Summary Information
Associated Milk Producers, Morning Glory Farms Region Records
1924-1993
- Associated Milk Producers. Morning Glory Farms Region
Mss 1063; PH 6625; AE 455-AE 456; DG 171
4.4 cubic feet (11 archives boxes), 31 photographs, 7 negatives (1 folder), and 3 films (16 mm)
Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)
Records of the Associated Milk Producers Inc., Morning Glory Farms Region (AMPI-MGF) Abbotsford, Hillsboro, and Madison plants and of a predecessor company, Madison Milk Producers Cooperative Association. AMPI-MGF was a dairy cooperative that marketed and produced dairy products throughout Wisconsin and other Midwestern states. In 1986, the Mid-States Region of AMPI merged with Morning Glory Farms to form AMPI-MGF region, resulting in membership of over 12,000 family dairy farmers. However, most of the records pertain to the history of AMPI-MGF's Madison plant, which was the main location of a predecessor company, Madison Milk Producers Cooperative Association (MMPCA). This collection documents the activities of dairy marketing and production, relations with its members, and tracks the various mergers and organizational changes focusing mainly on activities of central Wisconsin, especially the Dane County and Madison area. The collection consists of administrative records, which include minutes, by-laws, financial documents, organizational correspondence, and materials about related divisions, including the Monroe, Wisconsin based Cheese Producers' Marketing Association (CPMA). Also included are legal documents and disputes, membership materials, marketing materials, photographs, some negatives, and films.
English
http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-mss01063 ↑ Bookmark this ↑
Biography/History
The Associated Milk Producers Incorporated, Morning Glory Farms Region was a branch of the dairy marketing cooperative Associated Milk Producers Inc. (AMPI). This region covered the state of Wisconsin, the Chicago metropolitan area, other parts of Illinois, Indiana, and five other Midwestern states. The Morning Glory Farms (MGF) Region of AMPI formed as a result of a merger between the Mid-States Region of AMPI and MGF (formerly Consolidated Badger Cooperative in Shawano County, Wisconsin) in 1986. The national branch of AMPI formed in October 1969 as a result of a merger of the Milk Producers of San Antonio, Texas and the Pure Milk Producers of Chicago, as well as a couple of other dairy co-operatives in the Midwest. Soon after this merger, several other prominent dairy marketing co-operatives merged with AMPI, including the Madison Milk Producers Cooperative Association (MMP) of Madison, Wisconsin. The MMP had been producing Grade A milk and other dairy products for the Madison region since 1922. When MMP merged with AMPI in 1970, the MMP plant became one of the main dairy production plants for the AMPI Mid-States region, which eventually became the Morning Glory Farms Region in 1986. A chronological outline describes the evolution of the Morning Glory Farms Region of AMPI:
| 1922 |
Formation of Madison Milk Producers Cooperative Association (MMP)
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| 1934 |
MMP set up an affiliated organization, Madison Milk Producers Cooperative Dairy, to handle surplus milk from members and convert into Swiss cheese to be sold on the open market
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| 1936 |
MMP establishes the Madison Milk Pool Cooperative, another subsidiary which handled market reports on prices for milk and dairy sales
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| 1957 |
The Cheese Producers' Marketing Association, an organization which MMP was a member, went bankrupt after it became entangled in a lawsuit over Swiss cheese production with Kraft Foods
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| 1964 |
Slight re-structuring of the organization of MMP and its subsidiaries. This effort was led by MMP president Lyman McKee, Manager Henry Thew, and Assistant Manager W.J. (Bill) Rabe
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| 1969 |
AMPI is formed when the Milk Producers of San Antonio, Texas merged with Pure Milk Association of Chicago, and other dairy cooperatives in the Midwest
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| 1970 |
Madison Milk Producers Cooperative Association mergers with AMPI and joins their Mid-States region. The MMP plant turns into a main production plant for the Mid-States region of AMPI
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| 1986 |
The Mid-States Region of AMPI mergers with Morning Glory Farms to form the Morning Glory Farms Region of AMPI
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| 1995 |
The Madison plant of AMPI, Morning Glory Farm Region closes. The region is acquired by Foremost Farms, United States of America
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The Associated Milk Producers Inc., Morning Glory Farms Region, along with the predecessor company, Madison Milk Producers, represent the nature of many dairy and farming cooperatives from the mid-20th century. AMPI- MGF Region produced Grade A milk used in bottles and cartons, and Grade B milk used primarily for butter, cheese, evaporated and powdered milk. It was also involved in Swiss cheese production. Individual farmers could become a member of the dairy cooperative by meeting certain regional, state, and federal standards for milk production.
Before the merger, MMP helped negotiate market prices for dairy products, and worked with milk haulers to expand the market. The Madison based cooperative was organized for the purpose of manufacturing the surplus milk coming into the Madison fluid milk market. Later, it would take some of the surplus milk and convert it Swiss cheese to be sold on the open market. With the proceeding merger with AMPI, and the later formation of AMPI-MGF, the cooperative grew into one of the largest dairy cooperatives in the country. As it continued producing dairy products and working with members, the organization also lobbied for state and federal laws to aid its members. The organization was run by the delegates, who acted as a representative for every 50 farmer members. The delegates chose a board of directors at the annual meeting. The board was responsible for policy decisions.
Scope and Content Note
The collection has been arranged into four series: ASSOCIATED MILK PRODUCERS, MORNING GLORY FARMS REGION; MADISON MILK PRODUCERS; CHEESE PRODUCERS MARKETING ASSOCIATION; and VISUAL MATERIALS. Together these series document the activities of a dairy cooperative by demonstrating its operations, such as dairy production and marketing. Additionally, it documents relations with its members and advocacy the organization did on behalf of their members. The series mainly focuses on the region of central Wisconsin, especially Dane County and the Madison area. Nearly three-fourths of the materials relate to the series MADISON MILK PRODUCERS and document the activities of this organization and how it eventually evolved into AMPI.
The ASSOCIATED MILK PRODUCERS, MORNING GLORY FARMS (AMPI-MGF) series (1968-1993) documents the activities of the organization in central Wisconsin, particularly of its Madison production plant. In addition, it covers the merger that took place with Morning Glory Farms in 1986. The remaining files go through 1993, just around the time when the Madison plant of AMPI-MGF closed. This series is divided into four sub-series: Administrative, Membership, Legal, and Marketing. There are gaps in years for many of the materials, but the documentation provides a fair representation of the nature of this organization.
The Administrative sub-series documents the business nature of AMPI, which is reflected in the meeting minutes of the MGF region and of the Mid-States region, and range from 1969 through 1971 and 1975 through 1976. Also included are by-laws from 1972 through 1986. Financial balance sheets from the Abbottsford, Wisconsin plant are also included.
The Membership sub-series includes newsletters to its members, a file containing various materials from the Director of Membership, and a membership list from 1983. The remaining materials in this series are general correspondences as well as correspondences arranged by recipient or subject.
The Legal sub-series for AMPI-MGF has information regarding legal suits and legal matters of the region, though it mainly documents legal disputes with other dairy cooperatives or farms. Included is correspondence and documentation relating to a dispute between Bancroft Dairy (a member of AMPI) during the time that MMP merged with AMPI. Most of the material happened after that initial merger. Also included are materials related to legal disputes with National Farmers' Organization, as well as legal correspondence from 1968 through 1975.
The Marketing sub-series material for AMPI-MGF is rather small, but still documents marketing activities by the organization. The majority of documents are transcripts of radio commercials from 1989 through 1993. A small booklet providing background information on dehydrated dairy products is also included.
The MADISON MILK PRODUCERS series (1924-1970), which consists of the bulk of the material for the entire collection, documents the activities of the Madison Milk Producers Cooperative Association (MMP) ranging from a couple years after its formation until it merged with AMPI. Materials of particular interest involve how the organization lobbied for issues pertaining to milk prices, Swiss cheese production, and raw milk sales. This series is divided into five sub-series: Administrative, Financial, Legal, Membership, and Marketing.
The Administrative sub-series constitutes the majority of materials for this series. Included are by-laws for MMP and its subsidiaries, contracts for dairy production, permits, and forms for price computation of milk. Materials related to the merger with AMPI are also included. There are a number of documents pertaining to rules and regulations for producing dairy products, as well as complying with regional, state, and federal laws regarding dairy cooperatives. The rules and regulations material consists of correspondence and articles of incorporation for various Wisconsin state government departments and councils that oversee milk production and marketing. Also included are reports sent to the state government, investigations, audits, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) survey of operations, and compliance tests regarding milk production. The Administrative sub-series also contains a fair amount of correspondence, which includes general and correspondence organized by various subjects and recipients. Finally, this sub-series contains a near-complete run of newsletters sent to MMP members from 1924 through 1966.
The Financial sub-series contains financial documents related to MMP and its subsidiaries, the Madison Milk Producers Co-op Dairy and the Madison Milk Pool Co-op. Included are financial statements from 1925 through 1969, federal tax materials and returns from about 1935 through 1969, petty balance sheets, and documents related to dividends, stocks, and certificates.
The Legal sub-series documents legal disputes with various dairy farms and cooperatives in the region from 1956 through 1965. Also included are legal correspondence with the state of Wisconsin regarding milk production (1935-1940) and correspondence with the federal government (1963-1964).
The Membership sub-series includes applications, addresses, lists of members, and signed contracts. Also included are materials related to the annual membership picnic from 1927 through 1949.
The Marketing sub-series includes advertising material from 1933 through 1945; press releases; material regarding a marketing booth at the Wisconsin Dietetic Association conference (circa 1940); radio broadcasts and transcripts; and materials related to product catalogs from 1949-1970.
The CHEESE PRODUCERS MARKETING ASSOCIATION series (circa 1942-1957) contains a small amount of materials related to the Cheese Producers' Marketing Association (CPMA), which MMPCA was a member. Administrative materials, which include by-laws and articles of incorporation, provide some context to the nature of the association. The legal materials document a lawsuit involving CPMA and Kraft Foods regarding the patent for Swiss cheese production.
The VISUAL MATERIALS series (circa 1940-1950) include photographs and negatives used by the MMPCA for marketing purposes, and include a number of images related to the marketing efforts of MMPCA at the Wisconsin Dietetic Association Conference (circa 1940).
Related Material
Many such related organizations are already a part of the WHS holdings, and include:
Consolidated Badger Cooperative Records (Shawano, Wisconsin), 1928-1983. This organization became known as Morning Glory Farms. The records pre-date the merger with AMPI.
Pure Milk Association, (Chicago, Illinois) 1926-1973. This organization merged with Milk Producers in 1969 to form AMPI.
Flambeau Valley Farms (Ladysmith, Wisconsin), 1925-1980.
Associated Milk Producers, Morning Glory Farms Region Women Records, 1977-1980. One folder consisting of the history of the organization.
Dairy Dispatch. The WHS Library pamphlet collection contains 25 copies of this weekly news regarding AMPI, dating from 1974.
Dairymen Digest.
Other related materials can be found in the WHS Library:
Administrative/Restriction Information
Presented by the Associated Milk Producers Inc. - Morning Glory Farms Region, 1995. Accession Number: M90-269, M94-321, M94-328, M97-011, M97-046
Processed by Danielle H. Taylor (Practicum student), 2010.
Contents List
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Mss 1063
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Series: Associated Milk Producers, Morning Glory Farms
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Subseries: Administrative
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Box
1
Folder
1
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AMPI minutes, 1969-1971
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Box
1
Folder
2
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By-laws, 1972-1986
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Box
1
Folder
3
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AMPI Mid-States Regional Board, 1975-1976
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Box
1
Folder
4-7
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Merger material, 1959-1972, 1989
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Box
1
Folder
8
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Balance sheets, Abbottsford Plant, 1969
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Subseries: Membership
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Box
1
Folder
9
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Newsletters, 1989-1990
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Box
1
Folder
10
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Director of Membership file, 1973-1976
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Box
1
Folder
11
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Membership lists, 1983
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Correspondence
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Box
1
Folder
12
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General, 1987
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Box
1
Folder
13
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To Congress, circa 1971
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Box
1
Folder
14-16
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Retirement, 1967, 1970-1974
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Box
1
Folder
17
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Associated Dairymen material, 1966-1969
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Box
1
Folder
18
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Central Milk Producers Co-op, 1993
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Subseries: Legal
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Box
2
Folder
1
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Bancroft Dairy, 1966-1972
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Box
2
Folder
2
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National Farmers' Organization, 1969-1972
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Box
2
Folder
3-4
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Legal correspondence, 1968-1975
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Subseries: Marketing
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Box
2
Folder
5
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Dehydrated dairy products, AMPI Marketing Division
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Box
2
Folder
6-8
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Radio advertisements, 1990-1992
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Series: Madison Milk Producers
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Subseries: Administrative
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Articles and by-laws
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Box
3
Folder
1
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Madison Milk Producers Co-op Association
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Box
3
Folder
2
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Madison Milk Producers Co-op Dairy
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Box
3
Folder
3
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Madison Milk Producers Dairy Sales
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Box
3
Folder
4
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Madison Milk Pool Co-op
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Box
3
Folder
5
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Contracts, 1927-1935
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Box
3
Folder
6-8
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Government bids and contracts, 1942-1948
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Box
3
Folder
9
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Permits
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Box
3
Folder
10
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Price computation on milk forms, 1933-1946
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Box
3
Folder
11-12
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Merger material, 1966-1969
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Rules and regulations
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Box
4
Folder
1-2
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Wisconsin Council of Agriculture, 1932-1938
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Box
4
Folder
3
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Wisconsin Co-op Dairy, 1933-1935
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Box
4
Folder
4
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Board of Health
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Box
4
Folder
5-6
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Department of Agriculture and Markets, 1933-1941
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Box
4
Folder
7
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Annual Report of Wisconsin Dairy Products, 1934-1966
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Box
4
Folder
8
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U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) survey of operations, 1964-1966
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Box
4
Folder
9
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Complaints and investigations, 1931-1935
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Box
5
Folder
1
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Dealer audit, 1927-1932
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Box
5
Folder
2
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Inspections
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Box
5
Folder
3
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Milk laws, 1939
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Box
5
Folder
4
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Milking machines
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Box
5
Folder
5
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Milk quality and farm sanitation
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Box
5
Folder
6
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Sediment tests
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Box
5
Folder
7
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Vitamin D
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Correspondence
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Box
5
Folder
8-10
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General, 1928-1945
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Box
5
Folder
11
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The American Institute of Cooperation, 1928-1938
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Box
5
Folder
12
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Christian Overseas Relief Organization
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Box
5
Folder
13
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Dairy Farm Retirement Association, 1956-1958
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Box
5
Folder
14
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Farm changes
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Box
5
Folder
15
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Farmers Union, 1940
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Box
5
Folder
16
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University of Wisconsin, 1935-1940
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Box
5
Folder
17
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Wisconsin Dairymen's Association, 1950
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Newsletters
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Box
6
Folder
1
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1926, 1928-1940
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Box
6
Folder
2
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1941-1949
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Box
6
Folder
3
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1950-1953, 1955, 1957, 1966
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Box
6
Folder
4
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Statistics for newsletters, 1941-1949
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Subseries: Financial
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Madison Milk Producers Cooperative Association
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Box
7
Folder
1
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Financial statements, 1925-1958
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Box
7
Folder
2
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Annual federal tax material, 1944-1963
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Madison Milk Pool Co-op
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Box
7
Folder
3
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Financial statements, 1950-1969
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Box
7
Folder
4
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Federal tax material, 1945-1969
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Madison Milk Producers Dairy Sales
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Box
7
Folder
5
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Financial reports, 1953-1954
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Box
7
Folder
6
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Financial statements, 1937-1960
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Box
7
Folder
7-8
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Federal tax material, 1935-1961
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Box
7
Folder
9
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Adjusted bases, 1942-1947
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Box
7
Folder
10
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Dividends, stocks, and certificates, 1948-1949
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Box
7
Folder
11
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Petty balances letter
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Box
7
Folder
12
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Recalls of stock letter legal
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Subseries: Legal
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Box
8
Folder
1
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Borden's Dairy, 1956-1965
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Box
8
Folder
2-4
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Bowman Dairy
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Box
8
Folder
5
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Dean Milk
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Box
8
Folder
6
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MMP Association Legal Agreements with other Co-ops
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Box
8
Folder
7
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Legal correspondence with federal government, 1963-1964
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Box
8
Folder
8
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Wisconsin State Milk Production, 1935-1940
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Subseries: Membership
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Box
9
Folder
1
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Applications
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Box
9
Folder
2
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Addresses
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Box
9
Folder
3
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List
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Box
9
Folder
4
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Contracts, signed
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Box
9
Folder
5
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Correspondence
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Box
9
Folder
6-9
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Picnic materials, 1928-1949, 1955
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Subseries: Marketing
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Box
10
Folder
1
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Advertising material, 1933-1945
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Box
10
Folder
2
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Correspondence, 1950
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Box
10
Folder
3-4
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News releases, 1966-1969
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Box
10
Folder
5
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Anniversary celebration
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Box
10
Folder
6
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Wisconsin Dietetic Association booth material
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Box
10
Folder
7
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Radio broadcasts, 1930- 1947
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Box
10
Folder
8
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Pasteurized versus raw milk marketing material
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Box
10
Folder
9-10
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Product catalog materials, 1968-1969
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Box
10
Folder
11-12
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Christmas marketing material, 1949-1970
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Series: Cheese Marketing Producers Association
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Administrative
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Box
11
Folder
1
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By-laws, articles of incorporation, and minutes, 1952-1957
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Box
11
Folder
2
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Audit reports, 1950-1956
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Legal
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Box
11
Folder
3
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CMPA v. Kraft Foods Inc.
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Box
11
Folder
4-8
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Swiss cheese patent dispute
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Series: Visual Materials
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PH 6625
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Madison Milk Producers Cooperative Association
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Marketing
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Box
1
Folder
1
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Photographs
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Box
1
Folder
2
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Negatives
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Films
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AE 455
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Making of evaporated milk
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AE 456
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Making of butter oil
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DG 171
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The Dairy Man
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