Published once a week in Palmer, Alaska, for the
Matanuska Valley Farmers' C ooperat inc; Association
for the purpose of riviric: nev/s of the Association's
W'rk, problems and accomplishments.
Hpppy HE 111 LJEQR. 19 51
The Matanuska Valley Farmers' Cooperating Association wishes t" send
New Year's Greetings to It's many friends In Alaska. For nearly fif
teen years the people of Alaska have watched it's growth. Many of the
old Sourdoughs, even th^u^h they were skeptical ab~ut It's future,
have been "o~d friends ~f the Association and it's members, and we
feel a vote of thnnks is due them. Sometimes we have been hard t^ un
derstand, perhaps most of us didn't understand ourselves. In the main
a clear rain was made each and every year. Most Americans, raised in
the environment of hard competition, have to have a little tire to
learn to assimilate the benefits of Cooperation. Some of our best
members were unable to tolerate the slowness of development and under
standing of Cooperative principles, and have left us. ",'e have had
many critics in our own ranks, but. we have managed to overcome the ob
stacles that have slowed us down, and most of us feel sure that we
will finally win the race, even though v:e seem to be losing at times.
It v/ould be interestinr to have a reunion of all the people who were
here for New Years in 1936, and have them compare the accomplishments
that we have made, with what they believed possible then. In 1937
there was a General feeling of disillusionment, things hadn't turned
out as expected, and there was considerable reason for doubting that
the Project c ^uld carry on. Wa^es v/ere l' w and employment scarce.
There was not enough cleared land to enable the average farmer to make
a living from his farm, and not en^uch machinery to farm with, to make
a success of it. There was a lot of prejudice against-the products he
could raise. It appeared that the prices that the farms would cost
would be prohibitive, because it had cost so much more than was expect
ed, to get started.
The feeling was even worse by 1938* because no .one believed that it
would be possible for anyone to pay the prices that had been set on
the farms. Perhaps the main reason that. as. many stayed on,, was be
cause there was nothing to look forward to any place else that they
could go to. Then-, in 1939> come the year that crops didn't mature,
and the bio freeze in early October when 16 inches of snov; fell and
didn't melt until next spring. Ha-'r and Tain to shipped in to
feed a lot cf the livestock that winter, and hay cost $70 a ton. It
took some farmers several years to repay the cost of this.hay. This
was probably the lowest point in morale that was reached in the hist
ory of the Froject. Put, in spite of the setbacks that year, a lot of
people kept on working and hoping, and new people moved in, t^ok the
vacant farms over and worked with them.
Just a few days after New Years tn I9I4.O, the Co-op. was purchased by
farmer-members In the Valley and It seemed to put new life into the
Project. Prom that date until now, every year has been a successful
year for the Co-op. and it's members. True, there have been a couple
<f.poorer than normal years just after the war, but this was not un
usaal for an organization of this kind. We got started soon after
this, and it has been growing and prospering ever since. In fact, our
w rst problem has been crowing pains, but this will be cured in time
+ oo.
Some of our neighbors agreed to disagree with us last year and left
the fold, but, we feel that it was the best thine for all concerned,
•rd hope all hard feeling will vanish, and that we can live in har
ay in the future. The prejudice against Alaska grown products has
r adually died down and many of those who were sc critical a few 7~ears
o^o, are now our best friends. Relations with the Merchants of Anchor
aes and the United States Arm-"-, were never better. So, let us again
v;ish you all a HAPPY NEW YEAR". . 1
C.R.R.