THURSDAY, OCTOBER J, IffSI
Macon County to Organize Farmers Federation
Million Dollars a Year Increase in Farm Income Seen as Possibility
THE FRANKLIN PRESS mm! THE HIGHLANDS MACON IAN
The Plan For Macon
County
That a Farmers Federation Ware
house be operated at Franklin.
That a committee of at least
seven farmer subscribers be elected
by the Macon County Stockholders,
one of whom shall be elected
Chairman and President of the
Macon County Farmers Federation
committee.
That this committee exercise gen
eral oversight over the business
and determine the projects to be
carried on, and that the control of
the business shall be under the
general management of the Farm
ers Federation, Inc., with regular
audits of all books by the regular
auditor of the Farmers Federation,
Inc.
That two farmer stockholders
from Macon County be elected di
rectors of the Farmers Federation,
Inc.
WHAT IS THE FARMERS FEDERATION. DC?
The Farmers Federation is a 00- I slowly, but firmly, grown until it
operative farmers' organization, J now operates thirteen warehouses
which is building up agriculture to ; in Buncombe, Henderson, Polk,
the level of other organized busi- 1 Rutherford, Burke, Haywood and
ncss and trade. The membership j Jackson Counties, and in addition
is composed of Western North j to these warehouses, it publishes
Carolina farmers, backed up by j The Farmers Federation News, a
the business men of eaeh county monthly agricultural paper which
in which the Federation is operat- j goes to all members and which is
ing. The business men have taken ( the only publication specializing in
Preferred Stock in order to help j Western North Carolina farm
build up and develop the markets j problems ; it operates egg and
which the Federation is working noultrv markets, runnrnii trucks
on. with surplus poultrv and eggs to
northern markets ; it operates a
dressing plant at Asheville; three
hatcheries, one at Sylva, one at
Asheville, and one at Spindalc,
The Federation started business
in November, 1920, in Buncombe
County, with only one small ware
house and a railroad siding and has
hatching and distributing purebred
baby chicks; operates four sweet
iwt'ity rMirincr tirmtpc :it l-Tirest
I'UlttVU .vv..j - v - . - , ,
City, Tryon, Union Mills, arrd-p to the assets of the banners
Morganton; operates a cannery at
Hendersonville and has a forest
products department handling wood
and shrubbery; and has its own
nursery, dt also operates a feed
mill at Fletcher, Morganton, Can
ton, Fairview, and Tryon, a cream
route in Polk County, and has a
Lord's Acre. Department to help
country churches in its territory.
The Farmers Federation has in
action the most complete program
for the marketing of farm products
of any organization in Western
North Carolina.
What Is the Difference
Bet weerf Common and
Preferred Stock?
The Preferred Stock is preferred
Do Macon County
Farmers Need To
Organize?
First: The fanners' only hope is
to organize.
Second: The farmers will go
down in relation to other classes
in the community until they or
ganize. The farmers' only chance
to market produce in our complicat
ed civilization is to organize, and
market co-operatively.
Third: Cattle in Macon County
have decreased 28 per cent in the
10 vears between 1920 and 1930, o
from 8,982 in 1920, to 6,476 in 1930.
Hogs have decreased 50 per cent,
or from 8,582 in 1920 to 4,275 in
1930. Chickens raised have decreased
about 10 per cent, or from 98,146 in
1919 to 88,345 in 1929. (Figures
from the 1930 census.)
The unorganized farmer is stead
ily going down all over the United
States.
James G. K. McClure,Jr
President and General
Manager, Farmers
Federation, Inc.
This is the Marketing Department at Asheville,
N. C., the clearing house for the many
activities of the Farmers Federation
Federation.
Jt is limited bo a six per cent an
nual dividend, but this must be
paid before a dividend can be paid
on the Common Stock. The Pre
ferred Stock is $10.00 per share. It
carries no voting privilege. The
Preferred Stock is bought by peo
ple who want to co-operate in
building up the marketing facilities
of the County.
The Common Stockholders own
the Farmers Federation. The Com
mon Stock can only be taken by
fanners or producers. A share is
$10.00. Each Common Stockholder
has one vote, and only one. The
Common Stock is limited to 6 per
cent dividend. But the Common
Stock also has the privilege of
.sharing in a patronage dividend.
That is, if any profits are made
by the Federation in excess of u
per cent on the stock, they can
only be distributed as a patronage
dividend, which means a percent
age on the amount of business thai
the farmer does with the Federa
tion. It is necessary for a. farm
ers' co-operative organization to
build up a strong surplus, but if
any disbursements are made in ad
dition to the 6 per cent stock
dividend, they must be made on .1
patronage basis, in proportion to
the business which each stockhold
er does with the Federation.
Federation has gained experience
and widened its markets, this
amount has increased. It now
markets all kinds of farm produce
for its members.
Why Macon County
Needs The Farmers
Federation
There are about 2,000 farms in
Macon County. The future pros
perity of Macon County depends
largely on these farms. At present
the farms of Macon County are
not producing nearly as much as it
is possible for them to produce
because there are no organized
markets for the production of these
farms. If the gross income of
Macon County farms can be in
creased an average of $500.00 per
farm, this will increase Macon
County's gross income $1,000,000
each year. This is a goal which
is within the reach of the farmers
and business men of Macon Coun
ty. It will take the combined ef
forts of the farmers and business
men of Macon County to attain
this goal. It will be necessary to
organize markets and to properly
develop farm industries. This can
not be done in the twinkling of
an eye; it will take time. But it
will never be done unless we start,
and the way to start is to organ
ize a Farmers federation tor Ala
con County.
Has The Federation
Been Able to Market the
Farmers' Products?
The amount of money distributed
by the Farmers Federation to far
mers was small the first year,
amounting to less than $15,000. The
production of the farmers was
small and the Federation was in
exnerienced in marketing. As the
survived fires, drouth, bank fail
ures, and depressed business con
ditions. It has learned how to
run the farmers' business success
fully. It has developed experienced
and capable men in the marketing
of poultry and eggs, in the market
ing of vegetables, in the marketing
of forest products, in the opera
tion of the hatcheries and cannery
For the past six years, the Far- an(f ;n the selection of seeds and
How Much Money Does
The Federation Distribute
Annually to Farmers?
mers Federation has paid an aver
age of $364,231.69 per year to the
farmers in its territory for things
produced on the farm. This is a
total for the past six years of $2,
549,621.12. What Does The
Federation Market for
the Farmer?
Chickens, eggs, Irish potatoes,
tomatoes, cabbage, sweet potatoes,
corn, wheat, rye, vegetables, for
est products, such as ties, pulp
wood, acid wood, posts, logs, shrub
bery, walnuts, and other rarm products.
supplies. This experience is worth
many thousands of dollars to the
farmers.
Is Experience Valuable
In a Farmers'
Organization?
Yes. Many farmers' organiza
tions which start with high hopes
soon go on the rocks of failure
because the organization has had
no experience and does not know
the business.
The Unorganized Farmer
Is Steadily Going Down
All Over the Country
Farm production will only be in
creased as the farmer has a mar
keting organization which develops
markets for him. The Farmers
Federation has consistently done
this wherever it is organized.
"United we stick; divided we're
stuck."
How Can a
Farmers Federation
Warehouse Be
Started In Macon
County?
By the farmers and business men
of Macon County subscribing $5,000
stock in the Farmers Federation,
Incorporated. The stock is $1().(X)
a share. The farmers subscribe for
Common Stock; and the business
men subscribe for Preferred Stock.
Has The Farmers
Federation Had
Experience?
The Farmers Federation has
toughed it out for fifteen years.
It has cut its eye-teeth. It has
Where Are The Farmers
Federation Warehouses?
Fanners Federation Warehouses
are located at the following points :
HENDERSONVILLE. X. C
FLETCHER, N. C.
TRYON, N. C.
SPINDALE, N. C.
CRAGGY, N. C.
NEWBRIDGE, N. C.
CANTON, N. C.
FAIRVIEW SIDING, N. C.
WAYNESVILLE, N. C.
ASHEVILLE, N. C.
MORGANTON, N. C.
FOREST CITY, N. C.
What Should Be the
Goal of the Macon
County Farmers
Federation?
One million dollars more for
Macon County each year is a goal
that should be reached within the
next ten years with the organiza
tion of the Farmers Federation and
a steady and determined campaign
on the part of the farmers and
business men of Macon County to
develop the farm marketing agen
cies which the Federation will
make possible.
Board of Directors of The
Farmers Federation, Inc.
BUNCOMBE COUNTY James G.
K. McClure, Fairview; B. A. Pat
ton, Asheville.
BURKE COUNTY-C. C. Hicks.
Rt. 4, Morganton; J. L. Houck, Rt.
2, Morganton.
HAYWOOD COUNTY R T
it 1 1 . - , ...
lioyu, Kt. , Wayncsville; H. A.
Osborne, Canton.
HENDERSON COUNTY L. L.
Burgin, Horse Shoe; Harry M.
Roberts, Fletcher.
JACKSON COUNTY Thomas A.
Cox, Cullowhee; Carl Jamison, Glen
ville. POLK COUNTY-J. T. Waldrop,
Rt. 3, Mill Spring, C. M. Howes,
1 ryon.
RUTHERFORD COUNTY O J
Holler, Union Mills; R. Ledbetter,
Uree.
DIRECTORS-AT-LARCE S. C.
Clapp, Swannanoa; H. A. Coggins,
Bee Tree; Henry Francis, Rt. 2,
Wavnesv ille ; F. E. Lykes, Arden;
W. h. Brank, Weave'rville ; R. C.
Crowell, Candler; Frank L. Fitz-
simmOHS, Rt. 2, Hendersonville.
One Man, One Vote
The Farmers Federation is a
co-operative farmers' organization.
Each common stockholder has one
vote and only one vote. No stock
holder can have more than one
vote and no small group and no
individual can gain control. It is
controlled and owned by farmers.
Organizing Committee for
Macon County
Jake Addington, Frank Moody,
John E. Rickman, Blackburn W.
Johnson, E. V. Amnions, J. R.
Franklin, J. C. Ferguson, B. W.
Justice, W. A. Berry, Charley Hen
derson, Will Parrish, Charley Mc
Clure, Ed Mozely, Carl Slagle, Ed
Battles, Sam Waters, L. L. Row
land, J. R. Wikle, Robert Parrish,
Robert Ramsey, John Dean, Ed
Byrd, A. L. McLean, J. R. Hol
brooks, J. B. Matlock, Jonathan
Morgan, Ray Penland, Robert Fulton.
SYLVA, N. C.
These three pictures of some of the activities of The Federation illustrate the way in which The Federation is developing markets for
the farmers in its territory
jam;
MARKETS FOR SWEET POTATOES
The sweet potato curing house puts this crop
on a commercial basis. This fall we
will operate four
MARKETS FOR VEGETABLES
The Cannery creates a market for fruits and
vegetables and gives employment to
more than 50 girls and women
aid advertisement)
MARKETS FOR FOREST PRODUCTS
Half the land on the average farm is
woods. The Federation helps the farm
er market his forest products
in