FARM ADVISER APPLE 

 "70 miles of pavement but only about 20 miles of gravel 

 in the county." 



AFTER THE RAIN 

 Roy Koebele, Jasper County. Dragging t^ud Roads in Grove Township. 



went directly to one of the milk dis- 

 tributors and accused him of hiring 

 gangsters (so-called detectives) who 

 many believed shot up and burned milk 

 trucks to turn public sentiment against 

 the organized milk producers. 



Father Nell has spoken to scores of 

 Farm Bureau audiences in more than a 

 dozen counties. He has delivered hun- 

 dreds of speeches on the benefits of Farm 

 Bureau and organization for milk pro- 

 ducers. He has prepared glass and him 

 slides for farm advisers and community 

 leaders as well as for himself to aid in 

 spreading accurate information about lAA 

 and Farm Bureau services. And more 

 recently he has taken the lead in organ- 

 izing the Jasper County Farm Bureau. 



"Sometimes I am asked by other priests 

 why I do all this work for the Farm 

 Bureau, " he laughed. "In fact, Fve been 

 criticised for being too active in m.ttters 

 not concerned with religion. 1 look at it 

 this way. The Farm Bureau is out to 

 help farmers, fighting to bring agriculture 

 a fair share of the national income. If 

 farmers don't have a reason.iblc income 

 they can't support the church or anything 

 else. Why wouldn t I be for the I'.irm 

 Bureau .-' " 



Out at Island Grove — just a cross- 

 roads two miles off the gravel in the 

 mud — and far from any town, is the 

 towering steeple on an old red brick 

 church where Father Nell presides. A 

 brick parish house adjoins the church 

 where he lives with his mother. Across 

 the road is a rambling white frame com- 

 munity hall for meetings and entertain- 

 ment. Here he has organized a co-opera- 

 tive parish activities service which in- 

 cludes a wide variety of plays, pamphlets, 

 cuts, film strips and religious educational 

 material used by thousands of rural 

 churches and community groups through- 

 out the country. 



Father Nells hobby is developing 'rural 

 leadership and community life. He gets 

 a thrill out of seeing a shy 15 or 16 

 year old boy or girl get up and lead a 

 meeting or give a film slide lecture. He 

 belie\es in wholesome fun and recreation 

 and you'll find him out there on the floor 

 with the kids taking part in folk games 

 and other sports. 



Father Nell has learned the art of 

 getting folks to work together. There 

 is something of educational value in the 

 community meetings he plans besides 

 entertainment. In organizing I'arm Bu 

 reau community clubs, responsibility is 

 placed largely on the young people to 

 carry on the program. But they are 

 guided and given material for their reatl 

 ings, lectures, stunts and musical numbers. 

 Rural pastors, county farm advisers, and 

 community leaders might well study the 

 methods that he has used in developing 

 leadership. 



More than a year .igo. lather Nell 



FIDDLERS MAKE MERRY . . 

 . . at Farm Bureau Unit meetHig 

 Township. 



Gil, 



became imbued with the idea that Jasper 

 county ought to have a Farm Bureau 

 of its own. There was a substantial num- 

 ber of members in the county who be- 

 longed to Farm Bureaus in a>l)oining 

 tounlies. They formed the nmleus of the 

 new organiz.ition. 



At a county wide meeting of these 

 members. Father Nell was given authority 

 to proceed with publicity and organiza- 

 tion plans. 'Hie first move was to buy a 

 p.age every week in the county newspajXTr, 

 the Newton Mentor-Democrat. Filled 

 w ith educational stories about I'arm 

 Bureau, it was sent to every farmer in 

 the county, llie Organization Depart- 

 ment of the lAA was called in to assist 

 local volunteers in signing new members. 

 A temj-'orary boaril of directors was set 

 up. The old Newton Opera House, just 

 the place for lountywide meetings and 

 get-togethers, iSsis leased. More than 

 enough money came in from sub- leases 

 to other groups to pay the rent. 



Something new was started in New- 

 ton, li.ich month there would be a 

 party for the young people of the 

 county, anil another "party" for the older 

 folks. We tall them parties," Father 

 Nell lommented, but we gel across more 

 funil.iment.il kn()v\ ledge about the larrn 

 Bureau progiani there than we do at 

 meetings. 



1 he i H ilub members also were 

 brought togelher. At the county rally 

 last spring more than ,S()0 boys and girls 

 attended. At every "party , old as well 

 as young jMay folk games, talk, do folk 

 dances and eat Committees are assigned 

 to serve the food brought along by the 

 members of the group, 



lliese meetings brought the larmers of 

 the county together through a central 

 organization for the first time in history. 



By Fall (l';36) around MH) members 

 had been signed in the Jasper C'ounty 



JUNE, 1937 



13 



