NFO-71(AV10478) US Farm Report: Grain Sales by NFO with Staley, Goodman, Engels

Great commodity program 29 minutes long Welcome to another edition of us farm report brought to you today in each week at the same time by members of the national farmers organization in this TV area in the interest of agriculture rural business and the well-being of our nation the national farmers organization grain marketing program is currently very much in the news and is considered a very significant breakthrough in farmers efforts to raise and stabilize farm prices from the disastrously low levels of recent years today's u.s. farm report will bring to you some of the many developments that led up to the large sales of grain by members of the NFO over bacteria's of the grain producing region of the United States leading today's US farm report discussion is Oren Lee Staley another significant and very important and successful step in collective bargaining has been taken by the NFO the NFO coordinated a grain bargaining and sales effort program throughout a 16 state area this happened at 2:30 p.m. Central Standard Time on February the 23rd since that time many people have been wondering just what happened some of the news media in fact most of it did an excellent job of reporting what had been said about the operation as far as the NFO and carried of course some of the comments of those that oppose our efforts others gave out a confused and certainly not factual stories but this was to be expected because some were going to be able to do a factual job of reporting and others were not because depending on their source of information we want to clear up this these points that were made and to show to the listening audience the American farmers then of course those are listening in the rural towns and the large cities of how this effort was carried out because it was a very significant effort there are many that have as well how could it happen and some of those in the grain trade even said it was impossible it could not have happened because you just couldn't coordinate an effort over a 16 state area as the nfo said they did some of the people have referred in our organization I'm speaking of that this was comparable in many ways as the way was operated to d-day in World War two some said this was d-day in agriculture for the grain farmers this really demonstrated farmers bargaining power because they demonstrated that a coordinated effort whereby farmers could sell together as really shut the grain trade as one land in Washington said over the telephone as he analyzed what was happening from the reports that he was getting that the farmers had invaded the field of economics that had been the sole feel of the speculators in the grain trade and he said the part that has really confused them and made them nervous was that they didn't know you were going to invade the field and so this is important the whole effort of this program of course was established farmers bargaining power in Grain as we're also working on dairy and meat and also the important thing was to demonstrate to everybody that this coordinated sale was a step in what was so significant because this is starting to make it possible for farmers to put the price tag on their grain and even more important for the price of grain to be established on cash sales rather than on the whims of the speculators that have in the past determined to a great degree the price for grain I have with me today the director of the green commodity Department heard Goodman on my right here and on my left I have John Ingalls who is herb's direct assistant herb what is your comment you were the one that directed the operation what is your comment what's your observation well first or enly I think there are one or two sniffing points that should be brought out here one this is the first coordinated sale of grain by any farm group over such a large area it is also the first time in the history that we have seen collective bargaining play an important part in the sale of the NFL members grain production we might say at this point that we have cleared the initial hurdle because through our organizational efforts and the structure within NF all we have been able to at least take the initiative at this point now basically I think this boils down to the fact that we have the organizational structure that gives us the capability of making this type of a sale or other types of sales and certainly this is not an indication or lis that all of our green program is going to revolve around this type of a sale we have many other plans that will be put into effect later on so just as we had announced herb that we had made a sale at NF o and in behalf of members had made sales representing many five many millions of bushels of grain soybeans corn some why lower feed grains and some wheat but the major volume was in the many millions of bushels that was sold at 2:30 p.m. Central Standard Time over the 16 state area On February the 23rd John you worked in the national office and you were there and helping coordinated it as a direct assistance of herb John what was your observation of the effort well only it seemed to me that was rather amusing in a way because this gave our members the first opportunity that they had ever had to answer the grain trade in a group selling program and the thing that impressed me the most of course was the enthusiasm and the court coordination out here among our membership and also the fact that this disproved once and for all the statement that's been made so many times about our farmers that they will not work together I think our members lunged at that opportunity and I think they did a real good job at it well John this should be an experience that has been very intriguing and exciting for our members and our leaders what really amused us of course and amazed us that even some reports got to coming from the grain trade that they couldn't even find worried sales had been made trying to refute the whole effort of course the people that were making the statements are most cases I guess disappointed buyers that didn't get to buy any of the grain or you might say nervous speculators what was your what was your observation on this or thinking you might say well my thinking on this lauren lee was simply that it seemed to me that many of our news media and so forth were getting their information from the wrong sources or perhaps they were misled or hadn't read carefully enough the reports that were given actually we did make a large sale here and i think that we had them pretty badly confused well this is right john there's no question about it that as somebody said it wasn't only the volume that impressed the grain trade it was the fact that they were just so fearful of the fac ordinated effort like this could be carried out all over the country once then what is to keep farmers from doing it again and again and seeing the price that hold the grain they store it and keep the price go up and then sell at the opportune time how can these speculators even know what's going on of course I think we have to compliment them many the news media sources for the excellent job they did John many calls that came to the national office and we tried to explain to them how this coordinated effort was existing this I think they're to be complemented and of course those that the only hit got the stories out from the grain trade and and the grain buyers and the comments insinuating that nothing had really happened and nothing had been sold of a serious part about this is that the farmers out there actually doing the farming and the members knowing that in almost all the counties and right here the counties that we're going to talk about this great state of Iowa today the gray Giger cultural producing state as all the other states are that the people here that we're going to now interview on the television here have them make their statements we're a part of the sale the sad part is that the farmers out there knowing what's going on are really they begin to wonder what they can read in some of the news praise newspapers because they know the sales happened they were part of it their neighbors know it and so they wonder if they can't get factual reports on this how they ever get any factual reports and how well some of the farm one farmer said they are so ago he said you know I wonder now how I was ever informed on anything with some of the things that I read and hear on comments but this was beside the point the job of story of coverage on they very confused stories this because it was new it was dynamic it covered such a large area was followed very closely by many of the large reputable papers and the the wire services and they did an excellent job on it and now we're going to try to bring everybody up to date the herb how it did happen and get the factual story out of how many millions of bushels were sold in this corner nated effort herb you have with you many of your assistants today I don't know them all you're going to have to introduce them here to let them say to the audience where they're from and and of course I think we want to stress first at this structure or very close to this structure existed over the entire 16 state area and that we're just using Iowa today because it's these people in the state of Iowa of course are very close to the national office and it was convenient to bring them in in the short notice and so we're just using most of the structure in one state as far as your assistance concerned and just a sprinkling of others that participated in the sales to let the audience see what really happened you have to go into this detail herb because you're the one that directed it the the only way that you can really understand this is is to understand the basic structure of our organization or 'only the grain department has a number of assistants working directly under the green commodity department of the national office these assistants are assigned a geographical area not necessarily staying within state lines under these assistants there may be other national assistants and then we go down through the marketing zone and into the county grain bargaining committee structure which reaches right down into the county organization which we have always considered the basic and almost the most important organization within nfo because this gets down to the grassroots member now at this point I would like to start off here and briefly call these assistants by name and then have them give their address and the county where they live and describe briefly the area where they worked Henry and John Morris Charley cliff and Marvin there are others besides that in the state of Iowa but these gentlemen were able to come in here today and Henry why don't you lead off with your name and where you live and the area where you work my name is Henry Erickson I'm from Remsen Iowa in Plymouth County in northwest Iowa and I'm an assistant for the nfo in that grain Department you know the boys up there worked wonderful I did everything you could expect them for to do Thank You Annie John I'm John Robinson from dizer dial WA living on the Benton Tama County align coordinating the grain sales efforts from some 13 counties of the grit a tunnel grain marketing area which is located in southeast Iowa thank you yeah Mart my name is Morris Godsey whiting Iowa Winona County I helped coordinate the sale of grain in North East Nebraska the past week the cooperation from the boys and other Makani was terrific my name is Charles older King I live at Sergeant Bluff Iowa Woodbury County I'm a national of grain assistant I had three other assistants with me and over the next 16 or 20 counties network in west central Iowa I have nothing but praise for the manner in which the boys conducted themselves once we found their ship was a-ok all the way well I'm cliff Olson from Cedar Falls Iowa which is in Black Hawk County and I assisted the national brain department on the sale of this grain and the area I worked was the east central part of Iowa there were nine counties involved in my area Marvin I'm Marvin Nelson from Cambridge oil historic County Iowa I was in charge of five central Iowa counties on their bargain selling program Thank You Marvin now only we also have here a group of the members who may or may not have been elected personnel from the counties but they were designated people to carry out these grain sales actually make them and I would like I think this is so significant of what these like that we didn't make a sale we'll know the fact that that you have so many people here they can coordinate the efforts and I think what is so significant the reason I want to interrupt you you've introduced six assistants here and you have some thirty assistants I like this over the whole area all of them farmers mrs. right you're in contact once or twice a week with most of them by telephone and in order to show how this operation went off in order for the grain trade not to recognize what was going to happen you had meetings with these assistants and gave them a target date as I understand that when they expected for the the bargaining and sales efforts to go off over the area and but you didn't tell them exactly when it was going that is true and you did this several days ago and then you were to give them a code were they then would contact the men that are working under them some of them referred to three or four that's helped them direct and then this information get out a little farther and then when the code was received by them they then contacted their men there's assistant under them and then it went out to the counties and they all met and heard the I know you're very proud of the fact that the that not a leak that you know of when it went out to these counties and all over a 16 state area and in Iowa I know most of the counties were involved in sales and this really broadened the security risk you might say drew I just wanted to comment on that her because I think it's this is true or knee and I think this points up the dedication and determination of NFL leaders and members that we can carry out this sort of thing because our very existence is at stake well herb I think that it's so important to also to show that farmers can do this nobody has ever done this anything like this and farmers we're doing it together and working together I didn't want to take up much of the time because I know that with although most of the counties in Iowa had sales that a few in the within the counties I know that you want to well because they said they couldn't even find a sale to show how ridiculous that is that show how uninformed the people in the grain trade were we really know they weren't herb because we had reports from several that the lines were burning with conversation going on what's happening the wires going from one to the other some of them couldn't even get into the big buyers for quite a little time and all this but in order to hear I know you have it what would be impossible to have everybody here that was involved at the studio wouldn't be near large enough to hold it right but here to show some of the people that were apps actually involved as representing the NFL members actually made the sale than this coordinated effort there once you take it from there heard but I thought this other was significant well I want to stress again what you said that all of these gentlemen here as are the three of us are farmers so at this point I'm going to start out with a louver here from Crawford County Iowa and would you fellows give your names and just mentioned briefly I might say at this point that because of the volume sales are only we did receive a premium for the volume of being that we were selling in these counties in these in these various grain outlets I understand what was happening was that were a large volume brought together even in the county let the buyers if it was sold of the county elevators many times because of the volume involved more than one farmer could sell they were able to get a premium in the cases where a lot of by improving the collective bargaining is working right all right how would you lead off email for sure from middle I we Crawford County and I made sales further afo members of that County as and got a premium for the the volume we had at the elevators thank you 2:30 p.m. on February 23rd n/a I am Henry voles from Elkhart Iowa polk county i was assigned by the county chairman along with another fellow NFL member to a bargaining team we walked into our local elevator at 2:30 on february 23rd we had a very good reception we made a good sale we think we think we got a premium thank you del my name is Gerald Robinson from Baxter Iowa Jasper County we I helped represent a team to go in and sell grain for our members in our county this sale was made at 2:30 February 23rd and it was our initial sale I'm Duane redlener from Washington County Iowa I'm elected grain chairman for that County we found that on that afternoon of February 23rd at 2:30 it's much more beneficial to sell as a group as it is as an individual I am a Gilbert rotting house from Black Hawk County I and my committee sold a members corn and soybeans and in our County on the afternoon of the 23rd and the members were satisfied and in general there was cooperation amongst everyone in this operation thank you I'm Harold laser from New Hampton Iowa Chickasaw County nf wholegrain chairman we had board or groups go out and sell grain to are different elevators in Chickasaw County and we made through volume we made above board price that day what time were you 2:30 we made our sales everyone was we wanted to be sure that no I'm Lloyd's abroad from my own Iowa I'm live in Chickasaw County and I'm also chairman of that County I helped help make some of these sales at our local elevator we did it on a 23rd of February at 2:30 in the afternoon and we received premium over the board price well thank you gentlemen now in the back row there horn Lee we have some other members that were involved in various capacities in this program but because we're running a little short on time here I'm going to ask those gentlemen if they will just stand so the camera can catch them here would you gentlemen stand up they were involved somewhere along in this effort and of course there were many many more these thank you DOMA this was fine herb and I think that that the story that you have been able to present here by the through the efforts the green commodity department should be very significant for farmers you have just used the state of Iowa here as an example of what happened throughout the 16 state area it seems to me that it should be so significant to any farmer listening to realize at least that this great coordinated effort is a giant step forward in bargaining and that collective bargaining does mean farmers bargaining together and sewing together under one organization one structure industry-wide you couldn't do it if you had many different structures and many different organizations or you couldn't do it if you had just a little representation of one area but when you're talking about many millions of bushels being sold some of the people said that it was not only the volume that impressed the grain trade and that has had them nervous and had them jumpy but it was the fact that is that the coordinated effort that was evident to them is what has really shook them up John now what is your impression of this entire effort what what do you think has been learned from this and more to what should farmers do now well only the farmers of course in our organization deserve nothing but congratulations for the tremendous job that they did I think that they proved once and for all that farmers can and will work together and to our farmer friends out there wherever you may be I would like to ask you to join in fo today we have the structure as we have demonstrated to you here today to do this job we need your help in your production with ours to complete it John may I add one thing to that we have only one purpose and then fo as we have said many times and that is to obtain the cost of production plus a fair profit for the American farmer we have no other goals and I think this is significant what herb is brought out we cannot go into business therefore we're not setting up elevators to compete with the local elevators we are only bringing our production together for the purpose of bargaining for the sale that production and therefore when we brought a lot of volume together which individual members couldn't do this meant that we were able to be effective in bargaining this is collective bargaining working and I hope that that the people that are listening realize that the future of Agriculture and who does the buying and who does the selling is going to depend on the on what farmers themselves do herb are they going to go out here as individuals and continue in their ways as they always have or are they going to recognize everybody else is organized and and they should organize and work together herb what's the future plans of the green commodity department well naturally only we are going to move forward with even a larger signup in our future selling periods I want to stress one thing here that this is up to the individual member when he signs his grain and how much he saw in the selling period so the member is not told he has the choice of how much and when he wants to sell it and by and large many or I would almost say most of our members do wait until later in the marketing year before they market their grain orally so naturally we are looking forward to a much larger increased sign upon grain in the two remaining selling periods than what we had even on this one and I would like to wind up here by saying that it seems to me like that our only goal as farmers right now since we have demonstrated that this kind of an effort can be done in grain as well as in other commodities in the info that the thing to do now is to join in fo sign our production and les all sail together I think your statements and yours John are so significant it seems to me that any farmer listening could see that this program is actually working that farmers are carrying it out that the sale of grain is in the hands of farmers that they are working together and cooperating together this is collective bargaining bargaining together and sewing together and I just want you to think about this for a moment we advise our members to store at harvest time to hold that to pick the time they wanted to sell and then the sales would be made together this of course has the effect of shorting the market and bringing the price up this is bargaining but you know what the members that sold in this coordinated effort got 40 to 50 cents a bushel more for their soybeans and the farmers that sold at harvest time and 15 to 20 cents a bushel more for their corn than the farmers had sold at harvest time this is worth your effort join and be a part of farmers the national farmers organization is leading the way towards a brighter more prosperous agriculture in this effort Yuni their help and they need your help join and sell together with your neighbors through the NF o today us farm report was brought to you today in each week at the same time by your friends and neighbors who are members of the national farmers organization in this area on their behalf we urge you to join and support the NF o for more information on the national farmers organization contact the local chapter in your county or write NF o Corning Iowa