Report Objectives: This report is designed to furnish information to management of farmers' cooperatives for use in appraising economic aspects of transportation costs in developing a fertilizer manufacturing program. In general, it provides basic data on long range problems relating to fertilizer manufacturing and distributing programs. In this way it furnishes background information useful to management. Specifically the objectives of this report are to: 1. Describe general fertilizer operations of regional cooperatives in the Western States, giving special attention to manufacturing and distributing; 2. Present economic data showing the role of cooperatives in the fertilizer industry of the region; and 3. Provide statistical information useful in appraising transportation problems encountered in procuring raw materials for manufacturing fertilizer, and useful in developing a long range program for coordinating the efforts of the agencies serving farmers.