PALTER, ALASKA.
T
Dorothy M, Bell, Editor
Published evory wcok at'Palmor, Alaska, for tho Mntanuska Valloy Fa triors’ Cooperating
Association for tho purpose of giving news of tho Associations W6rk, Problems and
Accomplishments as roo ds ncv;s of general interest to tho Valley.
SUBSCRIPTION PATE $1.75 ‘ - Single Copy 10^
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. TO. THAT EXTENT' ARE MEMBERS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SUCCESS OE THEIR dOOPERATlVlfc
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Several different times during the Annual meeting members and also Board members
pointed out that members'were to a great extent responsible for the success or fail
ure of their Association, regardless of who they put on the Board, by their loyalty,
cooperation and support.
According to the reports at the meeting the'Creamery and Dairy are the only truly
successful units that we now have. However, we do not need to look back, for so very
many years to a time when only the Trading Post and Warehouse wore paying units and
the'pos3ibility of any of the producer units gaining a paying basis was rather doubt
ful. At the time that the Co-op was turned over to the people, about 7 years ago,tho
Creamery was a doubtful undertaking. The icocroam manufacturing unit was thon addod
to take care of tho surplus milk and in addition to this wo'made butter, Cottage
cheese and buttermilk—and vory good products they wore too. These last three Items
were soon discontinued as the demand for milk increased and vjo found that thero'was
not enough milk for tho icecream. Since tho Army post moved into tho Territory, tho
Creamery has gone ahcad'by leaps and bounds. Dairy herds have incrcused, but at'that
during part of the year, we havo have difficulty in supplying the market demands.
Wherein does the success of tho Creamery lie? Can tho Vegetable1? prof it thoreby?
1. The cre'enory lias a definite standard of quality which, is also protected by laws.
There is no question as No. 1 milk is. ;•• ,
2. The margin of profit in the creamery is'greater than in tho vcgotablo business,
partly because there is not the chnnco for wasto and spoilage that wo havo in hand
ling fresh produco.
Wo cnn also remember when tho Produco Department made money for the Association.
At that time— _ -
i. Large quantities were not purchased and stored for any length of time. The buyor
• took only what ho could soil each week and the producor took the loss right thon—
by leaving his crop in the. field, • ■•!'-. „ ■
2; Grading ras done by tho producer undor the supervision of tho buyor.
But—regardless of'the fact that the Produce Department made monoy during this period
•' the producers cortainly’did not. Dissatisfaction was great as oach individual farm
er was taking a big loss in unsold nroducp, ( :
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As the Armed Fo'roos moved into the Territory and the Fresh produce market expanded
..by mushroom growth overnight* farmers jumped in’ to the Vegetable marketing business.
.Largo fields of vegotablos were planted—in fact larger than tho'vegetable man could
..sometimes hcndlo. As a result along with the incroe.ec in volumo, thetc vas also a
.decrease in .quality, which also moant a docrcaso in keeping qualities. We do not
mean that thoso fir.st few vegetable farmers always had A-l products, boenuso they’did
not, but it ras easier to cull out the poorer quality and kcop only tho very best.
The market was so limited, that there was no excuse for trying to soil anything el30.
These first vegetable fanners had many of tho seme problems that now oxist and which
they did not solve. Those problems have naturally increased along with the volumo
and many new ones have appeared. As a result th6 Produco Department is lapsing be
hind rathoy than forging ahead.
The Vegetable field has really developed much more rapidly than the Dairy Industry,
because it offor3-tbs farmer tho quickest moons of putting his farm on a paying basis.
Consequently top many hdve gone ,into this type of farming on too big a scale for tho
experience they have had ir. Alaska fanning. This type of fanning can bq carriod on
with the least dmount of capital investment as coraparod with tho dairy business or
chicken ranchos. This tends to create a .surplus.
.The Fresh Produce Market is not protected by adequate laws to insuro No. 1 quality on
the market—with tho oxcoption of Potatoes; And in spite of all tho standards sot up
by fhe'Association and Vogctalbo producers, bootleggers can get inferior products on
the market and ruin it for momboTs of the Association.
Another problem that fr.cos tbo producor is that’tho. facilities to'hcndle produco have
not kop.t~pace with the increased market demands. Without a doubt, tho Vegetable man
is assailed with many more problems than any other type of producor. Tho solution
of these, problems lies, however, with the member producor. Thi3 cannot bo accomplish
ed until tho vegetable producers can aIon theitr year’s production to moot tho exis
ting market dor,land with top quality. Not all of the produco can be sold from the
field and in planning allowance must he made for a cortain percentage of inferior
Cont.’on wage 3.