Two Visitors Look on 



: V What They Learned at the Decatur Convention 



THE two men sitting back in the 

 corner of the Orlando Hotel coffee 

 shop were watching the various 

 groups of delegates to the annual meet- 

 ing of the Illinois Agricultural Asso- 

 ciation. They might have been lawyers, 

 these two. On the other hand, they 

 might have been most anything at all. 

 The main fact is, they were not mem- 

 bers of the association and thus, not 

 farmers. The only table left was one 

 adjoining them. We sat down and pro- 

 ceeded to cock an attentive, eaves-drop- 

 ping ear to hear what these two very 

 interested, intelligent appearing, men 

 might have to say. 



"You know, Bill," one of them said, 

 "it's been surprising the way these fel- 

 lows have put on this convention. They've 

 been all business. And unlike most con- 

 ventions, I haven't seen a drunk yet." 



"Yeah," replied the other. "And what's 

 more, that dice game at the cigar stand 

 hasn't had any play either. Evidently, 

 these fellows didn't come hear to fool 

 away their time or money." 



"Did you notice the Decatur paper to- 

 day — the article about the companies 

 these farmers have built?" 



"What article?" said the one who 

 wasn't Bill. "What do you mean, com- 

 panies?" 



Bill opened up the paper and spread 

 it out on the table where the other 

 could see it. "I don't get it all myself. 

 But it seems that the fellows who com- 

 prise this farmer organization have built 

 up a number of companies that, accord- 

 ing to this report here, have been doing 

 a whale of a business in Illinois. The 

 managers, boards of directors and such 

 are made up of men such as you see sit- 

 ting around here. Now, just take this 

 for instance. It says — 'Illinois farmers 

 spent approximately 111,632,117 co-op- 

 eratively during 1935 it was revealed 

 at the annual meeting of the Illinois 

 Agricultural Association. This expendi- 

 ture covers all types of insurance, the 

 purchase of petroleum products and 

 .other farm supplies and anti-hog cholera 

 serum and was spread over approximate- 

 ly 85,000 co-operating farmers. On these 

 expenditures, Illinois farmers realized 

 a total savings of approximately $1,939.- 

 934.81.' Here you read it yourself." Bill's 

 companion picked up the paper and this 

 is what he read. 



Illinois Farm Supply Company did a 

 total net retail business of $8,608,963 

 through 60 affiliated companies with 85,- 

 000 farmer patrons. In these companies 

 Illinois farmers own an equity totaling 



$2,177,499. Illinois Farm Supply Com- 

 pany made a patronage refund to the 

 county service companies of $804,934.81, 

 which found its way back into the pock- 

 ets of co-operating farmers. 



Anti-hog cholera serum and virus 

 so.d by the Illinois Farm Bureau Serum 

 Association through the county Farm 

 Bureaus had a retail value of $151,000 

 and represented purchases made by an 

 estimated 25,000 livestock farmers. A 

 patronage refund totaling $35,346 was 

 returned on purchases during 1935. The 

 net worth of the association is $43,873. 



Lumping the totals paid in as pre- 

 miums to three lAA sponsored com- 

 panies obtains the figure of $2,872,154. 

 It is estimated that the savings Illinois 

 farmers enjoyed through co-operative 

 purchase of insurance totaled approxi- 

 mately $1,100,000 in 1935. These sav- 

 ings are split up thus: $500,000 savings 

 to the 46,776 policyholders in Illinois Ag- 

 ricultural Mutual Insurance Company, 

 based on present automobile and employ- 

 ers' liability insurance rates in force 

 as compared to the cost of similar insur- 

 ance in the next lowest cost company; a 

 saving of approximately $230,000 last 

 year to policyholders of Farmers Mutual 

 Reinsurance Company on $62,789,446 

 of fire insurance in force, $49,131,890 

 of windstorm and hail insurance on farm 

 buildings and property and $10,337,000 

 of growing crop hail insurance — a grand 

 total of $122,285,336 of all insurance in 



force. The $200,000 saving is based on 

 existing Farmers Mutual rates as com- 

 pared to the cost of similar insurance 

 in non-co-operative companies. 



Four hundred thousand dollars annual 

 savings to policyholders is the conserva- 

 tive estimate placed by Country Life 

 Insurance Company. This estimate is 

 based on the standard insurance rates 

 now in force and on the $80,009,302 of 

 insurance in force now owned in Coun- 

 try Life by Illinois farm families. 



Bill's companion laid the paper down 

 and whistled softly. With a quizzical 

 smile he turned to Bill and remarked, 

 "I always looked on farmers as a lot 

 of hayseeds. All right for fanning 

 but they were 'goners' when it came 

 to running a business. What I'm wonder- 

 ing is, how many others like you and 

 me are in the dark about what farmers 

 .are really doing co-operatively?" 



"You and I are average," replied Bill. 

 "I'd be willing to bet that there are a 

 good many other business men looking 

 over those facts and figures and wonder- 

 ing if maybe they hadn't been mistaken 

 about the ability of farmers to get to- 

 gether and build strong, co-operative en- 

 terprises. When you look around this 

 hotel and see the serious way these fel- 

 lows tend to business you begin to get 

 the idea back of it all." 



"It's certainly an eye opener for me." 



"Eye opener!" snorted Bill, "it's » 

 revelation. It looks to me like a very 

 fine beginning of a new deal for agricul- 

 ture. And more power to 'em." 



When they went out, you could see 

 that each table of Farm Bureau members 

 came in for some pretty sharp, interested 

 scrutiny by these two enlightened gentle- 



THESE LADIES SEEM TO ENJOY SERVING 

 Illinois Farm Supply Meeting in the Matonic 



LUNCHEON TO THE BIG CROWD AT THE 

 Temple. 



FEBRUARY. 1936 



