394 TWENTY-SECOND ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART V 



VII. COST OF PRODUCTION 



One of the most valuable lines of work conducted by the I. F. B. F. has 

 been to accurately determine the cost of production on farms in Iowa. 



As to the real value of these figures, Secretary Coverdale of the Ameri- 

 can Federation, has stated that this was one of the best pieces of work 

 done anywhere in the United States since the consuming public knows 

 that the farmer is not a "profiteer," and also farmers realize their own 

 personal situation and can govern themselves accordingly. 



The I. F. B. F. has used these figures: 



1. For general publication in every newspaper or agricultural journal 

 or any publication that w^anted to use them. 



2. Before the Executive Council in considering taxation. 



3. Before the Interstate Commerce Commission, Washington, D. C, in 

 asking for lower freight rates. 



Their particular value to farmers is because the average farmer is not 

 in a position to go into the detail required, though he could help very 

 materially in keeping the standard farm business record account book, 

 and also in keeping special enterprise records, like the cost of producing 

 some one particular crop on his own farm. 



VIII. PROTECTIVE IMEASURES 



The following protective measures were enacted into laws by the last 

 legislature: 



1. Pure seed law known as the "uniform seed law," so that Iowa farm- 

 ers have protection against buying seeds which contain obnoxious 

 and unlawful weed seed. 



2. Anti-hog cholera serum regulation law, which provides for the 

 bonding of dealers in serum and requires manufacturers to publish 

 on the containers the cost price of the serum, and thereby prevent- 

 ing the undesirable practice of "rebating." 



3. Provide for county vaccinating schools so that farmers can take 

 instructions and examinations in their local counties in order to 

 secure permits to vaccinate their own hogs against hog cholera. 



4. Has discouraged the buying of blue sky stock by requiring com- 

 panies to submit answers to an analyzing questionnaire, and helped 

 to get the blue sky law passed in the last session of the legislature. 



IX. AGRICULTURAI. STATISTICS 



The I. F. B. F. sponsored the enactment of a law for the purpose of 

 gathering of statistics by the assessors and providing for the assembling 

 and dissemination of them for the entire State a short time after the 

 assessor's work is complete. Thus accurate information as to the amount 

 of grain and livestock on farms is available for all the people and not for 

 any particular class as has often been the condition existing in the past. 



X. PUBLICITY 



The publicity activities of the I. F. B. F.: 



1. It has published monthly the Messenger and sent the same to every 

 member so that they could be familiar with the activities and de- 

 velopment. 



