394 IOWA DEPARTMENT OP AGRICULTURE 



to tear down the work of any present organization, but to lend support 

 to every organization now doing effective work. You, with your splendid 

 work along the line of railroad work and transportation problems, will 

 find in us an organization willing to co-operate with you and assist wher- 

 ever we can. We, in turn, ask your help and advice. We do the same 

 thing with the grain producers and every other line of agricultural activ- 

 ity. We have no big promises to make; we are going into this business 

 in a careful way, feeling our ground, and we do not expect to revolutionize 

 things in one year, and probably not in a generation. But the problems 

 of agriculture, and the problems of citizenship, and the problems of the 

 farm bureaus of the state of Iowa, are the problems of the Federated 

 Farm Bureaus of the state. 



The President: This subject is now open for discussion. 



Mr. Doran : Have you succeeded in finding better markets 

 than existed before your organization? 



Mr. Howard: Mr. Doran, we are just recently organized. I 

 might say our very first activity was to have a man at Washing- 

 ton today on the hog situation. We do not know what he can 

 accomplish. He has gone there, however, with credentials from 

 the farm bureaus of the state, representing 40,000 Iowa farmers, 

 and he is there endeavoring to get the prices set, not for thirty 

 days, btit for at least ninety days ahead, and at as high a figure 

 as possible. He is using the name of the Federated Farm Bureau 

 of Iowa to that end. It will probably take some time to gain 

 prestige and influence enough to accomplish the greatest results. 

 We have four regularly appointed committees, one on organiza- 

 tion, one on education, one on transportation and marketing, and 

 a legislative committee. They will direct the activity under the 

 supervision of the secretary, whom we have not yet selected. 



Mr. Brockway : I would like to ask how this Farm Bureau is 

 financed, and how will this work out as a practical proposition 

 between an organization like the Corn Belt Meat Producers and 

 the Farm Bureau — what would be your idea as to that? 



Mr. Howard : With regard to finances, our constitution, which 

 was adopted at the meeting in Marshalltown, provides for an 

 assessment for each county, not to exceed 50 cents per member 

 at the present time. There are in round numbers 40,000 members 

 in the Farm Bureaus of the state. This would give a working 

 fund of $20,000 for the year. That would be used to employ the 

 secretary and office help and traveling expenses, and if we needed 

 to employ an attorney to fight rate cases and to take up the work 

 in a general way. 



