The Coöperative Lamb Club as an Agency for Lower Marketing Costs

Abstract

prices. Another is the very uneven condition of the lambs, and a third is the fact that most of the lambs raised in the region mentioned are raised by farmers who own small flocks. The constant market fluctuations make country buyers afraid to make bidsto the farmers, except on large margins; the un-uniform condition of the lambs makes the buyer almost certain that he will have to suffer a heavy cut when he reaches the market; the small flock contributes to the necessity of the farmer's selling locally on account of not having a carload to ship himself, consequently, the local buyer takes advantage of this fact. A general tendency found in rural communities for a one price basis to be set on all products of the farmers also tends to make it not worth the producer's while to market a good product. That is, a premium is put on the poor grade by the buyer who establishes a uniform price throughout his territory for all lambs purchased, good and bad alike. These conditions have been very largely responsible for the restricting of the production of more sheep on middle West farms. In an effort to overcome the wholly preventable conditions there, a number of plans have been tried. Naturally, our attention is first turned toward some co6perative means of marketing, and along this line relief has been found.