1938 Calhoun City Cheese Plant

The Monitor Herald - 1938

KRAFT-PHOENIX CHEESE CO. TO LOCATE AT CALHOUN CITY    (March 24, 1938)

Business and Professional Men of Calhoun City Meet Requirements for Location of Whole Milk Plant.

Will Prove Means of Increasing Cash Income of Farmers And Help Offset Cotton Decrease.
Officers of Company Expect To Have Plant In Operation By Early Spring In Order To Reach Peak Production As Early As Possible.

Arrangements were completed at a meeting held at Calhoun City Tuesday night for the location of a cheese plant at Calhoun City by the Kraft-Phoenix Cheese Company. Previously the Business Men’s Club at this place had been working for sometime to secure a milk plant of some kind. The Kraft Company became interested in the matter and after making a survey of the field, proposed that they would locate a plant at this place, provided a lot and building was furnished by the citizens. The provision being made that when milk production reaches a certain level for 30 days the company will reimburse the citizens for money expended on the lot and building.
At a meeting of citizens held Tuesday night the money needed was quickly pledged.
The company is expected to have a representative here within a few days to start the buildings and arranged for completion of the plant.

In the manufacture of cheese whole milk is used and in a number of instances farmers prefer to sell milk in this way as it saves the trouble of separation of cream and skim milk, eliminates times and saves the investment required for a separator. Prices, it is stated, range about the same as between cream and whole milk.

The people of this city are especially interested in the location of this plant here this spring, as they feel that on account of the great reduction made in cotton acreage by the farm bill, farmers will have to turn their attention to other sources for a cash income. Past experience has proved that there is no more certain way of having a steady cash income than from dairying and the sale of dairy products. Therefore, it is felt that a whole milk plant in the county will not only stimulate business in all sections of the county, but will provide an additional source of income for our farmers which will be very welcome at this particular time.

The survey made in this area recently shows that there are already a fine lot of good milch cows. It is expected that many who now milk cows will increase their herd and that others not selling milk will arrange to do so. We are informed that several farmers in this section are already planning to double the number of cows they are milking at present in order to make up for the cash they have been securing from cotton in the past.

The Oxford Credit Association, we are told, will loan money to farmers to purchase dairy cattle, and other credit agencies are open to farmers who plan a conservative increase in their dairy herds.

Plans and specifications for the building to be constructed here will be forwarded to the committee from the Chicago office of the Kraft Company, within a few days, according to a telegram received by County Agent Hollandsworth this morning.

This company has a number of plants in Mississippi, all of which, so far as could be learned, are being operated successfully. One plant, located in Prentiss county, paid farmers $125,000 for milk last year – the first year it was operated. At Houston, business men state that the Kraft plant pays out approximately the same sum and say further that since the price of cotton dropped to the bottom last fall; this plant has proved a life-saver to the farmers who have had little else besides milk to market for cash.

Calhoun City business men quickly met the conditions required by the company, and within three days after the conditions were stated all details had been completed to guarantee the company a building, lot and adequate drainage – all that was required.

Several farms in this immediate area who have had experience in dealing with cheese plants – that is, the sale of whole milk to sue plants – say that this is a very satisfactory way of handling milk, and state that they are anxious to have the plant erected here in order to have the advantages of a market for whole milk.

The plant will be located on a lot on the railroad near the depot for shipping conveniences, and drain tiling will be used to carry waste to a large ditch in the bottom west of the proposed site for the building. [Note: Part of Dr. Wells Animal clinic 2006]

Representatives of the company who recently made a survey of the county said that conditions were ideal for a milk plant at this place and were enthusiastic over future possibilities for development as farmers become more acquainted with the methods employed in dealing with patrons by the company.

How To Succeed In Dairy Work    (March 31, 1938)

Kraft-Phoenix Co., Gives Rules On Success and Failure For Dairymen. With interest in dairying revived in this county, and hundreds of farmers turning their attention to new sources of income on account of cotton acreage being cut to the lowest level in the history of the county, it is well to study the benefits of dairying, as well as how to make dairy work successful. The Kraft-Phoenix Corporation, cheese manufacturers, has issued a bulletin captioned “Two Routes In Dairying”, which we republish below for the benefit of those who are thinking of starting in the dairying business in this section.

HOW TO FAIL IN DAIRYING

1. Breed only scrub cows.
2. Breed only cows to scrub bulls.
3. Buy all your cows. These calves are not worth raising anyway.
4. missing
5. Buy all your grain mixture preferably ready-mixed feed.
6. Buy all your roughage.
7. Use insufficient labor to fed and milk your cows.
8. Do not keep any records. They might discourage you.
9. Turn your cows out, winter and summer, without shelter.
10. Allow your cows to rustle for a living all winter and freshen in the spring in thin condition.

HOW TO SUCCEED IN DAIRYING

1. Use cows of good dairy conformation and breeding.
2. Use pure-bred bulls with high producing ancestors.
3. Raise heifer calves from your best producing cows.
4. Provide good pastures for your cows.
5. Grow as much of your grain as is possible on the farm
6. Grow sufficient hay and silage to supply your herd’s needs.
7. Give the herd your individual attention, particularly in feeding the cows and seeing that they are properly milked.
8. Check up on your cows by weighing the milk and feed, and testing the milk for butterfat. This is the only way to weed out unprofitable cows.
9. Provide shade in summer and a cheap shelter in winter.
10. See that your cows are in good condition at calving time.
Which route are you traveling?
The County Agent or Kraft fieldman will be glad to assist you in your plans for this year.

Kraft-Phoenix Representative Approve Lot, Confer With Committee - To Build Soon.  (April 14)

Mesars. E. E. Lyons, of Atlanta, Ga., Southern Production Manager for the Kraft-Phoenix Cheese Corporation, and J. T. Holmes, of Chicago, with the legal department of the corporation, were here last week in the interest of the new cheese plant to be located at Calhoun City.

They met with the building committee of the Business Men's Club and held a conference regarding the details for the new plant. They also approved the lot which had been selected by the committee for the building, took pictures of the same and made a map of the lot and surroundings, looked into and approved the water supply of the town and made arrangements for work to start soon

The blue prints for the building will be made after the information they secured is forwarded to the Chicago offices, and they stated that they hoped to have the blue prints here so that the building could be started within a couple of weeks.

CHEESE PLANT BEING ERECTED     (May 19)

H. O. Burson, Contractor, Pushing Work – Water Lines Already Laid by City. The Phoenix-Kraft cheese plant at this city will be completed within the next two weeks, according to H. O. Burson, contractor, who is rushing the work so that the machinery may be installed and actual manufacturing started. Mr. Burson started work on the building last week, and has made fine progress on the structure.

The city water superintendent, J. M. Robertson, has completed laying the water lines to the new plant, and is ready to make connections as soon as the machinery is installed. Work on the plant building was delayed on account of a hitch in receiving specifications, but the work is being pushed to completion as rapidly as possible at this time.

The plant is being erected by the business men of the city under the sponsorship of the Business Men's Club. The cheese company has agreed to return the funds used in constructing the building to the business men here when the volume of milk received daily reaches a certain amount.
It is felt that this manufacturing plant will prove of real worth to the city and to farmers who desire to sell milk when it is placed in operation.

CHEESE PLANT NEARING COMPLETION - MAY OPEN FOR BUSINESS ON JUNE 16    (June 2)

Machinery Here and Being Installed - Milk Routes Being Arranged over This and Adjoining Counties - Company To Give Demonstrations Next Two Saturday Afternoons. The Kraft-Phoenix Cheese Plant at this city is nearing completion. The building has been finished and the machinery is being installed at this time. Plans are underway to have the formal opening of the plant on June 16th, we are informed, but this date has not been definitely fixed, the time depending to some extent on the completions of vats, installing of machinery, etc.

The company officials have been busy this week contracting with truck drivers to drive trucks on milk routes. Several routes are already agreed upon with drivers already arranged for. One of these routes will run from Slate Spring by Dentontown, Sabougla, and Pleasant Hill to the plant; another will run from Ellard by Lamar's store, J. L. Collins' home and to the plant; another from Paris eastward and down Schoona Valley to the plant. Still others are to be arranged.

Mr. Woodruff, who has been connected with the Kraft plant at Houston, will have charge of the Calhoun City Kraft plant. He is an experienced cheese manufacturer and is well known to farmers in this section.

Officials of the company announce that on Saturday afternoon of this week and Saturday afternoon of next week demonstrations will be made at the plant here showing farmers how to properly care for milk that is to be sold to the plant. They say that this is important , and invite all farmers who may patronize the plant to visit them and see how to handle the milk before it is delivered to the company.

Plans are under way for a celebration at the opening of the plant. Prizes will likely be given for milk delivery on opening day, it is stated, and other events are scheduled for the day. Watch for announcement of these events in our next issue.

FARM AND AAA NEWS FROM THE COUNTY AGENT    (June 2)

Now that the cheese plant is about ready to open, much is being said about producing and selling milk. It is a certain fact that cows, no matter how good, will not produce a profit unless they are well fed. So feed cost will largely determine the profit. A few acres of sorghum silage properly stored in a trench silo will insure plenty of good cheap, succulent roughage. It has been worked out by the experiments stations to show what feed to grow; for each cow kept grown, 1 ton good hay, 15 bushels of corn, 20 bushels of oats, 2 ½ tons of silage, add to this about 300 pounds cottonseed meal.
Someone has said, Calhoun County needs more cows, but along with more good cows we need an abundance of good feed stored and fed. If other farmers can buy Calhoun County corn and feed it at a profit surely more profit could be made by feeding the corn to good dairy cows or other good livestock on the farm where the corn is grown.
There is a clamor for more cotton acres. Let’s think for a minute, a gallon of milk can be produced as cheap as a pound of cotton. By growing the feed crops we can at least produce the gallon of milk at a time when the pound of cotton cannot be grown. In the face of the world supply of cotton we must find a means of getting money other than cotton whether there is a control program or not. J. W. Hollandsworth.

CHEESE PLANT MAY OPEN JULY 1  (June 23)

District Supt. Says Part of Equipment Still Missing -- No Date Fixed for Opening

Mr. H. W. Klessing, , district superintendent of the Kraft-Phoenix Cheese Corporation, said today that no definite date has been fixed for opening the cheese plant at Calhoun City. Part of the equipment which has been shipped out of Chicago is still missing, he said, and opening of the plant depends upon the arrival of these parts and equipment. The executives of the company have been hoping to have the formal opening of the plant on July 1st, but the missing equipment will have to arrive in a few days if this is made possible.

Business men of the city are planning to offer special premiums for delivery of milk at the plant on opening day - that is, to those who bring in the largest amounts on both the cream routes and delivered personally. Probably other premiums will be offered.

Routes covering almost all the county have been arranged for during the past few weeks. Farmers who patronize the cheese plant are to drive most of these tucks, gathering up and delivering the milk on specified dates.

Our issue of next week will carry a complete write-up of the opening and the routes, plans for awarding premiums, etc.

CHEESE PLANT TO OPEN AT CITY ON WEDNESDAY, JULY 6 -- PRIZES OFFERED     (June 30) $20.00

To Be Given As Premiums to Producers On Opening Day To Those Who Patronize Plant Here -- Formal Opening Will Be Celebrated At Later Date, Say Officials.

Officials of the Kraft-Phoenix Cheese Corporation announced today that the opening of the new cheese plant at Calhoun City will take place Wednesday, July 6th. The plant will be placed in operation that day, they said and truck routes will start operating that morning. The formal opening will be delayed until a later date, however, they said.

The business and professional men of the City have raised funds for cash premiums to be given to dairymen and truck drivers that day. (July 6). Premiums are offered as follows: $5.00 to the individual dairyman bringing or sending in the most milk to the plant that day; $10.00 to other producers in special prizes; $5.00 to the truck driver bringing in the largest amount of milk.
The officials of the Company said that the plant and machinery installations are about completed and that everything would be in readiness to begin making cheese by the 6th. It is hoped that the volume of milk reaching the plant will quickly swell to the desired and needed amount.

The local manager, Mr. Wooruff announces that a Free Moving Picture showing how to handle and care for milk intended for the cheese plant and also showing a good comedy, will be given at the Bruce school auditorium on Friday night, July 1, and at the Methodist Sunday School room at Calhoun City Saturday afternoon, July 2. All dairymen and others interested are invited to attend.

CHEESE PLANT OPENS ON WEDNESDAY -- 4982 POUNDS OF MILK IS RECEIVED   (July 7) W. S.

Wright Captures First Prize For Delivery of 972 Pounds Milk On Opening Day -- Isham Parker Truck Gets Award For Truck Route Deliveries.

The Kraft-Phoenix Cheese Plant of Calhoun City opened for business today. At noon officials of the Company said that 4,982 pounds of milk had been delivered to the plant, and that 87 patrons had joined the ranks of those who will patronize the plant. An average of 37 pounds of milk per patron was recorded, which, according to Mr. Doss Lowrey, field representative for the plant, is an excellent average.

Eight truck drivers delivered milk here this morning from as many routes, with Isham Parker, on the Big Creek route, capturing the $5.00 offered by the business interests here to the truck driver delivering the most milk on opening day.

Mr. W. S. Wright, progressive Big Creek farmer captured the $5.00 premium for sending in the greatest amount of milk on opening day, with 972 pounds delivered. His neighbor and kinsman, E. W. Wright ran him a close race for first place by sending in 871 pounds of milk.
Ten other cash prizes are to be awarded to patrons this afternoon, it was stated.
Officials of the Company expressed themselves as well pleased with the showing made on the day the plant opened here. They expect a steady increase in the amount of milk reaching the plant as the customers become better acquainted with the methods of handling milk and see for themselves the profit to be made from this source of farm activity.

A list of the patrons who sent in milk this morning follows:
Brooks Watkins, T. E. Streeter, Mrs. Anne Webb, C. H. Covington, J. M. McKibben, Mrs. M. M. Cost, K. C. Snyder, A. T. Cost, E. W. Prewett, C. A. Edmondson, J. G. West, Rufus Hardin, B. L. Gregg, T. E. Macon, Leo Barton, O. W. Murphree, J. L. Harrelson, H. H. Green.
J. A. Easley, J. E. Armstrong, J. S. Bryant, W. R. Shoemake, H. B. Casey, W. E. Wright, A. C. Black, Ruth Denton, H. E. West, E. L. Pittman, C. C. Dendy, Mrs. Lula Doolittle, T. E. Doolittle, Ella Pendergrast, J. W. Black, Mrs. Walter Clanton, J. M. Denton, J. W. Doolittle.
H. H. Blount, John Leachman, A. H. Edwards, B. W. Costner, Hollis Cain, Edgar Blount, J. W. Carter, C. L. Ivy, J. C. Arnold, R. L. Hall, J. Z. Adams, H. Cook, J. S. Massey, H. S. Roane, Elton Ramage, G. G. Ederington, A. F. Denis, D. A. Vanlandingham, W. E. Bailey.
E. A. Dye, H. Spratlin, H. W. Green, W. S. Spratlin, E. A. Bailey, C. H. Hardin, E. W. Wright, E. A. Clanton, Hugh Byars, Mrs. Pearl Moore, B. W. Pullen, J. C. Threadgill, W. S. Wright, D. J. Hall, B. M. Hutchins, R. L. Wright, L. M. Parker, J. L. Wyatt, W. M. Currington, Mrs. R. H. Pullen.
W. R. Byars, J. W. Blaylock, O. S. Wells, J. W. Hicks, R. L. Murphree, W. S. Moore, T. H. Parker, A. L. Bounds, W. B. Griffin and J. A. Hodges.

E. W. WRIGHT LEADS IN MILK DELIVERY     (August 11)

Big Creek Farmer Brings In 20,925 Pounds of Milk During First Month. The records of the Calhoun City plant of the Kraft-Phoenix Cheese Corporation, for the first 31 days of its operation show that the following six farmers brought in the largest number of pounds of milk during that period, as follows;
E. W. Wright, 20,925 pounds;
Brooks Watkins, 5,066 pounds;
J. A. Hodges, 4, 578 pounds;
W. B. Wright, 3,824 pounds;
E. L. Pittman, 3,621 pounds;
R. L. Hall, 2,992 pounds.

This is an average of approximately 224 pounds per day for the six largest patrons of the plant.
Mr. Doss Lowrey, of Houston, who is field representative for the local plant had the following to say regarding the above figures: “Just think how easy it would be to get delivery of milk at the Calhoun City plant up to the 12, 000 pounds daily which was set as a basis for the corporation taking over the property from the business men We only need to get 55 patrons that average 221 pounds each day, which will put the plant over the top with some to spare. With 55 patrons milking 9 cows which produce 3 gallons per day, the job can be easily done. I am sure the cows are here, so why not get busy and put your production at Calhoun City up to the expected point in a big way?”

Mr. Lowrey said that the record show that Mr. L. V. Ward had the greatest increase in patrons and pounds on the milk route which bring in milk to the plant.

CALHOUN COUNTY'S LARGEST DAIRY FARM    (Aug 18)

Beautiful Farm Home of Mr. E. W. Wright  The editor enjoyed a few hours on the farm of E. W. Wright, 10 miles west of Calhoun City on Highway 8, Tuesday, and saw a lot of interesting sights – among which was that of watching the milking of 60 fine Jersey dairy cows, the straining up of 85 gallons of fine milk and whirling it away to the cheese plant at the city.

Mr. Wright, a successful and progressive farmer, has a fine farm and knows how to make it produce. His place consists of 590 acres of land, all under net wire fence, and subdivided into pastures and fields. In fact, there is about 7 miles of net wire stretched on the farm. The home is situated in a fine grove of lovely old oaks and is one of the most beautiful and well arranged farm homes in the county.

On the place are six tenant houses, and four good barns, a pasture with 310 acres in it, well watered, and well developed. Mr. Wright has 20 acres of fine sorghum growing now and will soon harvest it for ensilage. He has two trench silos with a capacity of 125 tons, which he fills each year with sorghum, soy beans and green corn, all cut into ensilage. In addition he raises plenty of fine hay and grain for his cattle, mules and hogs.

Dairy Herd Is Best In This Section

We wanted to see Mr. Wright’s dairy herd, of which we have heard much during the past years. He has about 60 fine Jerseys, many of them registered and all of them carefully selected and tested for their milk records. From this herd he markets approximately 90 gallons of milk per day, after feeding all calves on the place. His records, certified by the Yorkshire Creamery Co., and the Kraft cheese plant at this place show that he has marketed $1,431.47 worth of butter fat and milk in the seven months of 1938 up to August 3. His checks from the Kraft Cheese plant for the month from July 5 to Aug. 5, amounted to $281.23, which was for milk produced and sold off his farm. Feed for his cows cost him about $60.00 per month, he says.

In addition to this dairy herd, he has a fine lot of white face cattle, with two selected registered white face males. In all, he owns 112 head of cattle.

Grows Hogs For Market

There are 107 head of hogs on the Wright farm. These hogs are young at this time, but will be about right for fattening for the winter market. The hogs are fed from grain grown on the farm and from the skim milk sold at the cheese plant at this place. They are growing off nicely.
Mr. Wright also has 14 good mules on the farm, two mares and some colts.

Has Good Crop This Year

The crops on the Wright farm are good this year. Cotton is doing well, with prospects for a good harvest. Corn is fine and is much better than was expected at one time, Mr. Wright says. Peas, sorghum, soy beans, lespedeza and other crops are doing well. He has already harvested a fine oat crop this year.

Wants To Sell Out

Mr. Wright asks us to state that he wants to sell his farm and all holdings. He is, he states, in bad health and is unable to look after the many duties on the farm. He says he will give someone a bargain in a walk-out proposition, and asks that anyone interested call and inspect he farm and the cattle and livestock, crops and so on. He says he will consider a cash payment with balance on terms.

Note: April 2006 - After talking to several Big Creek residents, I found out that Mr. Ed Wright did finally sell his farm. It ended up being owned by A. B. Miller and he tore the house down and built a newer one. The "new" house was remodeled in 1975 by Ralph Hutchins of Big Creek, who also remembers when the Big Barn burned. There is only one of the buildings mentioned in the article still standing and it is behind the B. B. and Lois Couch residence. Mr. Wright is said to be buried at Bethel Cemetery. Mr. Hutchins said if you looked down the drive by the Couch residence, you would have been looking directly into the front door steps and it is possible that some of the foundation might still be in place. Mr. John Warner also confirmed the location of the front steps and said the house had a large wraparound porch.