394 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



conditions obtain in the marketing of live stock, and the past two 

 years have been disastrous to the live stock men. Recognizing 

 therefore, through absolute necessity the need for co-operating 

 more closely with his associate in business and the further need 

 for applying to the solution of his problems, the same tactics as 

 have been applied to industry, trade and finance, the farmer has 

 built an organization and through it hopes to take his place in 

 the industrial and economic life of the Nation with the determina- 

 tion that those things which now appear so detrimental to his 

 business can be eliminated and that agriculture may stand out as 

 dominant in the conduct of its own business as its importance 

 to the public welfare demands. We must recognize that we have 

 for one year been trying to study and rearrange a system of 

 economic relations for agriculture to the country that have been 

 the results of one hundred fifty years of constantly changing ex- 

 periments. It is obvious that we will have to be patient and un- 

 tiring in our efforts. It will take time, years of time to bring 

 about the change we hope for. To indiscriminately condemn 

 and throw aside the present custom until a safe and sure change 

 had been fully developed would only subject the farmer to further 

 embarrassments. Patience and the greatest earnestness of pur- 

 pose must be maintained. There must be no spirit of cowardice 

 or fear of going ahead in the determination of changing present 

 customs wherever experience has proved them obsolete or inade- 

 quate to furnish necessary protection and stability ; but before 

 demanding changes let us be sure that we are on a sound basis 

 and acting on sound business principles. 



RECOMMENDATIONS 



In order to go forward with every degree of safety we make 

 the following recommendations, based upon observations and ex- 

 periences of the past year. 



The program of work for the coming year should be one giv- 

 ing due recognition to the report of the Committee of Seventeen, 

 and a preparedness to take this to our membership in every town- 

 ship of all of the counties of the State, as it is evident that all 

 farmers must co-operate whole-heartedly in the plan if it be- 

 comes effective. 



That a committee on rural credits should be created at once 

 whose duty it should be to work out a method which will ade- 

 quately finance agriculture. By co-operating with the splendid 



