392 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



the purchasing or producing of steers, in handling them preparatory to 

 final feeding to a marketable finish, in the selection and utilization of the 

 proper feeds, such as silage, hay and grains of a basal and supplemental 

 nature; in the purchase and correct manipulation of the feeds during the 

 feeding period, particularly as regards relation between grain and silage 

 and grain and supplements and hay and silage; in the determination of the 

 length of the feeding period most acceptable and most economical under 

 local conditions; in the decision as to what weights to finish it, realizing 

 that in some years heavily fed cattle sell relatively higher, and vice versa; 

 and in shipping and marketing to the best possible advantage. We must 

 continuously bear in mind that the cattle feeder that is most successful ?s 

 the one that studies his methods, znd most of all the one that is constantly 

 changing his schemes to meet the new and different but certain-to- 

 appear conditions that alter the general situation. The good practice of 

 today may be the bad practice of tomorrow. Watch the crowd, but don't 

 necessarily follow. Above all, watch your markets, watch your relative 

 feed prices, watch your relative margins, and most of all watch yourself. 



The President: At this time I desire to announce the appoint- 

 ment of the committee on resoltitions : J. M. Brockway, William 

 Larrabee, W. P. Dawson, H. J. Gridley, C. E. Arney, A. L. Ames, 

 Ralph Sherman, John Kelley, C. A. Fox and R. Meyers. 



The President: Let us l:,e in order, gentlemen. The first 

 speaker on our program this afternoon is Mr. J. L. Howard, 

 president of the Farm Bureau Federation, who will address us 

 now on the subject of the "Iowa Farm Bureau Federation." 



THE IOWA FARM BUREAU FEDERATIOIN. 

 By J. L. Howard. 



Mr. Chairman and Members of the Corn Belt Meat Producers' Asso- 

 ciation: I happen to be here this afternoon because I v;as unfortunate 

 enough to be chosen president of the Farm Bureau Association, and I 

 understand I am to speak of the proposed work of that federation — 

 what we have done and what we hope to do. 



I assume you are thoroly familiar with the work of the county agent, 

 and I hope the county agent work in your respective counties has been as 

 satisfactory and successful as in my own. Three or four years ago, I was 

 one of the men who did not think much of the county agent movement. I 

 supposed I knew my own affairs, and did not propose to have any little 

 "upstart" come and tell me how to feed and when to sell. It so happened 

 that I went to Chicago with a Clinton bunch of men, and they were talking 

 about the county agent. I also went west on a trip, and thruout nearly 

 all the western states I came in contact with the county agent work, and 

 I came back home enthusiastic and took up the work in my own county, 

 and it has proven absolutely successful. 



