THE ILLINOIS AGRICULTURAL ASSOCIATION RECORD 



To advance the purpose for which the Farm Bureau was organized " ri-« ■. 



namely, to promote, protect and represent the business, economic, political MARCH 1937 



and educational interests of the farmers of Illinois and the nation, and ' 



to develop agriculture. VOL. 15 NO. 3 



Published monthly by the Illinois Agricultural Asso- 

 ciation at 1501 West Washington Road, Mcndota. 111. 

 Editorial Offices, 608 So. Dearborn St., Chicago, 111. 

 Entered as second class matter at post office. Mendota, 

 Illinois, September 11. 1936. Acceptance for mailing 

 at special rate of postage provided in Section 412. Act of 

 Feb. 28, 1925, authorized Oct. 27, 1935. Address all 

 communications for publication to Editorial Offices, Illinois 

 Agricultural Association RECORD, 608 So. Dearborn St., 

 Chicago. The individual membership fee of the Illinois 

 Agricultural Association is five dollars a year. The fee 

 includes payment of fifty cents for subscription to the 

 Illinois Agricultural Association RECORD. Postmaster: 

 Send notices on Form 3578 and undeliverable copies 

 returned under Form 3579 to editorial offices, 608 S. 

 Dearborn St., Chicago, 111. 



Editor and Advertising Director. E. G. Thicm ; Assistant 

 Director and Ass't. Editor, Lawrence A. Potter; Assistant 

 Editor, Howard C. Hill. 



Illinois Agricultural Association 



Greatest State Farm Organization in America 



OFFICERS 



President, Earl C. Smith _ Detroit 



Vice-President, Talmage DeFrees Smithboro 



Corporate Secretary, Paul E. MathiaS Chicago 



Field Secretary. Geo. E. Metzger Chicago 



Treasurer, R. A. CowLES Bloomington 



Ass't Treasurer, A. R. Wright Varna 



BOARD OF DIRECTORS 



(By Congressional District) 



1st to nth E. Harris, Grayslake 



12th E. E. Houghtby, Shabbona 



Ijth Leo M. Knox, Morrison 



I4th Otto SteflFey, Stronghurst 



15th M. Ray Ihrig, Golden 



I6th Albert Hayes, Chillicothe 



17th C. M. Smith, Eureka 



18th Herman W. Danforth, Danforth 



19th Eugene Curtis, Champaign 



20th K. T. Smith, Greenfield 



21st Dwight Hart, Sharpsburg 



22nd A. O. Eckert, Belleville 



23rd Chester McCord, Newton 



24th Charles Marshall, Belknap 



25th August G. Eggerding, Red Bud 



DEPARTMENT DIRECTORS 



Comptroller R- G. Ely 



Dairy Marketing Wilfred Shaw 



Finance R- A. Cowles 



Fruit and Vegetable Marketing H. W. Day 



Legal and General Counsel Donald Kirkpatrick 



Live Stock Marketing Ray E. Miller 



Office C. E. Johnston 



Organization G. E. Metzger 



Produce Marketing F. A. Gougler 



Publicity George Thiem 



Safety C. M. Seagraves 



Taxation and Statistics J. C. Watson 



Transportation-Claims Division G. W. Baxter 



Young Peoples Activities Frank Gingrich 



ASSOCIATED ORGANIZATIONS 



Country Life Insurance Co L. A. Williams, Mgr. 



Farmers' Mutual Reinsurance Co.. .J. H. Kelker, Mgr. 



Illinois Agr. Auditing Ass'n F. E. Ringham, Mgr. 



Illinois Agr. Mutual Ins. Co.. A. E. Richardson, Mgr. 



Illinois Agr. Service Co Donald Kirkpatrick, Secy. 



III. Farm Bureau Serum Assn Ray E. Miller, Mgr. 



Illinois Farm Supply Co L. R. Marchant, Mgr. 



Illinois Fruit Growers" Exchange.. ..H. W. Day, Mgr. 

 Illinois Grain Corporation-Harrison Fahmkopf, Mgr. 

 Illinois Livestock Marketing Ass'n...Ray Miller, Mgr. 



Illinois Milk Producers' Ass'n Wilfred Shaw, Mgr. 



Illinois Producers' Creameries... .F. A. Gougler, Mgr. 

 J. B. Countiss Sales Mgr. 



GEORGE THIEM, Editor 



Auction Sale — Cumberland County. 



^CTUAL building of co- 



jlL operative electric lines 



^^^^ / is under way in Menard 

 and Sangamon counties. The formal 

 opening of the Menard project Feb- 

 ruary 26 when the first pole was set 

 brought out a sizable crowd. Pre- 

 dictions were made that within 90 

 days power from the municipal light 

 plant at Springfield would be turned 

 on. This forecast may be too op- 

 timistic but with good luck there 

 should be service to farm homes by 

 summer. 



A. E. Becker, president of the 

 Menard electric co-operative rejxjrts 

 that scores of farmers not signed up 

 on the original prospectus are now 

 applying to the co-op for service. 

 Farmers are showing greater en- 

 thusiasm for securing electric ser- 

 vice in co-operative electric line ter- 

 ritory. The fact that it's their own 

 company together with the comforts 

 and labor-saving possibilities of elec- 

 tricity on the farm should inspire en- 

 thusiasm in the most sober minded. 



With the project well under way 

 in Sangamon, Menard, Morgan and 

 adjoining counties, and more than 

 1,000 prospective customers signed 

 in Iroquois county alone, co-opera- 

 tive rural electric lines promise to 

 receive a fair trial in this state. This 

 is all anyone wants. If farmers can't 

 produce this service at rates equiva- 

 lent or lower than those charged un- 

 der private operation there is little 



if any object in co-operative opera- 

 tion. But, mind you, the measure of 

 value of Electric Co-of)eratives should 

 not be rates alone. 



Co-operatives are bringing elec- 

 tricity to farming areas where there 

 was little enthusiasm if not down 

 right refusal by existing companies 

 to extend service on a reasonable 

 basis. This is not true in many sec- 

 tions of the state, however. A num- 

 ber of utility companies have been 

 more than active and willing to ex- 

 tend service to farms at very nominal 

 cost. This has been particularly true 

 during the past two to three years. 

 There will be a great deal of inter- 

 est in watching these co-operatives 

 and comparing their service and cost 

 with that of the older companies. It 

 will be a miracle if the co-operative 

 in its formative years can provide 

 service for as little money as some of 

 the privately operated companies arc 

 now charging. We said now ad- 

 visedly. Rates are substantially low- 

 er, thanks to reduced operating costs 

 and the present Illinois Commerce 

 Commission. ■ 



Over in Ohio the Farm Bureau believes 

 that its co-operative electric companies 

 will be able to ser\'ice farms at a lower 

 cost than the charges heretofore made by 

 non-cooperative companies. Be that as it 

 may, an efficiently operated co-operative 

 organized without the customary split to 

 the bankers, without watered stock and 

 with no markup in the investment for 

 rate-making purposes, should give a good 

 account of itself. On the other hand the 

 established utility company ser\'ing large 

 industrial users and populous areas en- 

 joys a decided advantage in keeping down 

 costs and rates (o neighboring farm users. 



But the important thing is not a few 

 dollars saving a year on rates. The fact 

 that co-operatives are bringing electricity 

 to the farm is important. No people, cer- 

 tainly not cit}' people can make as great 

 use of electricity as farmers. Electricity 

 on the farm removes almost the last ad- 

 vantage, if any, of living in town. It's 

 our hunch that farmers are going to be 

 mighty pleased with their co-operative 

 electric companies where they take pains 

 to provide the best management available. 

 The many successful business enterprises 

 of the Farm Bureau in this state have 

 demonstrated the soundness of the co- 

 operative setup. — E.G.T. 



MARCH. 1937 



