Association Says Over-Production and Depression Have Brought Price Tumble.
DEFENDS POLICIES OF DISTRIBUTORS
BY STEWART LEAMING (Agricultural Agent)
A vivid Pickett picture of the struggle of organized dairymen do you maintain a fair price for fluid milk against overwhelming odds in the form of rapidly mounting production and greatly restricted conception depicted by Don E. Geyer, secretary-manager of the Pure Milk Association, held some 500 Porter and LaPorte county farmers spell bound for an hour and a half Thursday afternoon at the annual meeting of pure Milk District 16, held in Valparaiso.
Tracing the history of the present milk association from its inception, Geyer pointed out that in a few years that organization had been able to bring order out of chaos by bringing some 720 independent distributors in 18,000 producers into an effective machine for supplying the consumer with milk .
At this point he made it clear that the Pure Milk organization is most democratic; that all of its decisions have been made by an overwhelming majority of the directors who in turn are selected by the membership. "Policies of the organization are not left in the hands of the manager or any other paid employee," Geyer declared, “And the decisions represent the best thought of the membership.”
The speaker declared that if any error had been made it had been in setting the base price too high following the so-called milk strike of 1929.This stimulated production to an enormous extent and while the association has been successful in prevailing upon distributor is to absorb more milk than their actual requirements, the condition could not go on indefinitely. The increase in production, he explained, continued steadily in spite of the worst industrial conditions in the memory of present-day producers and this brought about a steadily decreasing consumption of the product. Cheap milk has been offered all over the United States. One by one the great consuming centers were forced to drop the retail priceAnd this back produced a psychological condition which made the cut on the Chicago Market inevitable.
In answering the charge that the whole force of the cut had fallen on the farmer, Geyer declared that the distributors had long been bearing part of the burden by observing more base than they could market. “Why were not the drivers forced to bear part of the cut?” Is frequently asked, the speaker stated, in pointing out the difference between the Milk association and a labor union. The task of the Pure Milk association is to find an outlet for every pound of milk produced by all its members every day. The labor union maintains the wage, but does not guarantee a job for its members. When business slackens, some of the members find themselves out of work, but the dairyman has a market every day. “If our membership wants us to operate on the principle of a labor union, we will maintain the price all right, but it can be brought about only by shutting members off the market."
In defending the recent decision of the price arbitrator, Dr. Clyde King, Geyer stated that if the members are dissatisfied the whole matter can be reopened on 24 hours notice. “Where is the dairyman that dares to stay that the matter should be reopened,” thundered Geyer, and no voice took issue with him. By silence at least the membership approved the action of its directors under the stress of the circumstances.
The speaker scored members who spoke slightingly of their organization and started rumors not based on facts, and denounced them as traitors to the whole farming profession. One of the most common charges that has been made, he asserted, is that dealers are buying milk at Surplus prices and bottling it for the retail trade. “If any man has this idea, let him come to our offices and we can prove to him that dealers are taking more bass milk than they are selling as fluid,” Geyer declared. “We have complete records on every distributor and know that anyone who makes such a charge is not familiar with the facts.”
As to the financial operations of the association, he invited any member in good standing to inspect the records. “No Commercial concern throws its records open to outsiders,” he declared, but stated that any authorized person could receive an accounting of every penny spent since the work started and that monthly statements of receipts and expenditures are sent to every local officer.
At the dairy school held in the morning, Prof. E.A. Gannon of Purdue gave a complete picture of the development of the dairy situation. “When a man goes into farming he must have a large enough income to maintain a certain standard of living. Many a man starts with very ordinary cows and as increased demands, upon him he simply adds to his cow herd. Too many unprofitable cows has brought about an overproduction as well as a low income. The solution, he declared, is fewer cows and more attention to their management. Plenty of legume roughage is the basis of an effective dairy ration, you stated and said that Northern Indiana was suffering from the lack of a greater acreage of clover, alfalfa and soybean hay. Homegrown feeds, supplemented with white linseed, cottonseed or soybean meal were stressed by the speaker.
“Present-day methods of cattle breeding are Obsolete and must be revised,” was the startling statement of Mr. Gannon. the use of proven bowls, those whose daughters have proved their ability to produce, is the only rational method of herd Improvement. “Too many bulls have been bought from breeders who have maintained show herds under show surroundings and where cows have been forced for record-making purposes and this has been the bane of the purebred business.As a result many breeds of dairy cattle have gone backwards in the past 10 years. The proven sire method, however, has improved all herds in which it has been used.
At the afternoon meeting Glen organ was unanimously nominated as District Director.
