21. 1924 



TheObiou Agricultnral AMocwtiaa Record 



HATCH TELLS ABOUT 

 FARM BUREAU PLANT 

 IN STARK COUNTY 



' (Continued from page 1) 



thorns oft the cactus. And he 

 produced a combination plant 

 that grew spuda on Its roots and 

 tomatoes on its top. 



"Science has taught us many 

 lessons about the requirements 

 for good plant growth. As a re 

 suit of the Smith-Lever Act 

 passed by Congress in 1912 

 leaders of advanced thought in 

 agriculture in DeKalb and Kan- 

 kakee counties produced another 

 combination plant. The seed was 

 sown in all parts of these coun- 

 ties and soon other counties took 

 up the work until now some two 

 thousand counties in our United 

 States are growing and ripening 

 the fruits of this plant, which in 

 time was called the Farm Bu- 

 reau. Its tremendous growth has 

 extended Its main roots into 

 every state in the Union. Its 

 enormous and sturdy trunk, the 

 American Farm Bureau Federa- 

 tion, is spreading its protecting 

 foliage over all humanity. 



Tnbers Represent AcUvitiee 



"The tubers upon the roots 

 represent the county and state 

 activities; the foliage represents 

 projects under a given activity, 

 county, state and national. 



"It was soon discovered that 

 our great plant did not thrive in 

 some particular localities and 

 the men most interested in its 

 success began to study this Farm 

 Bureau plant. They found it to 

 be in the legume family. And 

 legumes, we know, do not thrive 

 In acid soils. They found ithat 

 the most successful and vigorous 

 growth was in sections where 

 there had been community activ- 

 ity. 



Farm Bnreaa Parasites 



"This plant, like all plant 

 growth, is subject to attack of 

 parasites; some working alone, 

 others In groups and each prey- 

 ing upon the activity most suited 

 to its taste. This is our plant 

 and we can cultivate and train 

 it to produce fruit of untold good 

 to present and future genera- 

 tions. We must spray with 

 truths to counteract the para- 

 sites and keep the minds of our 

 members sweetened by active 

 community work. It has been 

 my observation in organization 

 work that this picture holds true. 

 In localities where community 

 work has been active our Farm 



Bureau lias thrived with profit 

 and pleasure to its members. 



"Leading in a community is 

 something like running a large 

 farm. With plenty of efficient 

 help the crops can be taken care 

 of easily; but if help is scarce, 

 weeds will grow and parasites 

 can get in their deadly work. 

 Sowed Good Seed 



"Our own community began 

 sweetening and inoculating its 

 soils some fifteen years ago when 

 our first Farmers' Institute was 

 started. It sowed the seed of 

 desire for further advancement 

 in agriculture, and out of this 

 sprang our Alfalfa Growers' As- 

 sociation and our Experimental 

 Farm, which have resulted in 

 soil improvement and the pro- 

 duction of tons of alfalfa in the 

 vicinity of Kewanee. 



"Our Round Table meetings, 

 fostered by Professor Hamilton 

 and myself with other help, were 

 held in country school houses. 

 These meetings brought out many 

 valuable thoughts and discus- 

 sions. Out of all this came the 

 desire to try out the new plant, 

 the Farm Bureau, which in due 

 time was organized in Henry^ 

 county and a short time later in 

 Stark county. 



Ooonties Well Organized 



"Both counties organized into 

 community Farm Bureaus. I 

 happen to be president of the lo- 

 cal Farm Bureau and a board of 

 nine directors work with me. 

 The rest of the county is organ- 

 ized in this way. In Stark county 

 there are several active commu- 

 nity clubs centering around rural 

 churches. So you see the soils 

 were ready to produce whenever 

 adequate cultivation was made 

 to grow better community life. 



"There is no question in our 

 minds as to the value of our or- 

 ganization to agriculture, but you 

 are wanting to know just what 

 we are doing to get this across 

 to our neighbors and associates. 



"We have no set schedule of 

 meetings and no set program. 

 We decided a few years ago that 

 the place for these meetings was 

 the lawn of some prominent 

 member's home. We agreed that 

 all work and no play made Jack 

 a dull boy,' and we believed the 

 little girl was right, who, when 

 asked by her grammar teacher 

 to define man, stiid, 'A little boy 

 grown up.' Accordingly, our pro- 

 grams have included some play 

 along with the serious facts 

 brought out. 



MINIMUM WEIGHT 

 RULING WILL SAVE 

 SHIPPERS' MONET 



Deosion of DKnois Commeroe 

 Commission Reduces Pos- 

 sibility of injury to 

 Stock 



HERE'S WHAT EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE 

 ACCOMPLISHED AT ITS JUNE MEETING 



June 6 is the date of the last executive committee meet- 

 ing. Following are actions taken and problems discussed: 



1. Heard progress report On the new auditing service cor- 

 poration, the "Illinois Agricultiiral Cooperatives Association" 

 and passed resolution endorsing all work done on it and also 

 nominated Geo. A. Fox ws recording secretary and R. A. 

 Cowles as treasurer in acieordance with the by-laws of the 



I new incorporation. 



2. Heard and sanctioned financial report. 



3. Dean H. W. Mumford, College of Agriculture, Univer- 

 I sity of Illinois, explained the program of work being carried 



on by the Extension Service, Experiment Station and College 

 I of Agriculture. 



4. The following resolution was presented and passed 

 I unanimously: 



"The Illinois Agricultural Association is proud of the stand 

 I It has taken on the McNary-Hbugen Bill and offers no apol- 

 ogy for its course in the recent campaign in behalf of the 

 I Bill. 



"KBSOLVEa): That we commend the work of our offi- 

 cials who so efficiently conducted the campaign for the 

 McNary-Haugen Bill and the hearty support given by the 

 County Farm Bureaus to their State Association in this 

 fight. 



"BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED: That we continue our 

 efforts and unite with other farm organizations in a de- 

 termined effort to secure some kind of agricultural re- 

 lief that will place this basic Industry on a parity with 

 other Industries of this country." 



We view with alarm the fact that the 6.8th Congress, 

 after acknowledging agriculture as the btsic industry of 

 this country and also acknowledging that a real emerg- 

 ency exists in this industry, failed to enact any agricul- 

 tural relief legislation. 



We therefore call upon all who are interested in agri- 

 culture and the future prosperity of this country to 

 study the vote as registered for and against the farm 

 relief measure of the present Congress with a view 

 toward supporting men who will pledge themselves to 

 principles that will restore the value of the agricultural 

 dollar so that the standards of living of those engaged 

 in agricultural pursuits be comparable with those en- 

 joyed by labor and industry. 



"BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED: That we commend the 

 action of all the members of the 68th Congress who sup- 

 ported the principles advocated by our farm organizations 

 and especially those of our own State." 



5. Heard reports from organization and poultry and egg 

 Imarketing departments. 



Mr. Hatch's IcranM, wUck Ulwbmtoi the rabw •! foi, blcadlr, Mlshbortr 

 commluUttea Mid the tmm Imrcsm. 



Come Miles For Picnic 



"Our programs vary, but I will 

 try to descril>e some of them. In 

 1922 we held seven meetings in 

 the two communities under our 

 jurisdiction. The first one was 

 held on the lawn at the home of 

 a farm bureau member. His de- 

 sire to have all his friends enjoy 

 a good time at his place stimu- 

 lated him to put forth a great 

 deal of personal effort. We 

 called twelve or fifteen men at 

 different points and urged them 

 to ask people to come to this 

 Farm Bureau meeting. Cards 

 were mailed to some, a detailed 

 account of the plans was pub- 

 lished in the local paper ten 

 days before the meeting, and lat- 

 er the program was announced 

 through the same channel. All 

 this got it before the people. 

 Then a good account of the af- 

 fair as published in the local pa- 

 per made splendid advertising 

 for the next meeting, which had 

 already been planned and an- 

 nounced. The farmers and their 

 families began coming before five 

 o'clock and the program of fun, 

 games, music, readings, speeches 

 and moving pictures continued 

 until ten o'clock. 



Stndy Aims of Farm BnreMi 



"About the same procedure 

 was followed at each meeting, 

 but always with different sub- 

 jects for discussion. A great 

 many people followed these 

 meetings through. It gave us 

 the chance to get over the work 

 and aims of the Farm Bureau. 



"Last year we held one of 

 these meetings at my farm dur- 

 ing July and close to a thousand 

 people attended. They came 

 from four different counties, 

 some driving as far as thirty 

 miles. Our program started at 

 five o'clock with horseshoe games 

 for the men and volley ball for 

 the women. At half past six 

 the women folks spread the bas- 

 ket suppers and everyone stopped 

 their games to eat, some in caf- 

 eteria style, others in family 

 groups. They met old friends 

 and made new ones until eight 

 o'clock, when the program be- 

 gan. There was singing by a 

 local quartette and a soloist, mu- 

 sic selections by local saxophone 

 talent, readings by a little girl 

 from our school and an address 

 by our city editor, who put his 



personal influeiice, as well as that 

 of his paper, back of the Farm 

 Bureau. Then came the movies, 

 a comic and 'The Yokd of Age.' 

 The program was a little too 

 long, but several hundred peo- 

 ple stayed until it was complet- 

 ed. They all enjoyed it and 

 wanted another one this year, 

 which we will have on June 20. 



Everyone Works 



"The point we want to make 

 Is to have the Farm Bureau a 

 leading organization in the com- 

 munity. A little help by many 

 hands makes the thisgs come 

 "easy. What we must do is de- 

 velop local leaders and confi- 

 dence in these leader*, and it 

 can be done by stimulating a de- 

 sire among young folkt to take 

 part in such programs. Readings 

 along Farm Bureau lines should 

 be provided. I would suggest 

 such subjects as, 'Signing up 

 Dad,' 'Ma's Trouble wi^h a Sit- 

 ting Hen,' 'Johnnie Feeding the 

 Prize Pig,' 'Alfalfa and the Pic- 

 nic,' and any others which can 

 tie made funny and at the same 

 time carry a moral. 



"We believe that we Should be 

 closer to so-called business men, 

 that is, we should know their 

 problems as well as make known 

 to them our problems. So we 

 Invite our town folks, bankers, 

 lawyers, doctors, and merchants 

 to our meetings. This gives 

 them an opportunity to learn the 

 vital points of our movement. 

 A good live time is oiir motto. 

 A chairman who can keep things 

 moving is half the battle. 

 C. of C. Helps 



"Some time ago w« held a 

 farmer-banker meeting in Stark 

 and Henry counties with farmers 

 and bankers in the ratio of two 

 to one, with" each bank repre- 

 sented by one man. We had a 

 supper, a good address by Geo. 

 A. Fox, executive secretary of 

 the Illinois Agricultural Associa- 

 tion, some music and a discussion 

 of farm questions by farmers 

 and bankers. We believe we 

 sold to the bankers the high 

 ideals of the Farm Bureau lead- 

 ers that evening and it has been 

 worth a lot to us. The banker, 

 editor and minister are three 

 city men who must cooperate 

 with the Farm Bureau. 



"The Chamber of Commerce 

 returned the favor by promoting 



Illinois farmers and livestock 

 shippers will benefit by a recent 

 decision of the Illinois Commerce 

 Commission reducing the mini- 

 mum weight on bogs in standard 

 36 foot cars from 17.000 pounds 

 to 16,500 pounds on intrastate 

 traffic. This decision is the re- 

 sult of a complaint filed by the 

 transportation department of the 

 Illinois Agricultural Association 

 against the railroads which trans- 

 port livestock between points in 

 Illinois and the commerce com- 

 mission has ordered the 63 rail- 

 way companies involved to ad- 

 here to this new ruling on or be- 

 fore July 1, 1924. 



Avoid Injury to Stock 



It has been the rule of rail- 

 roads in Illinois to charge freight 

 on hogs and mixed livestock on 

 a minimum weight basis regani- 

 less as to lactual weight of the 

 livestock transported, according 

 to L. J. Quasey, director of the 

 I. A. A. transportation depart- 

 ment, who filed the complaint, 

 and this practice has worked a 

 hardship on the farmer who ships 

 during hot weather when over- 

 loading in order to load up to 

 the minimum weight require- 

 ment results in injury or death 

 to stock. 



Lowers Minlmnm Welfcht 



The new ruling on minimum 

 weight will also be of advantage 

 to shippers of mixed carloads of 

 Jivestock, especially on calves 

 and hogs where the hog mini-- 

 mum and hog rate is applied, as 

 this makes 500 pounds difference 

 in the rate. With the minimum 

 weight now set at 1C.500 pounds 

 the shipper can load lighter with- 

 out paying any excess freight. 

 Some adjustment has also been 

 made on cars over the standard 

 36 foot length but the most sig- 

 nificant change Is on the stand- 

 ard car. The saving under the 

 new ruling will be aiiproximately 

 a dollar per car. :, 



Producers Equipped 

 To Handle Orders 

 For Feeder Cattle 



"Farm bureau memtiers who 

 feed cattle should bear in mind 

 that there is a Producers Commis- 

 sion Association operating in the 

 Kansas City market," says C. A. 

 Stewart, director of livestock mar- 

 keting of the I. A. A until July 1 

 and newly appointed secretary of 

 the National Livestock Producers 

 Association, "and when buying 

 feeder cattle remember that this 

 erganization is well equipped to 

 handle orders for all classes of 

 feeding stock and any order which 

 is placed with them will be given 

 the best attention." 



"In addition, by purchasing your 

 feeders through them, you are 

 assisting in developing livestock 

 marketing work. If you happen 

 to be in that market in person, 

 call on the Producers and get 

 acquainted. If Kansas City l» a 

 market which you patronise for 

 feeder cattle and you cannot find 

 the time to visit the market, do 

 not hesitate to place an order 

 with the Producers by mail" 



and paying the expenses of a tri- 

 county picnic at Kiewanee last 

 September. Farmers and town 

 folks alike were there and took 

 part in the games and entertain- 

 ment features. J. R. Howard 

 spoke to the crowd of 5,000 peo- 

 ple who stayed throughout the 

 day in spite of a drizzling rain. 

 Had the weather been favorable 

 I think there; would have been 

 20,000 people there. 



'"That is the way^we see our 

 Farm Bureau -plant liere at Ke- 

 wanee. It Is a legame that we 

 can cultivate so that it will pro- 

 duce the kind of fralts we want 

 It to produce. We think we have 

 gone a long way in our county 

 and local commualty toward 

 sweetening the soil tor this plant, 

 the FARM BUREAU." 



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