Sideline Merchandising Operations of Elevators Affiliated with the Farmers Union Grain Terminal Association, St. Paul, Minnesota

Excerpt: For many years cooperative elevators in the States of Minnesota, North and South Dakota, and Montana, have handled varying quantities of farm and farm home supplies as a sideline to their grain marketing and storage operations. In general, these elevators have looked upon sideline business as incidental to their grain operations, with the result that they have devoted little special attention to developing their purchasing service for farmers. Because of the increasing importance of sideline operations in this area, the management of the Farmers' Union Grain Terminal Association of St. Paul, Minn., requested the Cooperative Research and Service Division to make a study of the sideline merchandising operations of its affiliated local elevator associations so that suggestions could be offered which might assist in the sound conduct and development of this type of business.