Excerpts: Transportation charges on agricultural products have increased approximately 50 percent since July 1, 1946, with additional increases anticipated. These increased costs represent an important part of the total expense of marketing agricultural commodities and distributing farm production supplies. To provide agricultural producers with a dependable transportation service at cost, farmer cooperatives in several West North Central States have developed coordinated transportation programs. This preliminary report, prepared in connection with a project being conducted under the Research and Marketing Act of 1946, is a study of benefits realized from such a program. The Farmers Union Federated Cooperative Shipping Association of Minot, N. Dak., a cooperative trucking association, was selected as a representative organization to study to determine the economies and services realized through coordinated transportation plans. The officials and employees of the shipping association, the Farmers Union Central Exchange, and the Farmers Union Livestock Association of South St. Paul, Minn., were interviewed. The information obtained was used to describe and analyze the growth and development of the Farmers Union Federated Cooperative Shipping Association; the plan of operation; the economies realized through operation; the services rendered; the legal status; the present organizational structure; and to suggest how operating efficiency and services might be improved.
