■ 



Richard Reimers, Poultryman 



THE BOSS HIMSELF 

 "In 8000 Miles Lake county Looks Best.' 



Below, side view of the three story laying 

 and brpoder house, and a tew of the 3500 

 Leghorns. 



A Lake County Farm Bureau Member Who 

 Ranks Ace <High in His_^ Profession. 



^^ ..Wi' .1 lity ni.m, or woman 

 ^-^r"\// '""• '""^ ''"''^ matter, ytarn.s 

 C_^r/ to t't't •'•way from the 

 Miioke, noi.se and confinement of 

 apartment life to raise cliiikens in 

 tlie country. Day dreaming that visu- 

 alizes an endless How of fresh, white 

 eggs into the market basket, and a 

 steady stream of dollars into the pock- 

 etbook IS a |''opular pastime of many 

 who look country -ward. 



A few there .are who leave the city 

 tor poultry farming that make good, 

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

 jioiiltry-route- dreamers fail, for rais- 

 ing chickens is exacting work. It re- 

 lUiires strict attention to a maze of de- 

 rail. 



If you ilouht this just happen in to 

 ilie Rithard Reimers' farm near 

 I'rairie View in Lake county some day 

 md talk to the boss himself. Not a city 

 man. Reimers is first a successful farm- 

 er, and secondly, one of the best poul- 

 trymeh 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 iOO to 500 white Leg- 

 horns. He must have liked the poultry 

 business because lie 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 .^."iOO layers. 

 Hut that isn't all, Reimers has a big 

 hatchery, too. The h.itchery is an im- 

 portant ]iart of the business. Approxi- 

 mately loo.ooo baby chicks were 

 hatched. and sold this year. 



As on most poultry farms, the lay- 

 ing house is of special interest. On the 

 Reiniers' farm a three-stof-y building 

 erected five years ago houses the" flock. 

 It is 112 feet long, h"^ feet wide and 

 has hot and cold running water 

 throughout. This building is also used 



to raise baby chicks until 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. Reirners 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 



Every farmer who 

 in his business 



farm corn is the 



great organization, 

 wants to succeed 

 should join." 



On the Reimers' 

 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: scyis 

 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. 



VC'hen 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. "VC'e had the best 

 crops. I saw some beautiful scenery 

 hut it can't compare with the view 

 from, my front porch." — Howard Hill. 



14 



These breakfast meetings of organ- 

 ization workers seem to put the pep in 

 the boys. Following such a meeting in 

 Union (bounty, 21 work'ers 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. 



LA. A. RECORD 



