Page 18

         of the quotations established by the
         cheese exchanges at Plymouth. Al-
         though the conversion of the farmers'
         milk into cheese is a cooperative mar-
         keting function, the bulk of the cheese
         is not sold cooperatively.
           Wisconsin Cheese Producers' Co-
         operative.-On the other hand, one
         large group of cheese factories sells
         cheese cooperatively through a feder-
         ated sales organization, the Wisconsin
         Cheese Producers' Cooperative at Plym-
         outh.  This association  assembles,
         warehouses, and sells cheese for approx-
         imately 65 cheese factories, 26 of these
         operating under membership agree-
         ments. These member factories supply
         about 80 percent of the entire produc-
         tion of the federated association. In
         addition to cheese, the principal com-
         modity, Wisconsin Cheese Producers'
         Cooperative handles cream for manu-
         facturing and small amounts of other
         dairy products. The association owns
         a large warehouse and cheese factory
         at Plymouth, which is in the heart of
    A   the American cheese district, and it
         also handles cheese from cooperative
         warehouses at Marshfield, New Rich-
!;       mond, Spring Green, Neenah, Abbots-
         ford, and Greenwood. Each of these
    l warehouses is owned by a separate local
         organization. Sales of cheese amount-
         ed in 1939 to $1,400,000, other dairy
         products $40,000, and supplies $35,000.
         The buildings and equipment owned
         by the association were valued at
         $32,000 in 1939. Patronage dividends
         for that year's business were more than
         $10,000 on cream and supplies, $2,000
         being paid in cash, and over $8,000 in
         the form of revolving certificates of
         participation in earnings.
           The cooperative was organized in
         1913 as the Sheboygan County Cheese
Producers' Federation. Four year
later it was reorganized as the Wiscon
sin Cheese Producers Federation. I
1920 a supply department was opened
In 1928 the association became tht
National Cheese Producers Federation
Before 1934, the cheese cooperativi
was merely an organization assemblin
cheese, which it sold to the other chees
dealers. In 1934, however, in order t
reach the retail market outlets, ai
agreement was entered into wherebi
the bulk of its products would be soli
by Land O'Lakes Creameries, Inc.
of Minneapolis. The cooperative a
now constituted was formed in 1935 a
the successor to the earlier organiza
tions.
Bargaining Co-ops
Help Stabilize Markets
  Cooperative milk bargaining as
ciations represent the producers located
in the "milkshed" areas of a number ol
Wisconsin cities by making arrang
ments for sales and effecting agree.
ments on the prices to be paid and ths
terms of sale for milk and cream sold
to city distributors. Their major o
jective is to obtain as high prices foi
the producers as market conditions
permit. Such cooperatives are helpin;
to stabilize the fluid milk markets i
Milwaukee, Madison, and Racine, a
in a number of other Wisconsin cities
Waukesha, La Crosse, Stevens Poin
Oshkosh, Sheboygan, Appleton, Fa
Claire, Manitowoc, Watertown, a
Cbippewa Falls.
  Under the State Milk Control Div
sion, which has operated since 193
prices are established through market
orders for the principal population
centers. Prices are fixed in collabora
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