Richard Reimers, Poultryman 



THE BOSS HIMSELF 

 "In 8000 Miles Lake county Looks Best." 



Below, side view of the three story laying 

 and brooder house, and a few of the 3500 

 Leghorns. 



•^K; 



A Lake County Farm Bureau Member Who 

 Ranks Ace High in His Profession. ' 



y^\ -ANY a city mai>, or woman 



"^;|-Ay^too, for that matter, yearns 

 ^Z^^fl to get away from the 

 smoke, noise and confinement of 

 apartment hfe to raise chickens in 

 the country. Day dreaming that visu- 

 alizes an endless flow of fresh, white 

 eggs into the market basket, and a 

 steady stream of dollars into the pock- 

 etbook is a popular pastime of many 

 who look country-ward. 



A few there are who leave the city 

 for poultry farming that make good. 

 But most of the get-rich-quick-via-the- 

 poultry-route dreamers fail, for rais- 

 ing chickens is exacting work. It re- 

 quires strict attention to a maze of de- 

 tail. 



If you doubt this just happen in to 

 the Richard Reimers' farm near 

 Prairie View in Lake county some day 

 and talk to the boss himself. Not a city 

 man, Reimers is. first a successful farm- 

 er, and secondly, one of the best poul- 

 trymen in the State of Illinois, accord- 

 ing to Professor H. H. Alp, poultry 

 specialist of the University of Illinois. 



You don't become a successful poul- 

 tryman over night. There's more to 

 it than that. Some 22 years ago Mr. 

 Reimers laid the foundation for his 

 present business. He started with a 

 small flock of 400 to 500 white Leg- 

 horns. He must have liked the poultry 

 business because he stayed with it and 

 added to the flock year by year. By 

 1920 he had done so well that he 

 bought the 90 acre farm he now calls 

 home. 



Today there are nearly 3,500 layers. 

 But that isn't all, Reimers has a big 

 hatchery, too. The hatchery is an im- 

 portant part of the business. Approxi- 

 mately 100,000 baby chicks were 

 hatched and sold this year. 



As on most poultry farms, the lay- 

 ing house is of special interest. On the 

 Reimers' farm a three-story building 

 erected five years ago houses the flock. 

 It is 112 feet long, 35 feet wide and 

 has hot and cold running water 

 throughout. This building is also used 



to raise baby chicks uqtil they are old 

 enough to move to one of the older 

 buildings. 



Richard Reimers is a charter mem- 

 ber of the Lake County Farm Bureau, 

 and that means something for Lake 

 county has one of the oldest County 

 Farm Bureaus in the state. Although 

 Mr. Reimers is a busy man he is not 

 too busy to take part in Farm Bureau 

 membership drives. "I am sold on 

 the Farm Bureau," he said. "It's a 

 great organization. Every farmer who 

 wants to succeed in his business 

 should join." 



On the Reimers' farm corn is the 

 main crop. He tried soybeans for the 

 first time this year. "I am going to 

 plant more next year," he said. The 

 corn, of course, is fed to the poultry 

 along with wheat. Winter wheat 

 yields up to 45 bu. an acre. 



This Lake county poultry ranch is 

 not a one-man business. Mr. Reimers 

 has several interested partners: sons 

 George and Arthur, and a daughter 

 Lorraine. George is married and lives 

 in the old homestead. His'^brother, 

 Arthur lives with him. Mr. Reimers 

 and Lorraine live in the new home 

 built recently near the old one. 



When you have good help on the 

 farm you can get away for a vacation 

 occasionally. Mr. Reimers was on an 

 8,000 mile trip this summer through 

 Mexico, California, Oregon, and all 

 points in between. "I saw nothing on 

 the entire trip I liked better than Lake 

 county," he said. "We had the best 

 crops. I saw some beautiful scenery 

 but it can't compare with the view 

 from my front porch." — Howard Hill. 



These breakfast meetings of organ- 

 ization workers seem to put the pep in 

 the boys. Following such a meeting in 

 Union County, 21 workers went out 

 and signed 26 new Farm Bureau mem- 

 bers, Robert E. Blaylock, director, re- 

 ports. A goal of 24 more by December 

 first has been set. 



I. A. A. REO 



OJSb 



