Jasper County Farm Bureau 



Launches Road Program 



(Continued from page 13) 



Farm Bureau. They were ready to hire 

 a farm adviser. R. E. Apple, experienced 

 and capable, was persuaded to leave 

 Clark county and come to this virgin 

 Farm Bureau territory. The first project 

 the new board of directors agreed to push 

 was "Roads." And the results obtained 

 in the space of a few months is a story 

 in itself. 



Jasper county, like many others outside 

 the gravel belt, is stuck in the mud in the 

 early spring. The yellow-gray silt under- 

 laid with tight clay that is common to 

 this section gets mighty greasy in wet 

 weather. Outside of some 70 miles of 

 state paved roads — a generous enough 

 allotment — there are few all-weather 

 roads in the county; in fact only about 

 20 miles of gravel. Gravel is scarce and 

 must be shipfjed in. So nearly every farm- 

 er in the county is "road-minded." 



Several years ago, farmers converged 

 on Newton to get the county officials 

 to do something about roads. That was 

 before the Farm Bureau was organized. 

 The preliminary skirmish was won. Com- 

 mittees were appointed in each township 

 to decide where the new gravel roads 

 should go. But that was the end of the 

 matter. There was no organization or 

 rallying point to bring farmers together. 

 Coming from all parts of the county they 

 were strangers to each other. When they 

 came to the county seat they would sit 

 around the court house steps. So nothing 

 was done. 



But with the organization of the Farm 

 Bureau, the picture changed. The first 

 thing the Farm Bureau b)oard did was to 

 appoint a county-wide Road Committee 

 — three members from each township or 

 34 all told. At the "party" for the new 

 county adviser, the principal topic for 

 discussion was "roads." And it wasn't 

 a lecture, either. It was a good roads 

 gab-fest, the old-fashioned town meeting 

 kind where everyone has something to 

 say. At the county-wide "party" for the 

 married folks, and again at the "party" 

 for the young people, good roads was 

 the big idea. 



The upshot of all this enthusiasm was 

 a proposal for an election in every town- 

 ship on the question of a bond issue to 

 build farm -to -market roads using as much 

 WPA labor. Federal and state aid as 

 could be had. 



All of the 1 1 townships with two ex- 

 ceptions voted bond issues of varying 

 amounts. Wade township alone voted 

 $75,000. The county bond issue of 



14 



MANY GO THIS WAY 

 Team and Buggy More Dependable When 

 Roads Are Muddy. 



$140,000, likewise, carried. The two 

 townships that turned down the gravel 

 road project have state paved roads. 



Farm Adviser Apple estimates that 

 approximately $490,000 is available in 

 the county from county and township 

 bond issues to build all-weather roads. 

 This will be supplemented by the county's 

 share of state gas tax money, and by state 

 aid in secondary road building when 

 legislation now pending in the General 

 Assembly is enacted. At $1,500 to the 

 mile, this sum will build around 327 

 miles of gravel road, enough to give 

 nearly every farm in the county a good 

 connection. 



Gradually the Farm Bureau program 

 is widening into other fields. Limestone, 

 legumes, soil conservation, poultry rais- 

 ing, better dairying and others are all 

 coming in for attention. Commercial 

 services sponsored by the lAA and asso- 

 ciated companies are meeting a ready 

 response from new members. 



Chester J. McCord, a leading southern 

 Illinois Jersey breeder, president of the 

 Jasper County Farm Bureau, representa- 

 tive of his district on the lAA board and 

 a leader in the new county organization 

 from the beginning, is unstinted in his 

 praise of Father Nell. "He deserves 

 chief credit for getting the Jasper County 

 Farm Bureau under way," said Mr. Mc- 

 Cord. "He knew how to go about getting 

 farmers together." — Editor. 



Cooperative power distribution lines 



now serve 5000 Ohio farms, according 

 to the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation. 

 Ohio leads the country in the electrifi- 

 cation of farms and farm homes co- 

 operatively. 



NOTICE 



ILLINOIS AGRICULTURAL ASSN. 

 ELECTION OF DELEGATES 



Notice is hereby given that in connec- 

 tion with the annual meeting of the Ogle 

 County Farm Bureau to be held during 

 the month of June, 1937, at the hour and 

 place to be determined by the Board of 

 Directors, the members in good standing 

 of such County Farm Bureau and who 

 are also qualified voting members of 

 Illinois Agricultural Association shall e- 

 lect a delegate or delegates to represent 

 such members of Illinois Agricultural 

 Association and vote on all matters be- 

 fore the next annual meeting or any 

 special meeting of the Association, in- 

 cluding the election of officers and direc- 

 tors as provided for in the By-Laws of 

 the Association. 



May 12, 1937. 



(Signed) Paul E. Mathias, 

 Corporate Secretary. 



Indpls. Producers 



Has A Birthday 



After 15 years of service to Illinois 

 and Indiana livestock producers, the Pro- 

 ducers Commission Association of In- 

 dianapolis, on May 15, reared back to 

 look itself over, celebrate its birthday. 



A glance at the record shows tremend- 

 ous progress: May 15, 1922, Producers 

 opened for business at Indianapolis; 

 1923, Producers handled more livestock 

 than any other agency on the Indianapolis 

 market; 1924, started to handle shippers' 

 traffic claims; 1925, started buying com- 

 petition on sheep at Indianapolis; 1926, 

 handled largest number of calves of any 

 years; 1927, began radio broadcasts; 



1 928, big year for the traffic department ; 



1929, handled greatest amount of money; 



1930, offered feeders credit; 1931, best 

 cattle year; 1932, livestock prices hit bot- 

 tom; 1933, started to buy feeders for 

 cattlemen; 1934, patrons got duplicate 

 accounts for AAA contracts; 1935, best 

 western lamb year; 1936, largest volume 

 of cattle and sheep handled by Producers 

 of any year. 



"We look back over 1 5 years of growth 

 and development — and forward to 

 greater growth and service, and may the 

 Association continue to keep and de- 

 serve the support of our members," said 

 Scott Meiks, manager. 



The Farm Bureaus of Illinois and the Il- 

 linois Agricultural Association have given a 

 wonderful demonstration of true friendship 

 during the flood. Champaign County sent 

 19 truck loads of much needed oats, corn, 

 hay and straw. LaSalle county sent 800 bush- 

 els of corn and 1000 bushels of oats. Monroe 

 county has sent 750 bushel of seed oats. The 

 lAA has sent several carloads of hay. This 

 has been distributed to the flood sufferers 

 and has enabled the farmers to continue their 

 spring work. The Pope-Hardin Farm Bureau 

 wishes to extend their thanks to all who have 

 made this possible. 



M. J. Koch, President 



I. A. A. RECORD 



