For and flg'in' 



What Farmers Say About the I. A. A., County Farm Bureau, 

 and Organization In General 



^^■■"klCK out a route covering several 

 ["^counties. Go down the road and 

 talk to farmers. Any farmer. No 

 hand picked farmers either — big ones, 

 little ones, tenants and owners. Find out 

 what they think of things generally. 

 Keep an open mind. Ask questions. Ask 

 for no names. Remember no faces. Hold 

 confidences sacred." 



Those were the orders given this 

 writer. A route was laid out covering 

 Kankakee, Iroquois, Edgar, Coles, Moul- 

 trie and Macon counties. The fact-finder 

 set forth and here are some of the opin- 

 ions he obtained. Some are favorable 

 from the I. A. A.-Farm Bureau stand- 

 point while others are unfavorable. 



This article will deal with the ques- 

 tions ''What do you think of the Farm 

 Bureau?" "What should the Farm Bu- 

 reau do that it isn't doing?" "Should 

 farmers have an organization?" 



Here are some typical answers. A non- 

 member in Kankakee county tenant 

 farmer operating 300 acres says that the 

 Farm Bureau "is the only organization 

 that has done anything worthwhile for 

 the farmers. Farmers should quit fight- 

 ing among themselves, get together in 

 one big organization and retain the 

 AAA." He said he expected to join later. 



An Iroquois farm owner, a non-mem- 

 ber, with a general farm of 160 acres 

 said, "the Farm Bureau is doing a few 

 things well but there is not enough 

 strength in the organization as it is to 

 count. Farmers should have an organiza- 

 tion but not so many (organizations). 

 Organization is like a six horse team. 

 If they pull together they'll get some- 

 where. But if one's going one way, and 

 another horse the other, bucking and 

 holding back, they wear themselves out 

 going nowhere. 



"I don't belong to an organization be- 

 cause there are too many differences 

 of opinion in the organizations and too 

 many organizations." (Note — Other non- 

 members probably think the same thing. 

 They would give their support to that 

 organization that puts forth the strong- 

 est appeal for their support.) 



Another Iroquois county tenant farm- 

 er, a member of the Farm Bureau 

 operating 240 acres says, "it is the 

 only farm organization that has ever 

 done anything for us farmers. Farmers 

 should have an organization but it 

 should be 'one big one.' There is too 

 much fighting .between rival organiza- 

 tions. If farmers were to have one big 



12 



organization they could get a break and 

 a better scale of living." 



Still another Iroquois county farm 

 owner, and a Farm Bureau member says, 

 "it is the best of the farm organizations. 

 No matter how much you want to do 

 things as an individual, those against 

 you are organized and you have to meet 

 it with organization. Farmers should be 

 organized because they can't get a fair 

 hearing in government unless they are." 



An Edgar county non-member said, 

 "farmers know what they want, but dif- 

 ferent forces will have different ideas 

 on how to go about getting it. Then 

 a leader comes in with another idea. He 

 convinces part of both groups that his 

 idea is right. The rest either quit or 

 come along. Then there's a single pur- 

 pose and a group of farmers is working 

 together toward a common goal." He 

 was evasive when asked why he didn't 

 belong to the Farm Bureau. Wouldn't 

 talk much. 



An Edgar county owner and member 

 said, "the Farm Bureau is very good. 

 But it should do closer work with its 

 membership and not have so much fool- 

 ing around in the Farm Bureau office. 

 It should be work done out on the farms. 

 The reason I belong is because organiza- 

 tion is the only way farmers can have a 

 voice in the world. Business is organized 

 so farmers have to be. Farmers should 

 have an organization but it has to be 

 more than just an office in the county 

 seat." 



An Edgar county tenant and a mem- 

 ber on 455 acres says, "every farmer 

 with 80 acres or more should belong. 

 The big farms should carry those farms 

 that are too small to belong. Farmers 

 can accomplish more together than by 

 themselves. There should be an effort 

 to get a lot more of the big fellows to 

 belong so that the smaller operators will 

 get the benefits of cooperation." 



Over in Coles county a non-member 

 tenant farming 270 acres says, the Farm 

 Bureau "is all right if everyone would 

 belong. But many won't because they can't 

 see that it's going to do them any good. 

 If I could see where my dues would do 

 me any good I'd be glad to join. Farm- 

 ers should have an organization of 

 strength. The County Farm Bureau 

 here isn't what it should be." (Note — 

 a little up to date information, a well 

 outlined presentation of what Farm Bu- 

 reau dues bring a farmer would make 

 (Continued on page 16) 



H. H. LETT 



Who's Who Among 



the Farm Advisers 



Among the many virtues a success- 

 ful county agricultural adviser must 

 be blessed with is the ability to get 

 along well with folks. He must also 

 be diligent in his work and sincere 

 in his desire to be of service to 

 farmers. 



Hamlet H. Lett of Wabash county 

 has all three of these attributes to- 

 gether with five 

 years e x p e r i- 

 ence in operat- 

 ing a 500 acre 

 grain and live- 

 stock farm 

 which fit him 

 well for his job. 



Lett is a 

 Hoosier by birth 

 but an Illinoisan 

 by choice. Born 

 at Washington, 

 Daviess county, 

 Ind. in 1894 he 

 crossed the state 



line to attend the College of Ag- 

 riculture, University of Illinois 

 where he graduated in 1918. After 

 teaching vocational agriculture two 

 years he decided to return to the 

 home farm in Daviess county. While 

 there he served as township chairman 

 and secretary of the County Farm 

 Bureau, later as county agricultural 

 agent for five years. 



Seven years ago he answered the 

 call to return to Illinois to become 

 agricultural adviser with one of the 

 biggest little County Farm Bureaus in 

 the state. And in Wabash county he 

 has been since then working hard for 

 organization, co-operation and a hap- 

 pier, more prosperous farm life. 



Wabash, in case you don't know, is 

 one of the three counties that or- 

 ganized the Wabash Valley Service 

 Co. It also has taken an active part 

 in establishing the Producers Cream- 

 ery at Olney. It is one of the leading 

 counties in percentage of eligible 4-H 

 club members enrolled. Agriculturally, 

 Wabash is one of the richest counties 

 in Southern Illinois. Last year, its 

 extensive bottom lands adjoining the 

 Wabash River yielded heavy crops of 

 corn, oats, and wheat when other sec- 

 tions were stricken by drouth and 

 chinch bugs. This year high water 

 did much damage to wheat, com, and 

 alfalfa. 



Mr. and Mrs. Lett have three chil- 

 dren, Harold R. who will eiuroll at 

 the University of Illinois this fall, 

 Ruth Evelyn who will attend Chris- 

 tian College at Columbia, Mo. and 

 Margaret Ellen, a sophomore in high 

 school. • 1 . 



I. A. A. RECORD 



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