On March 18th the first co-operative poultry sale of the season was held at Franklin. This sale put into the pockets of the farmers something over $2,500. This is the amount distributed by the legitimate bidder. In addition to two or three independent buyers were on hand paying a little more for the poultry than offered by the regular bidder. Quite a few farmers who are evidently blind to the benefits of co-operative poultry sales sold to the independent bidders.
These farmers seem to forget that up until about a year ago they were glad to take from every itinerate chicken buyer just what was offered. In fact, they were at the mercy at the mercy of these buyers who usually paid only abut half of what the chickens were worth. A little over a year ago County Agent Arrendale arranged for co-operative poultry selling and immediately those having poultry for sale began receiving the market prices. This at once began to interfere with the large profits which other buyers had been receiving under the old conditions. These buyers then began laying plans to break up co-operative sales. One of these plans was to offer more for poultry on sale days than the legitimate bidder had offered. Strange to say, on every sale day some farmers sell to these independent buyers.
It should be understood now that bidders on carload lots will not continue to send a representative to Franklin to buy poultry unless they can get all of this product offered for sale on that particular day. A great majority of the farmers of the County are wise enough to realize this and refuse to sell to other than the car lot bidder. Others, however, see only the one cent additional on the pound offered by the independent buyers and sell their poultry to these men.
The scheme of these buyers ought not to be hard to fathom. They don’t want any co-operative poultry sales. For years they have been buying the farmers’ poultry for about half the market price and thus have reaped a rich harvest at the expense of widows and orphans and others with poultry to sell. It now appears that they are in a fair way to break up the co-operative sales.
The farmers are the only ones who can put a stop to the independent buyers. One or two more sales such as took place on March the 18th will result in no more co-operative sales.
If the farmers want to sell their chickens in the future for half price, let a few of them sell to independent buyers at the next co-operative poultry sale. If the wise and far-sighted farmers can’t persuade their neighbors to sell at the car, then all farmers can make up their minds to sell their poultry for half price or to go out of the poultry business.
If a farmer wants to test the accuracy of the above statements, let him bring a truck load of poultry to an independent buyer on other than a sale day and see what this buyer offers.
From the editorial page of The Franklin Press, Friday, March 27, 1925; S.A. Harris, Editor
newspapers.digitalnc.org/lccn/sn92074069/1925-03-27/ed-1/seq-2/
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