158 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



to work with them, to co-operate with them in every way possible. That 

 has been their motto throughout the season, and they have been co-oper- 

 ating with every other existing organization, and I want to say to you 

 that the word "co-operation" as we understand it has a different meaning 

 than most people give to it. In other words, I believe an explanation 

 of the word co-operation means putting yourself in an attitude so that 

 the other fellow can work with you. That is our definition of co-operation. 



Now, from the standpoint of organization: We had during the past 

 year about 20,000 members of the farm bureau in Iowa. In other words, 

 an average of 200 or a little better to a county. That is not strong 

 enough organization to reach the definite lines of work that should be 

 reached within the county. At the state fair this past year we estab- 

 lished what is known as Farm Bureau Day, a day which was set aside 

 through the courtesy of the state board of agriculture. The farm bureau 

 had a camp established at the fair, where the people connected with the 

 farm bureau work pitched their tents together and got acquainted and 

 learned what the other fellows were doing in the other parts of the state. 

 In the large assembly tent on Monday we held a program, at which meet- 

 ing some 900 people were present interested in the farm bureau work. 

 At that meeting it was decided to increase the interest in the farm 

 bureau work in the state of Iowa, realizing the benefits that had accrued 

 therefrom, and it was decided and agreed that a membership campaign 

 should be put on in this state this fall. On the 22d day of September 

 this membership campaign opened up in Hardin county with 16 men co- 

 operating with the local farm bureau. At the end of that first week 1,178 

 members had been signed up as members of the farm bureau, and they 

 had agreed, in addition to becoming a member of the farm bureau, to 

 subscribe something like $2,700 to a special fund for the use of the 

 federation as an emergency fund. This campaign grew into other coun- 

 ties. It went into Butler county the following week, and then into Floyd 

 and Fayette, and then into Story county and Buchanan, and there are 

 many men in this audience who were in that campaign. And so it has 

 gone forward steadily until this week we have 287 men who are traveling 

 up and down the roads of Iowa calling on every farm home in 18 counties 

 and giving them an opportunity to become members of the farm bureau 

 and subscribe to the farm bureau federation special fund. Up to the 

 present time the average memberships in the 79 counties organized up 

 to this week has been 1,200 or a little better, with an average subscrip- 

 tion to the federation of $3,500 per county. On the 20th day of December 

 we will have finished every county in this state. Next week 21 counties 

 will be organized — the final week, when we go over the top. In this 

 drive it is our aim to reach every farm home in this state, and then, so 

 far as we are able to ascertain, and the records coming in indicate that 

 they are calling on practically every home — 80 per cent of those people 

 are home. In other words, we are missing 20 per cent that have not 

 been seen in the first drive, and 90 per cent of those 80 per cent of the 

 farmers seen are becoming members of the farm bureau. In other words, 

 on the 20th day of December, at the present rate our organization drive 

 is working, there will be a membership of 120,000 farm bureau members 

 m the state of Iowa. 



