Geo. R. Wicker Dies 

 i At Washington Jan. 26 



Was Active in Organization of Illi- 

 nois Agricultural Auditing As- 

 sociation and Illinois Farm 

 Supply Company 



GEO. B. WICKEK 



George R. Wicker, age 57, chief of 

 field service investigation. Agricultural 

 Adjustment Administration, died Satur- 

 day morning. January 26, in Washington. 

 The end came following several months 

 of illness from cancer of the stomach. 

 After a serious surgical operation on 

 Dec. 18, 1934, Mr. \Vicker, who was a 

 h^avy man, lost weight rapidly although 

 It was thought the operation would pro- 

 long his life. 



Mr. Wicker joined the staff of the lUi- 

 n o i s Agricultural 

 Association in 1924 

 as director of the 

 business service de- 

 "partment and man- 

 ager of the Illinois 

 Agricultural Co-op- 

 erative Association, 

 the first associated 

 organization set up 

 by the I. A. A. He 

 had been in charge 

 of auditing co-oper- 

 atives for the De- 

 partment of Agriculture, State of Minne- 

 sota, and the rich experience he brought 

 with him proved invaluable not only in 

 establishing the Co-operatives Associa- 

 tion (now Auditing Association) on a 

 sound basis, but also in assisting many 

 co-operative associations in the state 

 with their business problems. 



Interested in Co-op. Elevators ' 



He took a keen interest in the farmer 

 elevator movement. His aggressiveness 

 and aptitude for organization at once 

 asserted itself. He was a staunch advo- 

 cate of consolidation of co-operative ele- 

 vators within a county or district under 

 a strong, central management. He recog- 

 nised the need for bolstering the farmer 

 elevator movement with able manage- 

 ment — that many elevators handling 

 only a small volume of business can not 

 afford to employ capable and experienced 

 managers. His proposal which became 

 known as the Iroquois County Plan was 

 never brought to fruition. 



When the first County Farm Bureau 

 oil companies were set up, Mr. W^icker 

 gave this new development his special 

 attention working out various forms, 

 business priactices, .systems, and estab- 

 lishing valuable contacts many of which 

 are still in use. He took an active part 

 in setting up several of the early county 

 companies and later assisted in organ- 

 izing Illinois Farm Supply Co. which he 

 served successfully as manager until he 



left to go in business for himself in 1928. 

 Mr. Wicker wes a born organizer. He 

 had a creative mind, was possessed of 

 tremendous energy. In his native state 

 he published and edited a country news- 

 paper at one time, organized and man- 

 aged a farmers elevator, served as an 

 officer in the state militia and took part 

 in quelling the last Indian uprising in 

 that state near Leech Lake. He was a 

 member of the Minnesota State legisla- 

 ture at one time. His interest in 

 the many enterprises he organized and 

 managed apparently lagged after they 

 were in smooth running order. He 

 wanted to be doing sometning new, at- 

 tacking new problems. He sought to 

 build a private chain of bulk oil and dis- 

 tributing stations in Southern Wisconsin 

 under the name. The Wicker Corpora- 

 tion, after leaving the Association. But 

 without organization backing and local 

 support, and with limited capital it was 

 tough going. The venture was not a 

 failure but it did not come up to ex- 

 pectati ns. 



Helpful to AAA | 



Shortly after the Agricultural Ad- 

 justment Administration was established. 

 Administrator Chester C. Davis secured 

 his appointment to set up and direct field 

 service investigation and auditing in 

 connection with codes and marketing 

 agreements. His characteristic energy 

 and organizing ability proved very help- 

 ful to the AAA. After going to Wash- 

 ington, Mr. Wicker maintained his family 

 and home in Evanston. He is survived by 

 Mrs. Wicker, two married daughters and 

 a son, age 18. Burial took place at 

 Memorial Park, Evanston, Tuesday aft- 

 ernoon, January 29, from St. Paul's 

 Lutheran Church. 



FCA At St. Louis Loans 



$116 Million in 1934 



More than 1116,640,000 was loaned to 

 54,159 farmers during 1934 by the Farm 

 Credit Administration of St. Louis, re- 

 ports F. W. Niemeyer, general agent. A 

 little more than $100,000,000 of this sum 

 was loaned by the Federal Land Bank 

 at an average saving of 4V4 per cent 

 interest, he says. Farm lands sold by 

 the Federal Land Banks brought an av- 

 erage of 20 per cent more money per 

 acre during the first nine months of 1934 

 compared with the corresponding period 

 last year. 



Soybean Meet, Decatur 



The Soybean Marketing Association 

 will hold its annual meeting at the Or- 

 lando Hotel, Decatur, Tuesday, March 5. 



Hughes Heads Farm 



Advisers Association 



C. A. Hughes of Monroe county was 

 elected president of the Association of 

 Illinois Farm Advisers at the annual 

 meeting in Urbana during Farm and 

 Home Week. W. F. Coolidge, Macoupin 

 county, was elected vice-president, and 

 E. A. Bierbaum, Union county, secretary- 

 treasurer. 



Directors elected are 0. G. Barrett, 

 Cook county; H. K. Danforth, Henry 

 county; H. N. Myers, DeWitt county; W. 

 S. Batson, Shelby county. 



Farm advisers initiated were George 

 Hunt, Greene county; Hugh Triplett, 

 Ford county; J. L. Stormont, Moultrie 

 county; E. H. Walworth, Warren county 

 and R. H. Clanahan, White county. 



Grain Meeting, Peoria 



Illinois Grain Corporation will hold its 

 annual meeting at Peoria February 12 

 with C. E. Huff, president of the Farm- 

 ers National Grain Corporation, as prin- 

 cipal speaker. 



Indiana Sets Up Its 



Own Auto Insurance 



The Indiana Farm Bureau Federation 

 recently organized its own automobile 

 insurance company exclusively for Farm 

 Bureau members and stockholders of 

 Farm Bureau co-operative commodity 

 groups in the state. The new company 

 is modeled largely after the Illinois Ag- 

 ricultural Mutual Insurance Co. set up 

 by the I. A. A. in 1927. 



DeWitt Connty Farn Bureau reporta 



that membership collections for 1934 

 were larger than any year since the 

 Auditing Association beg^an auditing ita 

 books in 1924. 



President Earl Smith was one of tlM 



speakers on the Farm and Home hour 

 progrram, NBC, from Washing^ton Satur- 

 day, January 12. .■:■,' 



Stop Gallies — Save Your Farm" ia 



the title of a new farmers' bulletin No. 

 1737. Send five cents to the Super- 

 intendent of Documents, Government 

 Printing Office, Washington, D. C. for a 



copy. i 



"Wheat and Politics," a $2.50 book in- 

 spired by grain trade interests to kill off 

 co-operative marketing several years agfo, 

 can be purchased in second-hand book 

 "stores now for 25 cents. j ■ :-:'-:i,\.. 



The father of Miss Hilda Johnson, who 



is in charge of tank car orders for Illi- 

 nois Farm Supply Company, died of heart 

 trouble at his home in Batavia, Illinois, 

 Sunday, January 20. 



i 



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L A. A. RECORD 



