Why We Are Farm Bureau 

 f 1^ Members 



Henderson County Woman Awarded First Prize In Essay Contest 



MRS. HUGH O. SMITH, Strong- 

 hurst, Henderson county, was 

 awarded the first prize of |50 

 in cash for the best letter of 300 words 

 or less on the subject "Why We Are 

 Farm Bureau Members." Second prize 

 of 125 went to Claude R. Malsbury, Wa- 

 verly, Sangamon county; third ($15) to 

 Charles O. Fischer, Ontarioville, Du- 

 Page county; fourth to W. H. Nuttall, 

 Lawrenceville, Lawrence county, and 

 fifth to Mrs. H. Irwin Davis, Delhi, Jer- 

 sey county and M. A. Koeller, Barry, 

 Pike county. The last three prizes were 

 $5 each. Mrs. Davis and Koeller were 

 tied for fifth so each were awarded the 

 same prize. 



The contest announced in the May 

 RECORD drew 60 letters, many of them 

 excellent and all vigorously setting forth 

 the value of organization and member- 

 ship. The contest announcement called 

 for letters of 300 words or less. Several 

 which undoubtedly would have been 

 awarded cash prizes were ruled out be- 

 cause they exceeded the maximum word 

 requirements. In this group were ex- 

 cellent letters from Vernon Hardesty and 

 Albert Sandquist of Ford county; Mrs. 

 Dorothy Bridges, Sangamon, and others. 



Honorable mention goes to R. S. Fos- 

 ter, Henderson county; Ada Masterson, 

 Sangamon county; Jacob Ouwenga, Cook 

 county; Albert Mellendorf. Effingham 

 county; Mrs. A. H. Engelman, Baylis, 

 Pike county; Mrs. Clint Logan, Clay 

 county; E. I. Culp, Bureau county; Chas. 

 M. Rundles, Woodford county. 



David Bennett, Pike county, drew 

 much laughter and favorable mention 

 from the committee of judges when he 

 wrote, "Why I Am .A. Farm Bureau 

 Member — For the single reason they 

 ran after me all the time until I became 

 a member to get rid of them and I have 

 never been sorry." 



The first prize essay is reproduced on 

 this page. Other prizewinning essays will 

 be reproduced in subsequent issues. 



"I am a Farm Bureau member because 

 I believe in organization," wrote Mals- 

 bury, second prize winner. "Other in- 

 dustries are organized so if we farmers 

 expect to accomplish things we must do 

 the same. 



"I am a Farm Bureau member be- 

 cause I want my children to grow up in 



CLAUDE R. MALSBURY 

 "I want my childran to grow up in Farm 

 Buraau work." 



Farm Bureau work. I want my sons and 

 daughters to make good future farmers 

 and farmers' wives. I want them to have 

 the advantages of a 4-H club and to be- 

 come interested in all that is clean and 

 good." 



Charles O. Fischer described the Farm 

 Bureau as "an organization whose serv- 

 ice reaches into the heart of every farm 

 home and therein helps to alleviate the 

 difficulties and suffering and adds to the 

 comfort and happiness of each individual 

 member." 



"I am a Farm Bureau member because 

 I feel that collective effort, and collective 

 effort alone, will bring to the American 

 farmer the security, the comfort, and the 

 happiness which we regard as the right- 

 ful heritage of all who are willing to do 

 honest work," wrote W. H. Nuttall. 



. . . "By a mighty co-operative effort 

 we have fought the battle against want 

 and hunger and foreclosure until those 

 ominous specters are fading from our vi- 

 sion. It would be foolish to assert that we 

 have found a permanent or even a satis- 

 factory solution for our agricultural ills. 



First Prize Letter 



WE ARE Farm Bureau members 

 because we are farmers, and 

 have faith in the Bureau and its 

 possibilities. It is the channel through 

 which the farmers may assert them- 

 selves, and agriculture gain the recogni- 

 tion in politics and civil life that it just- 

 ly deserves. 



To belong to the Farm Bureau, is a 

 duty every farmer owes to his farm- 

 er neighbors. When every farmer is an 

 active member, our organization will ac- 

 complish results. 



It is a privilege and a benefit to be- 

 long. We may obtain good advice on 

 any line of our work for the asking, and 

 are given a chance to benefit by and 

 enjoy all the helps and activities spon- 

 sored by the Farm Bureau. 



We are protected by the Farm Bureau 

 No farmer need be duped by fake sales- 

 men or agents. Through the Bureau, we 

 may get good insurance, guaranteed 

 medical supplies and other products that 

 may be depended upon. 



We save by being a member much 

 more than the membership fee; by re- 

 funds, dividends and expert advice. 



To us the most far-reaching bene- 

 fits to be derived from our agricultural 

 movement, is from its organized club 

 work. We may be deprived of much but 

 will not allow our young people's club 

 work to be taken from them. 



The livestock clubs are making effi- 

 cient, enthusiastic farmers of our boys 

 and girls. The sewing club girls may. 

 with the training obtained in their club 

 work, compete with any other class of 

 girls in style and taste. The canning 

 and other club works are of equal im- 

 portance. 



The Farm Bureau ha.s changed the 

 entire aspect of the farmer. He is no 

 longer the laugh-provoking hayseed and 

 clod-hopper but an active, progressive 

 member of organized agriculture. 



Mrs. Hugh 0. Smith, 

 R. F. D. No. 3 Stronghurst, 111. 



But it should be evident that we have ad- 

 vanced this little .way because we have 

 been willing to journey together fight- 

 ing the fight of every individual as we 

 fight the common battle" . . . 



The second prize essay and further 

 quotations from the many excellent es- 

 says will be published in later issues. 



laatlng qualiti 



IS 



I. A. A. RECORD 



