386 IOWA DEPARTMENT OP AGRICULTURE 



order that comprehensive knowledge could be had of live stock 

 conditions in each State. Your Secretary asked for an expression 

 of opinion from the Mid-West States as to the probability of 

 their attempting to take up the work along identical lines. The 

 result was that a conference was held at Chicago in which the 

 States of Illinois, Ohio, Indiana, and Iowa agreed upon a uniform 

 plan of gathering this data, and the work is now going on in all 

 of these States and the data gathered during the year in each 

 State will be available to all, and useful in the future develop- 

 ment of better marketing conditions. 



As editor of the Farm Bureau Messenger, your Secretary has 

 caused the same to be published monthly during the year. The 

 paper is now being mailed direct from the head office. Our pro- 

 blem in this connection can be more fully understood when you 

 note the size and capacity of the plants necessary to publish and 

 distribute agricultural publications and realize that our mailing 

 and handling facilities are confined to one room 14 by 18 feet 

 in size, while our subscribers in Iowa exceed that of any agricul- 

 tural publication in the State. The size of the periodical and the 

 infrequency of its publication (monthly) necessarily prevents the 

 publication of current news. We are endeavoring to convey to 

 you through this publication the policies and the actual doings of 

 the Federation. Lack of space compels us to confine our infor- 

 mation to boiled down facts, but if the members will follow its 

 columns regularly they can keep Avell posted on the doings of the 

 organization and the proceedings of the Executive Committee. 



The practice of holding conferences with the Mid-West group 

 of States has been very helpful to all in that it allowed of free 

 discussion on mutual problems, all with the thought of co- 

 ordinating the Federation work in the Mid-West States where a 

 similarity of farming conditions created a feeling of mutual in- 

 terest. 



Group conferences, six in number, were held at Indianapolis. 

 Indiana, Chicago, Illinois, Lansing, Michigan, Ames, Iowa, Man- 

 hattan, Kansas and Columbus, Ohio. Your Secretary attended 

 three of these conferences outside of Iowa. 



Your Secretary attended the conference called by President 

 Howard, at which time the appointment of a committee of seven- 

 teen was authorized ; also a conference called by the Iowa Bank- 

 ers' association on the car shortage, and two joint conferences on 

 the car and coal situation ; conference with the Corn Belt Meat 



