-M 



"WE'RE GETTING LOTS OF AHENTION THIS MORNING" 

 Horses and MuUs Help Make the Opfer Farm Pay. 



MULES "PAPPY." AND THE BOSS 

 "About 200 Mares Each Spring." 



cause they deliver a heavier flow of milk, 

 although the test is lower than with other 

 breeds." 



The milk goes to Pevely Dairy at St. 

 Louis and is sold by Sanitary Milk Pro- 

 ducers. The present price is $2.14 per 

 cwt. at St. Louis with a hauling charge 

 of 45 cents per 100 pounds. Many of 

 the cows are excellent producers, thanks 

 to good breeding and intelligent feeding 

 with alfalfa and clover hay and a bal- 

 anced home-mixed grain ration. 



The farm has yielded up to 21 bushels 

 average on wheat and 45 to 50 bushels 

 an acre of corn. Last summer's drouth 

 cut crop yields considerably below these 

 figures. 



The Opfer home has its own electric 

 light plant and other conveniences. 

 Nevertheless Henry would be pleased to 

 see an extension of the electric high line 

 put through on his road. 



Mr. and Mrs. Opfer have put in the 

 best years of their life on this farm, con- 

 stantly striving to improve it, yet neither 

 has any thought of retiring. 



They have reared a family of five chil- 

 dren — three daughters and two sons. 

 One daughter, Emma Claussing, resides 

 on a farm near Palatine and is a member 

 of the Cook County Farm Bureau. An- 

 nie and Edna are also married and live 

 on farms in Fayette county. Carl lives 

 with his family down the road and is 

 active with his father in the management 

 and operation of the farm. Elmer, the 

 youngest, is at home taking a man's place 

 along with his Dad and brother. Like 

 many of their neighbors, the Opfers are 

 active members of the Lutheran church 

 in the community. 



Back of the house a small vineyard 

 aroused visions of a well stocked wine 

 cellar. And, sure enough, a moment 

 later at the house a generous pitcher of 

 sweet grape wine and glasses were passed 

 around in typical German custom. 



Mrs. Opfer greeted us warmly as she 

 busied herself about her large kitchen. A 

 single glance made you feel that in this 



kitchen and home, in this wife and moth- 

 er lay the reason for half or more of 

 Henry Opfer's success as a farmer. No 

 form of living draws the family together 

 like that on the farm. City people seldom 

 have the same opportunity for a happy 

 family life as that in farming. And Mrs. 

 Opfer's home-made bread, pies, cookies 

 and cakes, say nothing of her earlier 

 labors outdoors for the common good 

 have figured heavily in the final result 

 in this happy and successful family enter- 

 prise. 



The Farm Bureau is new in Fayette 

 county, but Mr. Opfer is sold on it as a 

 permanent institution for the improve- 

 ment of Fayette county agriculture. "I 

 am satisfied with it all around," he said. 

 "I appreciate the advice and help I get 

 in doing a better job of farming. I 

 think the Farm Bureau will grow. It 

 surely ought to." 



Opfer is a stockholder and patron of 

 the Fayette Service Company. He likes 

 the savings on auto insurance in the lAA 

 company. He is public spirited, too. 

 "The Farm Bureau is benefiting all the 

 farmers. It helps non-members as well 

 as members," he said. 



ROOTS IN THE SOIL 



(Continued from page 17) 



her club was chosen one of the first girls 

 to be sent to the National Club camp at 

 Washington from this state. The first 

 demonstration team she trained won the 

 state championship. She also served as 

 coach for the dramatic tournaments. Mrs. 

 Parks does dramatic reading herself and 

 helps along with community programs 

 in that way. The summer round-up for 

 school children has been a special project 

 of the county in the health work of 

 Home Bureau under her direction, also 

 immunization work against diphtheria. 



"How women have changed since 

 Home Bureau was first organized," Mrs. 



Parks commented. Their interests have 

 broadened. They are interested in more 

 than cooking and sewing. They realize 

 as Mrs. Burns said in her talk at Farm 

 and Home week that "the homemaker 

 to make a successful family life needs an 

 intellectual life more stimulating and 

 challenging than that furnished by quilt 

 patterns or tricky salads." 



"I believe that personality develop- 

 ment in the home will be given more and 

 more attention by Home Bureau in the 

 next few years. From successful families 

 we may hope to build successful com- 

 munities. In our county, we find Home 

 Bureau touches all women, those on the 

 farm, those living in villages or towns. 

 The only requirement is that they be 

 interested in homemaking. Home Bureau 

 has made it possible for rural women 

 to attain many things including better 

 homes. Now we must add to that by 

 showing what part homemakers can take 

 in other than material things. 



"When we can help to build success- 

 ful families, happier communities, a 

 feeling of stability and pride in our agri- 

 cultural and home life, surely the organi- 

 zation of Home Bureau will have helped 

 to build a better nation." 



And that, is the hope of Mrs. Will 

 Parks and her happy family. 



Livestock Meeting 



(Continued from page 15) 



To maintain the price of beef during 

 July and August, the contact department 

 of the National Association secured the 

 co-operation of chain stores throughout 

 the country in conducting a campaign 

 to sell more domestic beef. The result 

 was a 30 per cent increase in beef sales 

 during August. 



A similar campaign was carried out 

 to increase the volume of lamb sold 

 by chain stores. One store in North 

 Carolina, which previously had handled 

 practically no lamb, sold 25 carcasses 

 during the campaign. 



Illinois has a reputation of being a 

 (Continued on page 24) 



L A. A. RECORD 



